13 Causes of a Poor or Uneven Cut Produced by a Simplicity Lawnmower
It is satisfying to finish mowing the lawn and then to take some time to enjoy the sight of the newly cut grass. Yet, this time around your grass does not seem to be in very good shape. This might be the result of a worn component or an adjustment that needs to be made to the mower.
When a Simplicity lawn mower has a low tire, worn, bent, or imbalanced mower blades; faulty bearings in the spindle housings or pulleys; or a worn deck belt, it may provide a poor or uneven cut of the grass. Other potential causes include when the mower has defective bearings in the spindle housings or pulleys.
An uneven cut may also be the consequence of a clogged mower deck, an unleveled deck, a mower speed that is too fast or a ground speed that is too slow, or any combination of these factors, while using your Simplicity riding mower or zero-turn.
When working on your mower or mower deck, be sure to read all of the safety recommendations that are contained in the owner’s handbook that came with your Simplicity product. To prevent your mower from starting and to keep it from moving, you will need to take appropriate safety measures.
This involves taking off the key from the ignition, disengaging the spark plug boots, and applying the parking brake.
Factors that might cause a Simplicity mower to produce an uneven cut include the following:
- Low tire pressure
- a dull blade for the mower
- Bent mower blade
- Unbalance mower blade
- Damaged spindle or bearing
- Plugged mower deck
- Unleveled deck
- Worn deck belt
- Ineffective pulleys
- The speed of the engine is insufficient.
- There is an excessively rapid ground speed.
- Poorly planned mowing routes
- Shell of the mower deck that is damaged
Table of Contents
What Might Be Causing Your Simplicity Mower to Have Uneven Cuts?
1. Low Tire Pressure on Your Simplicity Mower
If you are experiencing an inconsistent cut with either your lawn tractor or your zero-turn mower, the first thing you should do is check the tire pressure. When one of the tires on the mower is low, the deck of the mower will tilt to one side more than the other.
First, finish making this adjustment. If you make modifications to the deck and then discover that one of the tires has a low pressure, you may have to undo those adjustments and then identify and rectify the pressure before continuing.
Employ a tire pressure gauge and check your tire pressure. When the pressure in a tire is too low, you should fill it with air until it is proper. Both the right and left sides of the mower should have the same amount of pressure applied to them.
2. A dull blade for Simplicity Mower Blades
It’s possible for the tips of your blades to get so worn that when they spin beneath the mower deck, a strip of grass is left in between them.
The blade sail is yet another component of the blade that is susceptible to wear and may alter the cut. The top side of the blade is where the sail is attached. When this occurs, your blade is unable to generate the air movement that is necessary to provide the suction that is needed beneath the deck in order to make a proper cut.
There is no way to prevent the wear on the blade. As a natural consequence of being exposed to dirt, this is something that will inevitably occur in most circumstances. The suction that is formed beneath the deck pulls in a significant amount of dirt, which eventually wears down the blade edge as well as the sail.
Examine the condition of the blades of your mower. You will need to replace the Simplicity blades with new ones when the tips of the blades get rounded or when the sail of the blade becomes thinner than the center of the blade.
If your Simplicity blades are in excellent condition but the edges are dull, you may sharpen them by using a blade sharpening tool. Take your blades out and give them a good sharpening.
3. Bent Simplicity Mower Blade
When it comes into contact with a solid item, the blade of a mower might get bent. When an item is hit by blades of a mower that are spinning at fast speeds, the blade might be bent and tweaked. As you take your mower apart and put it back together, there are a few different methods you may check for a bent blade.
Due to the impact that may have bent the mower blade, it is a good idea to do a brief inspection of the condition of the spindle and bearing before you remove the blade from the mower. Please see the next section for further information about the spindle housing.
Examine the cutting edge of your Simplicity mower’s blade to see whether it has been bent.
Having positioned your mower so that it is parked on a level surface. Take the measurement from the ground up to the end of the blade. Take down the measurement in writing.
