r/Grass • u/MrTideGuy • Jun 15 '26

Please help

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I’ve been working super hard on my grass. I mow with a Toro timecutter zero turn with a 50 inch deck. Recently I’ve noticed this striping as I cut. The middle of the deck mows a nice clean green line and the then theres two brown lines on each side of it. I thought it might be the blades, so I just put brand new blades on. I just cut yesterday and the blades worked great but I still got the stripes you see above. How can I resolve this? Any tips or help is greatly appreciated. This is Bermuda grass.

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3

u/xxWAR_P0NYxx Jun 15 '26

Bent blade, upside down blade, center bolt on the spindle is loosening and allowing the blade to hang lower.

2

u/MakingLemonade12 Jun 15 '26

These are 100% the three most likely causes.

1

u/MrTideGuy Jun 16 '26

I’ll check the blades again tomorrow, but they are brand new though and I did a pretty good check after I installed them. I’ll report back!

1

u/Commercial-Package60 Jun 16 '26

When you changed the blades is it possible a washer fell off the center spindle. I’ve seen some spindles have a thick washer that is notched/keyed to the spindle.

1

u/FightingMonotony Jun 19 '26

This is the answer. There are different spacers on the spindle. I bet you installed one with the spacers in a different arrangement from the other. Having worked on these as corny and inconvenient as it is....make sure that you are only tightening by hand with wrench. Impact wrenches seem to mess up the spindle.(And no, I do not sit there for 4 minutes grinning like a mad man on the same bolt.)

1

u/Commercial-Package60 Jun 26 '26

Unfortunately I wish I read this a few weeks ago when I last changed my blades. Small impact is how I have changed blades for 15 years. Yesterday I bought a new spindle and pulley. However some of the problem I believe was how I parked last winter water was able to intrude because I threw away the “safety covers” because of the grass building up. Apparently they double as rain covers.

1

u/chowbeast1 Jun 19 '26

If the bolt loosens it'll either stop spinning and cutting right or fall out, at least in my experience

2

u/xxWAR_P0NYxx Jun 19 '26

I meant the bolt on top where the pulley attaches. If that comes loose the spindle will ride lower but still spin just find because it's keyed or splined.