# Shaking deck



## gtanse (Nov 2, 2004)

I have a Simplicity Regent with 16hp Honda motor and 38" deck. I bought some Gator blades and installed them. When I engaged the blades the deck shook and the motor bogged down. Does that mean the motor isn't powerful enough to handle heavier blades? I haven't checked the blades to see if they are balanced since they are new.


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## mark777 (Jul 23, 2004)

Sure sounds as though you have one spindle with a miss-keyed space, alignment or off center cap screw (bolt) holding the blade assembly off center.

I'd be compelled to check the blades to be sure they are an exact match replacement for your make and model. The alignment problem is the ONLY thing that comes to mind causing sever vibration. Sounds dangerously close to flying apart....that is my best guess gtanse .

Regarding you motor bogging down...Maybe after figuring out the vibration problem, you can adjust your deck height further up and take smaller 'bites' to see if the Honda will handle the heavier blades vs. tall grass.

Hope somebody comes along with an exact answer...good luck!

Mark


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## luckycharms (Dec 4, 2003)

I had a problem with them on my Husky GT, I guess they are a little heavier than the OEM blades. But, after some time tweaking and break-in, they work great. Maybe I got a batch that didn't meet proper QC at the plant.

You sure you didn't accidently hit anything else or forget some tools down there when you replaced the blades? Find it hard to believe that blades would affect the system to that extent. Hmmmmm.


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## HYDROGUARDIAN16 (Feb 14, 2007)

did it stop bogging down once it got going? you should check to make sure every thing is moving freely, pull the belt away from the spindles and spin the pully to make sure they turn easily. you may be running the engine to low open that throttle up full time. sometimes i put the brake on(hydrostatic),(you know like when you start the machine the brake pedal which must be depressed. depress it and the engine will disengage the tranny and it makes the engine run freely with nothing putting it under load, with the brake depressed turn on the blades,once they are on release the brake pedal and continue going. But wait dont continue to move, wait for some more replies to help you first, then pick one and use it.
good luck!


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## gtanse (Nov 2, 2004)

I took the deck off and checked the blades and centered them, they were slightly off center. The timing was off so I fixed that. Now, guess what else I found. One of the spark plug wires was disconnected. Once all that was corrected, it worked great. Thanks for your help.


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## HYDROGUARDIAN16 (Feb 14, 2007)

NP I havent thought about timing,I remember I was reading my manual 2 months before spring,Its good to read it. good work timing is important I need to do that ty for the heads up on that ,

hydro


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## chrpmaster (May 5, 2004)

Yes gtanse those spark plug wires are there for a reason 

Just kidding cause we have all done things like that and worse. Glad you have the beast back in action. I am interested in your thoughts on how well the gators work versus your regular baldes. Maybe after you use them for a while you can let us know.

Andy


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## OleGrandWizard (Jan 9, 2006)

Well, the spark wire would definately cause a shake.... hehe
rattle and maybe even a little roll....  

glad you got it fixed.


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## derdader (Apr 18, 2007)

The Kohler on my ZTR started bogging down when I engaged the deck last year. Blowing light blue smoke out the exhaust too! At that time it was only a year old. Started checking things and found the air filter was completely PACKED with red dust. After a good cleaning all was well again.
It's usually the little things that tend to get overlooked before starting the machine up.


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## gtanse (Nov 2, 2004)

After using the Gators for only a short time, I can say they do a better job than the old ones did. They seem to be reducing the clippings so much that there isn't much left for raking. I did use the clippings for mulch or compost before. The blades that the mower came with must have been the lowest quality they could find. These new ones really chop the weeds. I don't have any grass. OH, wait a minute, I saw some over the leach field, the only place with a constant source of water and nutrients. The old blades were worn to smooth, round edges and the ends were split and curling. They were only used four times last summer with the drought we had and the summer before maybe 10-15 hours.


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