After turning the blade through 180 degrees, remeasure the distance from the starting point on the ground to the end of the blade. Take down the measurement in writing.
If you notice that the discrepancy between the two measurements of your mower blade is more than 1/8 of an inch, then your blade is bent and you should not use it again.
Examine your Simplicity mower’s cutting edge without it when you suspect it may have a kink in it.
In order to complete this stage, you will need a quality blade that may be used as a benchmark for evaluating the used blades. Put the used blade on top of the good blade, then inspect both of them for any gaps or bends in the blade that shouldn’t be there.
If there is a gap between the used blade and the good blade, you should not use the used blade again.
Under no circumstances should you try to straighten a mower blade that is bent. If you do so, the metal will get compromised, making it more prone to become brittle and break.
While traveling at high speeds, there is a possibility that the blade would break off, which might endanger local residents as well as their animals and any nearby buildings.
4. Unbalanced Simplicity Mower Blade
One of the characteristics of an imbalanced blade is that it has a side that is heavier than the other. This may be the result of uneven wear or the sharpening process itself, in which case more metal may be removed from one side of the blade than the other.
If your blade is not properly balanced, you may notice that it wobbles as it spins beneath the mower deck. While moving at extremely high speeds, the blade has the potential to harm the spindle bearing. You will feel a substantial vibration throughout the whole of your Simplicity lawn mower.
Employ a blade balancer. Before you put the blade on your Simplicity mower, it is a good idea to use this simple and affordable tool to check the balance of the blade.
If you do not have any of these equipment, you may use a nail that is attached to the wall to hang your blade. Cut metal off of the side of the blade that is heavier so that it stays level when it is placed on the nail.
5. Simplicity Mower has a Damaged Spindle or Bad Spindle Bearing
As your blade rotates beneath the deck, movement in the blade might be caused by a faulty spindle or a bearing that isn’t working properly. Because of this, there may be substantial vibration as well as an uneven cut.
When you have fitted the blade on your mower, grip either end of the blade. To locate any movement or banging sounds, give it a good shake all the way up and down.
If you are experiencing movement or hearing this sound, it is probable that your bearing is off. Take off your mower’s blade and spindle housing so you may inspect it for any broken bearings or spindles. Replace any components that are broken.
6. Plugged Mower Deck on Your Simplicity Lawn Mower
Lawn mowers manufactured by Simplicity use the air movement that is produced by the blades in conjunction with the deck shell and baffles to produce a suction that lifts your grass and enables the blade to perform an even and accurate cut.
When a deck is clogged with garbage, dirt, and grass clippings, the area that may be used to generate positive airflow and suction is diminished.
This will not only result in an uneven cut from your mower, but it will also force the engine in your Simplicity to work harder in order to spin the blade through the debris. It is important to keep the deck of your mower clean and clear of dirt.
Make scraping the deck a frequent habit to avoid accumulation from becoming excessive. It is best to avoid mowing while it is damp outside so that there is less accumulation beneath the deck. When the grass is wet, it will bunch together and attach to your deck.
7. Simplicity Lawn Mower Deck is Not Level
If the deck you are cutting on is not quite level, the outcome of your cut can be uneven. Because of the different heights, the mower could give you a cut that appears like stairs if one side of your deck is lower than the other.
For information on how to level the deck of your Simplicity mower, please refer to the operator’s manual for your specific model. The adjustment procedures for leveling the deck of your Simplicity mower vary depending on the model.
Take the time to ensure that your deck is level in all directions, including front to back and side to side. Take notice that on the vast majority of deck models, the front of the deck is situated at a level that is somewhat lower than the level of the rear of the deck. Once again, I strongly encourage you to examine the owner’s manual of your Simplicity lawn mower in order to get the most recent information possible on the deck.
8. Bad Simplicity Deck Belt
If the belt on your Simplicity mower is worn, it won’t be able to grip the pulleys properly and won’t be able to spin the mower blades at the high speeds that are required for a good cut.
