11 Causes of Big Dog Zero Turn’s Poor or Uneven Cut.

Low tire pressure, an uneven deck, a broken spindle, worn pulleys or spindle bearings, dull or damaged blades, a frayed deck belt, or a clogged mower deck all contribute to a poor or uneven cut on a Big Dog zero turn.

If you want to know other potential causes of a terrible cut, such as how to avoid them when operating the mower, read on!

For information on how to work safely on your Big Dog mower deck, consult the operator’s manual. In order to do this, you must take out the key and disconnect the spark plug wires.

Before attempting any diagnosis, repairs, or use of the equipment, be sure to read and fully understand the operator’s manual.If you don’t feel confident in your ability to make the repair or if you lack the necessary expertise or experience, you should get some help from a professional.

11 Causes of Your Big Dog Mower’s Poor Results

Big Dog Mower with Flat Tires

When dealing with an issue of uneven cutting, many owners neglect to check their tires. Tire pressure should be checked before any other process is examined for an uneven cut.

If your tire pressure is too low, your deck will sit unevenly on the ground, and your cut will be crooked.

Verify that the right and left tires of the mower have the same amount of air pressure. If you don’t check the tire pressures first, you can end up making adjustments to the mower deck that you’ll have to undo later.

A Big Dog Zero Turn with a Dull or Faded Blade

The blade on your Big Dog mower will naturally dull and wear down after repeated use. The rate at which this occurs is determined by the cutting circumstances.

When mowing a lawn, the blades will wear out more quickly if more dirt can be sucked beneath the mower deck.

For instance, the mower deck is subject to more debris on lawns with little grass coverage. Coverage of your lawn is something you’ll have to live with till the grass matures and becomes a thick carpet.

After mowing your lawn, you might see the ends of the grass turn brown a day or two later. Your lawn mower has dull blades.

Extremely worn and rounded-off blades can also leave uncut swaths of grass between their ends.

The blades on your Big Dog mower should be inspected frequently to ensure they are sharp or replaced as needed.

Be sure to examine the sail on your blades for wear as well as the edges. This is the blade’s upper surface. A terrible cut can occur if it is narrower than the blade’s core.

This is because, at high rotational speeds, the sail of the blade generates airflow under the deck.

Grass grows taller because of the suction created by the air currents and the space under the deck. After that, the blade goes over the grass and cuts it evenly.

Big Dog Zero Turn with a Gouged or Bent Blade

A mower with a bent blade will produce an uneven cut. Any immovable item, such as a tree root or rock, can cause a blade to flex when it comes into contact with it. Check the blades for wear and tear.

Small nicks can be removed from the blade edge by sharpening it if you discover chips or gouges. If the gouges are too big to fix with a file, you might need to get new blades.

Maintain your search for a crooked blade. If the bend in the Big Dog blade isn’t too severe or obvious to the naked eye, you can check for it in one of two ways:

With the Big Dog mower blade still attached:

• Put the lawnmower down on level ground.
• To prevent the mower from starting, remove the key and the spark plug boot.
• Find the length by tracing the blade from one end to the other. Take note of the dimensions.
• Measure the length of the blade from the other end by rotating it through 180 degrees. Take note of the dimensions.
• If the distance between the two ends of the blade is more than 1/8 inch, you should get a new blade.
• Do this for each of the Big Dog mower’s blades.

With the Big Dog mower blade removed:

• Put the lawnmower down on level ground.
• To prevent the mower from starting, remove the key and the spark plug boot.
• Learn how to get below your deck. Put away the lawnmower blade.
• Place the worn-out one on top of the fresh one. It’s time for a new mower blade if the old one is causing gaps.

If you discover a curve, you should inspect the spindle bearing for wear. When the blade is hit hard enough, the bearing can break.

Mower blades should never be straightened. Doing so increases the likelihood of cracks in the metal and compromises its integrity. A mower with a fractured blade shouldn’t be used for cutting grass, especially at high speeds.

Big Dog Mower Blades Are Wrongly Installed

Install the blade on your Big Dog mower deck so that the high side, often called the sail or fin, is facing upward.

If you put your blades on backwards, they’ll strike the ground and tear up your grass, and the spindle and spindle bearing will be damaged.

Before you put in your new blades, check to see if they are balanced. An uneven cut and vibration from an out of balance mower blade is a bad combination.

Big Dog Zero Turn’s Clogged Deck Due to Debris

Suction is generated by the space under the deck, the baffles, and the airflow from the mower blades in Big Dog mowers. This suction lifts the grass up so that it can be chopped evenly by the blade.

Plugging the deck prevents it from producing the suction necessary for a clean shave. Your deck needs occasional checks and scrapes.

Wet grass requires more frequent scraping. Mowing wet grass might result in unsightly clumps left behind.

Some people who own Big Dog mowers find that spraying the deck with silicone oil helps keep debris from sticking. While this spray does help, it is not a guarantee that no grass will stick.

Big Dog Zero Turn with a Bent Blade Spindle

Inspect the spindles of the blades for damage, such as a bent spindle or a worn bearing. Remove the ignition key and the spark plug boot(s) for added safety.

Put on some sturdy gloves and grasp the ends of your mower blade. Check for swaying by swinging the blade up and down.

A loose or knocking spindle could be caused by a damaged bearing in the housing or a bent spindle. Any broken components will require attention.

A Big Dog Mower with a Faulty Deck Belt or Pulleys

Slowly rotate each deck pulley to check for resistance and noise. Pulleys that make noise when rotated or don’t turn smoothly should be replaced.

Check for cracks and wear to ensure your belt is in good working order. The belt needs to go around the pulleys without slipping.

Too Slow Engine or Too Fast Ground Speed

If you have the mower deck engaged, you must use maximum throttle. When mowing long, tall, or damp grass, you’ll need to slow down.

In these conditions, your engine has to work harder to cut the grass, therefore reducing your ground speed will help.

If the mower’s engine and cutting deck can’t perform the job, you could not get a clean cut. If you mow too quickly, the mower won’t be able to generate enough suction, and you’ll wind up pushing over the grass instead of cutting it.

Big Dog Lawnmower Mistakenly Cuts an Overlapping Path

It’s possible that the operator is to blame for the cutting issue. You need to overlap each pass when mowing stripes on your lawn so that you don’t miss any grass and leave behind unmowed swaths.

Big Dog Zero Turn Causes Deck Shell Damage

Running your mower into trees, rocks, or other hard surfaces can cause cosmetic damage to the deck shell.

The shape of the deck is engineered to generate suction, ensuring a clean shave. Your cut may be at risk if the deck is destroyed.

Your Grass Isn’t Evenly Cut

Mower decks can scalp lawns that are uneven and rough. Rolling your grass after cutting it might help it look more polished.