12 Causes of an Uneven or Bad Spartan Mower Cut

It’s frustrating to spend money on a mower only to discover that it’s no longer producing a clean cut. In order to achieve the desired style, you may need to replace or fix a few things.

A poor or uneven cut on a Spartan lawn mower can be caused by a number of factors, including uneven tire pressures, a dull, worn, or bent mower blade, an unbalanced mower blade, a plugged mower deck, a damaged spindle, a worn bearing in the spindle housing or pulley, a worn deck belt, or a damaged deck shell.

The cut can also be ruined by careless use of a Spartan zero turn. There needs to be adequate overlap between the mowing lines. An inadequate cut can result from either operating the mower at too fast of a ground speed or with too slow of an engine speed.

When servicing the mower and the mower deck, exercise extreme caution. Before attempting any diagnostics or repairs, make sure the ignition key and spark plug wire have been removed. Follow the instructions in the manual to ensure your safety.

Before diagnosing, repairing, or using the equipment, make sure you’ve read and understood all of the safety instructions in the user manual. In the event that you lack the necessary knowledge, experience, or physical ability to safely complete the repair, it is recommended that you seek the assistance of a professional.

Troubleshooting: Spartan Mower Deck Is Cutting Inequitably

• Check for a low tire pressure
• Check for dull or worn mower blades
• Check for a bent mower blade
• Check that the blade is properly installed and balanced.
• Remove a clogged mower deck
• Check for a bent blade spindle or worn spindle bearing
• Inspect the deck belt or pulleys for wearing
• Ensure the engine speed sufficient
• Slow down the ground speed
• Check that the mowing paths are properly overlapped.
• Inspect the mower deck shell for damage
• Inspect the lawn conditions

Causes of Your Spartan Mower’s Uneven Cut

Insufficient Tire Pressures on a Spartan Lawn Mower

Inspect the tire pressures before doing anything else to the mower. If your Spartan mower is slicing unevenly, check the tire pressure.

Both of your vehicle’s drive tires need to have their pressure adjusted to the optimal level, as outlined in the owner’s manual. Both the left and right drive tires need to have the same tire pressure. A poor cut can be the result of uneven tire pressure on a lawnmower.

It’s also important to check the pressures of any air-filled caster wheels on your Spartan mower. If you don’t check the tire pressures first, you might make some adjustments to the mower deck that you’ll have to undo later if the tire pressures turn out to be incorrect.

Dull or Worn Mower Blade on a Spartan Mower

Wear and tear on the sail and blade tips of a Spartan mower can result in an uneven cut. Wearing is inevitable. The blades on lawn mowers are a consumable that eventually dull and need to be sharpened or replaced for optimal performance.

Cutting tools inevitably dull over time. Since the suction of the mower deck pulls dirt into the deck, they will wear more quickly on sandy lawns than on thick, lush lawns. Lawns with scant soil coverage will have more of it removed.

If your Spartan mower has dull blades, instead of cutting the grass neatly, it will tear it up. If the grass tips on your lawn start to turn brown a few days after you’ve mowed, this is probably why.

Worn When the ends of the blades on a Spartan mower are sharp, they can tear the grass and leave a narrow strip between the blades. When the blade sails are worn, they can also prevent the mower from providing a clean, even cut. The high side of the blade, known as the sail, is what moves air under the mower deck.

When the deck shell and baffles under the deck are combined with the air flow, a suction is created that lifts the grass into a uniform height while the blade passes over it.

Make sure you inspect your Spartan mower blades frequently for signs of wear. Blades that have lost their edge should be sharpened. You know it’s time to get new mower blades when you see a noticeable difference in thickness between the blade’s sail and its center, or when the ends of the blades are rounded.

Bent Mower Blade on a Spartan Lawn Mower

A mower with a bent blade will produce an uneven cut. When a blade comes into contact with something immovable, like a tree root or a rock, it gets bent. Check the blades for wear and tear.

It is possible to fix minor damage to the blade edge by sharpening it if you discover chips or gouges. If the gouges are too deep, new blades may need to be installed.

In case you haven’t already, keep looking for a crooked blade. If the bend is minor and you can’t see it with the naked eye, try one of these tricks to tell if the mower blade is crooked:

Without having to remove a Spartan mower blade:

• Park your mower on flat ground
• You can prevent the lawnmower from starting by removing the key and the covers from the spark plugs.
• The length should be measured from the very end of the blade to the floor. Do not forget to write down the results of the measurement.
• Measure the length of the blade from the other end by rotating it through 180 degrees. Put the numbers down.
• If there is over and 1/8″ variance from one blade end to the other blade end, replace with a new blade.
• Repeat this step with each blade on your Spartan lawn mower.

