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30 in deck just pushes grass over

9K views 74 replies 16 participants last post by  I_bRAD 
#1 ·
I was playing with my Gravely L and a new to me 30 in deck. The blade is spinning but it does not seem to be cutting much other than just knocking the grass over. My cheap Murry push mower is better than this thing. I had to tighten my hi-lo clutch and the forward and reverse clutch they were slipping. Only other thing is the implement clutch. Are these things designed to actually cut grass and bush hog. Grass just looks run over not cut. Beginning to think adding to my Gravely collection was a bad idea.

Perry
 
#38 ·
Well I had pretty much no plans on using it really and in the pics you can see the other new medium blade I got from Richards. If you referr to the post I said something like "Oh crap I accidentally posted a pic of that old brush blade to" but that thing is laying here on the floor for "desperate brush cutting " if the need ever arises.
But the one with the squared-off ends is the new one. But I wish someone had a thin finnish blade as they are calling it but every web site says 'out of stock'.
 
#41 ·
Here's the new one, I hung it up just the other day and shot just a little primer on it to keep it from rusting. You can see the edge it has on it, its the one they say is the meduim one.
And the "Deck from Heck" it will go on untill it falls apart anyway wich shouldnt take to long.
 

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#40 ·
I honestly didnt think there was anything wrong w/it, I mean its flat and both ends are exactly the same and just thought that was how it was made.
Now I gotta try and put the new fan shaft and bearings on this housing so I can start getting this thing put back together and with you all's and Gods help it might actually run one day lol.
Wish me luck. Im gonna pull-up the Sticky's free manuals and get a drawing of how the parts line up at least.
 
#44 ·
Ok, I think I got the mower deck working. For some reason it was jumping out of gear. I also had the blade too high. I ended up using about half the washers on each side. I also sharpened the blade. It was not as sharp as I thought and it was sharpened on the top and the bottom to some extent. It needs to be replaced. I was able to get about 2/3 of it flat but the outer third forget it. It does have a half length guard on the front and that is not helping. It tends to push the grass over. I don't think the implement clutch was that far out. I adjusted it anyway. So how much is a new blade and where to get one?

Now on to the C8. I think it needs a new Magneto. Cleaned the points but it still seems like the spark is weak and intermittent.

Perry
 
#47 ·
Well I'll get a cpl better pics but the old 3/8" brush blade my L Im attempting to restore or just 're-work' ( is more like it) came with is the one that some of the guys are saying is ' worn-out' I believe them but I have the same exact blade on the LI I have for parts and I just dont get how two of the same blades have popped-up on the two Gravely's I managed to get.
Im beginning to wonder if it was a after mkt. blade or one they tried for a little while and said 'nope this aint gonna cut it' ( for the sake of better terminology lol)
 
#51 ·
If you click on this link and look at the parts breakdown page, #54 is the blade, and you can see the ends of it are almost square. That's a new blade.

https://www.gravelymanuals.com/pdf/30_Inch_Rotary_Mower_MA106_Op_Man.pdf

As you use the blade, the leading corner is what takes the brunt of the cutting job, the first to hit rocks, etc. So the leading corners get rounded off. People go to sharpen the blade, instead of straightening out the cutting edge by grinding a lot of metal off the center part of the blade, they just "sharpen" the rounded corner and put it back on. A couple of years doing this and you end up "sharpening" the very end of the blade that is mostly pointing away from the direction of travel. Which ends up not helping much when used for cutting.

You can get away with this on a single blade mower, your cut just ends up being 29 inches instead of 30, or 28 1/2, or 28 depending on how bad it gets. You would never get away with this on a multi-blade mowing deck, it would start to leave streaks of uncut grass, especially when making certain turns.
 
#48 ·
Now I'm not a walk behind guy, last used one in about 1968, at age 11. But when it comes to mower blades on my G series rider, I have a simple policy.

Every spring I install a fresh set of blades. I only resharpen and reuse the old ones one time. So when they come off the tractor the second time, they go to the metal scrap pile to be recycled.

I have them professionally sharpened and balanced - bad sharpening jobs destroy spindle bearings........

My 50" deck is set up to use two blades on each spindle. I always keep one or two new and resharpened sets on hand, and have been known to change them mid season as well.

