Quick Answer: How To Adjust Craftsman Riding Mower Deck

How do you adjust the height on a Craftsman lawn mower?

How to Adjust the Height on a Sears Craftsman Mower Locate the adjuster on one wheel Move the lever from the notch it’s in by pulling the lever toward the wheel Repeat this process for the other three wheels Double-check that all four wheels have been set at the same height after you’ve finished adjusting them

Why does my Craftsman riding mower cut uneven?

If your riding lawn mower is cutting the grass unevenly, start by checking the pattern of the cut Blade vibration also causes an uneven cut To eliminate vibration, replace unbalanced blades and worn mandrels Replace a worn blade belt because a worn belt won’t spin the blades correctly

Why is my mower cutting lower on one side?

If the deck on your lawn tractor is lower on one side than the other, the result is an uneven cut Leveling your tractor’s deck periodically smooths out your lawn It only takes a few minutes and just a couple of common tools to level your lawn tractor deck

Should the mower deck wheels touch the ground?

Mower deck gauge wheels should be properly adjusted to prevent scalping grass on uneven terrain The bottom of the wheels should sit approximately 1/8-1/2 of an inch from the ground, depending on your cutting height

How do you level a mower deck?

To level the deck from the front to rear, place the deck lift lever in the middle position Wearing gloves, rotate the blade closest to the discharge chute parallel to the lawn mower Measure the height of the front blade tip to the ground Next, measure the height of the rear blade tip to the ground

Why is my mower deck unlevel?

Uneven cutting is wavy or smooth troughs in the lawn surface Uneven cutting is usually caused by mower deck damage or misadjustment

Why does my riding mower leave a strip in the middle?

A strip of uncut grass left in the middle of mowing rows could signal that your lawnmower’s blades are unbalanced or that one or both of them was installed the wrong way Ensure that your mower’s blades are on correctly, that both are secured tightly to the mower deck and that both are balanced

Can you adjust the drive belt on a Craftsman riding mower?

Blade drive belts on Craftsman lawn mowers are not designed to be be adjusted and there is no mechanism for adjusting them Instead, the manufacturer recommends replacing a loose belt with a new one

Is a mower deck supposed to be level?

Level the mower deck to ensure grass cutting height is even across the width of the deck This will help ensure a smooth and seamless side-by-side blend between each row of freshly cut grass

Which side of a lawn mower blade goes up?

The wings of the lawn mower blade will be oriented up toward the mower deck and any writing on the blade will likely be facing away from the deck If the blade bolt comes with a washer, its concave side will be facing the blade

How much do you overlap when mowing?

Don’t Make Your Rows Too Far Apart For even coverage, it’s best to overlap each pass by at least three inches It’s better to overlap than look back and see strips of grass that you missed

How high off the ground should a mower deck be?

Tractor-using professionals should adjust their deck wheels to around 1 inch off the ground at all times It’s also worth noting that riding mowers also have multiple angled decks, which means that you should check to ensure that front deck is slightly lower (like ⅜ inch) than the back deck

Where should I set my lawn mower height?

Lawn Mowing Made Simple: Set your lawn mower on the highest setting This should be 3 inches or taller Sharpen the blade about once per month Mulch the grass clippings, as long as they don’t clump up all over the lawn Rotate the mowing direction every week

What is the correct height to cut grass?

A Rule of Thumb An optimal height for a cool-season grass generally is about 2 1/2 inches And at each mowing, you should only be removing about the top 1/3 of the grass blade Consequently, a good time to mow lawns is when your grass is about 3 2/3 inches high

What is the lowest setting on a lawn mower?

If you don’t know what kind of grass you have, a good rule of thumb is to cut it at three inches or down to a minimum of 2 ½”, never removing more than one third of the grass blade at a time Understanding your model of lawn mower and how your lawn mower height settings work is important if you want to use it properly

How do you pitch a mower deck?

For most effective results, a lawn mower deck should have a pitch of 1/8-inch to 1/2-inch between the height of the deck rear to the height of the deck front Naturally, this makes the sweet spot about 1/4-inch of pitch, depending on the type of mower

Do mower blades need to be timed?

Premium Member The blades are not timed and if you try to “time” them, they will move around on their own the tips miss each other no matter how you orient them, so there is no need to worry about it

Why is my riding mower not cutting?

Replace the riding mower blade belt The blade belt spins the blades to cut the grass A worn or broken drive belt won’t spin the cutting blades so your mower won’t cut the grass A worn blade belt can also cause mower deck vibration or uneven cuts Examine the blade belt regularly and replace it if it’s worn or broken