By removing a Spartan mower blade:

• Park your mower on flat ground
• Remove the key and spark plug boots to prevent the mower from turning on.
• Gain access to the underside of your deck. Remove the mower blade.
• Place the worn out blade on top of the fresh one. It’s time for a new set of blades on the mower if the old ones are causing gaps.

If a bend is discovered, the spindle bearing must be inspected for wear and tear. An excessive blow to the blade can cause the bearing to break.

In NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you try to straighten a mower blade. Putting the metal through such stress increases its likelihood of cracking. A mower blade that has been cracked can be dangerous if it is spinning at high speeds.

Misaligned or improperly fastened Spartan Mower Blades

Blades should be mounted with the high side (the sail) pointing upward toward the Spartan mower deck. Grass will be torn up and the blade spindles could be damaged if you install your blades incorrectly.

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. Find out more about changing your mower’s blades right here.

Spartan Lawn Mower with Plugged Mower Deck

The space under the deck, the baffles, and the airflow generated by the deck’s blades’ rotation combine to create a vacuum in Spartan mowers. This vacuum lifts the grass to a uniform height before cutting it with the blade.

Plugging the deck prevents it from producing the suction necessary for a clean shave. When grass is compacted under a deck, it significantly reduces the space needed under the structure.

Always remember to check and scrape your deck for damage. When cutting damp grass, you’ll need to scrape the blade more often. Clumpy lawns are the result of wet grass sticking to the mower deck.

Some people who own Spartan lawn mowers choose to spray the deck with a special product designed to keep debris from sticking. Even though this spray is helpful, it will not eliminate the sticking completely.

Spartan mower has a bent blade spindle or a worn spindle bearing.

Blade spindles may have been damaged in shipping, so make sure the bearings are intact and the blades aren’t bent. Remove the ignition key and the spark plug boot(s) for added safety. Wearing thick gloves, seize the mower blade at both ends. Check for wiggle by rocking the blade up and down.

Bad bearings in the spindle housing or a bent spindle can cause vibration and noise. The spindle housing requires servicing or replacement.

Bad Mower Deck Belt or Pulleys on a Spartan Lawn Mower

Slowly rotate each deck pulley to check for resistance and noise. Any time a pulley makes a grinding or groaning noise, or if you notice that it isn’t turning smoothly, you should replace it.

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

A Spartan Lawnmower Has an Insufficiently Rapid Engine

To get the most out of your mower, rev the engine to its maximum RPM before engaging the deck. If you set the engine speed too low, the deck won’t have enough torque to spin the mower blades quickly enough to get a clean cut.

Too High Speed on the Ground for a Spartan Lawnmower

If you’re mowing grass that’s particularly tall or wet, slow down. Cutting grass in these conditions is hard on engines, so reducing your ground speed will help.

A poor cut may result if the mower’s engine and deck can’t handle the job. When you mow too quickly, you risk losing suction and pushing some of the grass aside.

Spartan Lawnmower Overlap Is Incorrect

It’s possible that the operator is to blame for the cutting issue. Overlapping each pass while mowing stripes in your lawn will ensure that no patches of grass are missed.

This happened to me once when I was attempting to save time by cutting the grass on my lawn with the fewest possible passes. While I was able to save some time, I did notice that I had torn out sections of my lawn.

The deck of a Spartan lawn mower is carefully crafted to allow for optimal airflow and produce a clean cut. Running your mower into trees, rocks, or other hard surfaces can cause cosmetic damage to the deck shell.

A deck shell can be repaired in the hopes that it can be returned to its original position. If the deck is damaged beyond repair, you will need to either replace the deck shell or buy a new mower deck altogether. Get two estimates from your local Spartan mower dealership before making a final decision on how to fix the mower deck.

Price includes both the deck shell and the man hours required to remove and replace the deck’s various parts. a second estimate for replacing the deck. Think about how old your Spartan lawn mower is before deciding which course of action is best for you.

The Broken Deck Shell of A Spartan Mower

Since the deck of a Spartan lawn mower plays such a crucial role in generating the optimal airflow necessary for producing a fine cut, its design is subjected to extensive scrutiny. Mowing against obstacles like trees, rocks, or other hard surfaces can cause cosmetic damage to the deck shell.

A deck shell can be repaired in the hopes that it can be returned to its original position. In the event that the deck is damaged beyond repair, you will need to either replace the deck shell or buy a new mower deck altogether. Consult your local Spartan mower dealership and get at least two estimates for mower deck repair before making a final decision.

A single estimate for both the cost of a new deck shell and the time and effort required to remove, transport, and reinstall all of the deck’s existing components. Alternative price estimate for refinishing the deck. Think about how old your Spartan lawn mower is before deciding which course of action is best for you

Your Lawn is Misshapen.

Mower decks can scalp lawns that are uneven and bumpy. The lawn will look better after you cut it if you roll it to smooth out the cut.