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sturge_gw

Murray rider cuts horribly uneven

sturge
18 years ago

I know that Murray's are junk mowers. However, I was helping out a friend by buying it and I paid half price and it was only used one time. It is a 42" cut 12.5 horse.

I have never seen a mower cut worse. It scalps the lawn on one side and cuts 3" on the other. It can't go over any bumps or changes in the ground without scalping it. My lawn isn't perfectly flat but it isn't very bad either.

The only thing I can figure is that it might help to put rollers on the mower deck. It doesn't have any and I was wondering if that would help.

I've already done the leveling as is instructed in the manual. Any other suggestions?

Please help me fix this piece of ****.

Comments (11)

  • davidandkasie
    18 years ago

    you should also check your tires. if the pressure is not equal in them, you qill get an uneven cut.

    dull blades can make for a bad cut as well.

    check to see if the blades are not only sharp, but LEVEL. if the mandible is bent the blade will rotate at an angle and cause a bad cut.

  • Arizona_Bob
    18 years ago

    Sturge,

    Pull the deck, turn it upside down. Rotate the blades checking that they align with one another. If they don't, you may have a bent blade or you may have the blade incorrectly seated on the mandrel shaft, or a bent shaft or deck. If it all checks out ok, and if you've gone through the checklist for deck leveling, you could get a blade height checking tool from Deere. Or, cut away half of a PVC pipe about 3 inches long and put silly putty or plumbers putty in it. Put it under your deck and rotate your blades against it. That will reveal any difference in cutting height side to side and front to back. Helps to mark the pipe with a ruler in eighth inch increments.

    Bob

  • lawnboyfanatic
    18 years ago

    What year do you think your murray is? I have a 1989 model and its great. Most of the newer models are junk

  • lawnboyfanatic
    18 years ago

    Thats funny I have a MURRAY and its a very good mower. And its not junk. Take better care of it and maybe it will be better. plus when you buy a used mower it is not going to be the best.

  • kcr6419
    17 years ago

    My Murray Riding Mower, 42" with the 12.5HP engine works great. You have to level the deck according to the manual.

    I had tbe same problem until I read the manual on how to level it properly.

    Make sure your blades aren't bent and sharpen often.

    Make sure you check your oil before each mow!!! I didn't and blew my engine. I replaced it with a 15.5HP I/C...what a difference!!

    The mower is about 6 years old. I've mowed over everything you can think of...small trees, roots, rocks, bricks, cement. I cleared 2/3 acre of small trees, brush, briar, etc with the 12.5 engine.

    This mower is rock solid!!!

  • snuffyinatl
    17 years ago

    Something I have seen on a lot of mowers is that the aluminum casing that holds the bearings and shaft for the blades will crack, allowing the whole blade assembly to shift to one side. Get the deck off, or if you can, raise the mower up so you can get under it, and look carefully for any cracks, breaks, or stress marks on the housing. From what I have seen, a well maintained Murray, when used for what it was designed for, which is cutting grass, not bushhogging, plowing, etc., will hold up just fine. Same for Craftsman and the others. No machine will take abuse for long without giving trouble.
    Also follow the advice given by others on here about missing bolts and all. I was only adding what I have seen more than once. I believe sometimes the belt is too tightly adjusted, causing the break.

  • jimc_vt
    17 years ago

    Well,I just took in a Mongomery Ward for repairs (MTD) I believe ,the new owner stated it cuts like crap ....so while he was here I looked under the deck....I couldn't believe it all three high lift blades were on upside down ???? the the lift edge,now the cutting edge was bent right over .....3 new blades and driven belt ordered .....eighty plus bucks ....for these four parts !!!!
    Jim

  • caretaker
    17 years ago

    I have a Murray 38" I think. Date of manufacture is 1969 however it works well except the right side never cuts as well as the left, unless I'm going EXTREMELY slow. Blades are new last year and recently sharpened.

  • jwalsh5
    16 years ago

    i am trying to find a bagger for my murray 42"17hp riding mower. it is only a couple of years old. the tag is missing from the mower. the trick to finding the right bagger is the 3rd digit of the model number. if it's a 5 then it's one bagger if it not a 5 then it's a different bagger. someone out there must be able to tell me what to look for on the mower that distinguises it fron one or the other. i am having no luck in getting a bagger for this mower. please help me if you know the answer.
    thanks, joe

  • murray23
    11 years ago

    Try putting wheels on it to see if it helps I have a Murray 2004 performance 18.5 hp tractor with hydro tranny and it works better than my friends john deer l100 mower I never had problems with the deck cutting uneven I even put a bagger on it and it still cuts perfect

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