Blades and deck wheels are cheap insurance for good performance and long life of other parts.

Sheldon
 
#50 · (Edited)
That sounds like a great policy, thats how I am I mean why take the chance when it can all be prevented w/a system that cost a certain amount that you are ready for and know about. Sounds like a winning policy to me man.
Im a walk behind guy because I just have no need for a rider, actually I have no need for a walk behind Gravely because I live right in the middle of town and my yard is to small for the L model I have thats for my son so I actually have no need for any one of them at all.
It took some real finesse to get the LI through my gate w/the duals on it.
 
#49 ·
Sheldon

Not sure I would go that far but to each his own. I do think it is good to have two sets or more so you can have them sharpened and ready to install. I have a 72" belly mower on my Kubota and I have never worn out a blade yet in 15yrs but I do get tired of messing with them. One set I hard faced but decided that sharpening them was too much of a hassle. Balance is important.

Perry
 
#52 ·
Thanks Franklin2, Man those parts/service list and manuals cant be beat because they show it all.
Anyhow I do think all you guys are right and apparently I just got ahold of two worn-out brush blades wich aint hard to imagine considering they are prolly as old as the tractors that came on wich one is 50 yrs. old and the other is more than that.
And like you was saying the PO prolly just beat the brush to death w/them and every time he felt it wasnt cutting very well it got sharpened the wrong way of course. Well I have a cpl "stunt blades" now if my son who this whole thing is about finds some crap he wants to knock down before laying a good blade to it so it doesnt get messed up he will have them lol.
I have a new so-called 'medium blade' that I got from Richards but I just wish someone had or made or sells the thin grass blade wich as far as I can tell does not exist anymore.
May have to go looking around the hdwre stores for a 30" blade that is made for another brand of mower/tractor or find someone who has a decent one or so that can be sold and saved.
Thanks Again
Mark
 
#62 ·
Remember the High/Low range also affects the PTO speed. When the tractor is not in gear the planetary gear sets are kind of dragging against the clutch, this is why the tractor will creep as well the PTO will appear to have power, even with both selectors in neutral, not until the high/Low gear is selected will torque actually be applied to the PTO.


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#68 ·
Your LI does not have a Swiftamatic two speed axel. The LI has a 6 lead worm vs your L having an 8 lead worm, the LS has a 4 lead worm. The L8’s have the two speed axel known as the Swiftamatic Differential.
The L8 had the same worm as the L, the difference is a two speed axel, it is what gives the L8 4speed Fwd and 4 speeds Reverse thats 8 speeds.

In high range you have the same ground speed as a regular L, shift the diff in low range and you have ground speeds such as the LI and LS. The two speed diff only effects the ground speeds, so implements that need the fast PTO speed but not the fast ground speeds, were more usable, the snow blowers are such.

The L8 really is the best next to the LI.


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#69 ·
My. God it has to take a lifetime of doin Gravelys to know all of that. I recon I better leave well enuf alone.
I just seen on here that the L's are a bit fast for walking behind but my som will just have to deal w/it.
When I ren them yrs ago I would just work the forward lever like forward and let off then forward some more then let off w/my hand on it constantly unless I was mowing a big area then I would shove the lever forward and lock it down untill I got to where I had to turn around or something, thats how I remember it it seems but its been a long time.
 
#71 ·
I think it was a combination of things. I think I had the blade too high and it was above the front overhang. Also it was jumping out of gear on me. Spinning it up using the hi-lo lever reduced the jumping out of gear problem. Mainly it was lack of experience with the equipment.

Perry
 
#72 ·
I think it was a combination of things. I think I had the blade too high and it was above the front overhang. Also it was jumping out of gear on me. Spinning it up using the hi-lo lever reduced the jumping out of gear problem. Mainly it was lack of experience with the equipment.



Perry


Jumping out of gear? When brush cutting I rarely come out of low gear and low RPM. I’ve only used high gear when I was using two blades crossed trying to get a finish cut, actually this mower can do a darn good job at a finish cut, but I digress...back to jumping out of gear. Was the PTO not staying engaged or was the High/Low planetary somehow jumping out of gear?


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