You need to replace the belt if it has been stretched to the point that it does not seat snugly to the pulleys, if it rests deep in the pulleys, if it has cracks, or if it has the appearance of being glazed or shiny.
9. Ineffective pulleys on a Simplicity Mower Deck
There is a possibility that the bearings in the pulleys of your Simplicity mower may wear down over time, which might result in a variety of problems. Because of this, there is a chance that your pulleys won’t be able to sit flat on the deck in a way that is safe for navigation.
It is conceivable that the pulley is moving vertically, which would result in one side of the pulley sitting higher off the deck than the other side. This would indicate that the pulley is moving. This would imply that the pulley is going upward in the vertical direction. It is conceivable for the pulley to get stuck, and if this were to happen, the blade would be unable to revolve.
Just turning each pulley by hand will allow you to determine whether or not any of the bearings on any of the pulleys have been damaged. Do research on the area to see whether or not there are any limits, and pay attention to any bearing noise that could be there. If you have any of these symptoms, in addition to a sense that you are wobbling, you may want to consider having your pulley replaced.
10.The speed of the Simplicity Mower is insufficient.
You are needed to have the engine speed set at its highest level whenever you engage the mower deck on your Simplicity lawn mower. If you want a good cut of grass, you need to rev the engine up to its highest possible setting so that it can send enough power to the deck of the mower to make the blades spin and get a good cut of the grass.
It is conceivable that while you are mowing your lawn with your Simplicity mower, you may discover that your engine is no longer giving you the necessary amount of power to complete the task.
If this is happening to you, you should have a technician who specializes in small engines inspect and test your engine to determine whether or not there are any possible problems that are causing your engine to fail to provide the required amount of power. This can be done by calling a small engine technician.
11.There is an excessively rapid Simplicity’s ground speed.
If you mow at a rapid pace, the motor on your Simplicity lawn mower may get overworked, which may cause it to create a cut that is not uniform. As I said earlier, an engine that does not provide the operator with an adequate amount of power may be to blame for an unsatisfactory cut produced by the mower.
If you are aware of the conditions in which you will be mowing, you will have the ability to adjust your speeds correctly and prevent your engine from becoming bogged down. While mowing tall, moist, or thick grass, it is absolutely necessary for you to do things at a more leisurely pace.
In addition to that, make it a point to reduce your speed while you are traveling uphill. If you mow at too rapid of a rate, your mower may not be able to cut all of the grass, and it could even end up pushing the grass over rather than cutting it if you mow at too rapid of a pace.
12. Poorly planned mowing routes with Your Simplicity Lawn Mower
As you mow, it is crucial to overlap your cutting paths so that you do not leave spaces of uncut grass in between each pass. This will prevent you from leaving gaps of uncut grass. It is possible that it may take some time for you to acquire the hang of utilizing your new mower in the appropriate manner.
If you want to save time and prevent having to mow the same place more than once, you should leave a little bit of space between each of your tracks. Before you can get the hang of utilizing your mower, it is going to require some time and work on your part.
13. Shell of Simplicity mower deck that is damaged
If you accidentally run into anything, such a fence, tree, pole, or another item, you might cause damage to the deck shell. This damage could be significant or little. If you do not make the necessary adjustments, the cut that is produced by your mower may be uneven as a consequence.
In the event that your deck shell cannot be fixed, you will be compelled to buy an entirely new shell to use in its place if you want to continue using it.
If your deck shell needs to be replaced, my recommendation is that you get in touch with the dealership that carries Simplicity lawnmowers and ask for an estimate of the cost of a new deck shell as well as the amount of work that will be required to transfer all of the components to the new deck shell. If your deck shell needs to be replaced, I recommend that you get in touch with the dealership that carries Simplicity lawnmowers.
The construction of a whole new deck stands in stark contrast to this. The fact that there is not a huge difference in price may come as a surprise to you, and it’s conceivable that you will be stunned by this information. You now have two distinct price quotes, which will enable you to make an educated decision that takes into consideration the cost as well as the present condition of your Simplicity lawn mower.
