A lawn mower is just a machine like any other machine. At times it breaks down or needs maintenance.
Kubota lawn mower.
(Courtesy: Brinkley Auctions at flickr.com)
Some common maintenance issues you may come across when operating your Kubota lawn mower include:
• Streaking
• Mower deck belt is ground into dust
• Mower deck belt is shredding
• Anti-scalp rollers are wearing out prematurely
• Issues pertaining to mulching
Streaking
“Streaking” refers to creating streaks on the lawn while mowing. A number of things can cause this. One of the most common conditions in which this occurs is when you mow when the grass blades are wet and long. The wheels of the mower mash the grass down and you pass over the spot long before the grass stands back up.
One way to handle this issue is not to mow the grass more than 1/3 the total length of the grass plant. For example, if you want the grass of your lawn to be 2-inches tall when mowed, you need to mow it before it has grown past 3-inches in length.
Another problem in this is that the blade of the mower may have dull rounded tips and it can’t do a good job of cutting. In addition, cup washers on the mower may have lost their ability to grip the blade tight to the spindle. This occurs when the blade is loose so that it slips. This can cause a lot of heat that can take the temper out of the cup washers. In order to fix the problem, you may have to replace the cup washers. Be sure to re-install the mower’s blade and the washers in the proper positions. If you have some doubts as to what that proper position is, consult with your Kubota dealer.
Make sure that you don’t over tighten the deck belts. This can reduce belt life and cause a lot of heat. It is also very hard on bearings and tension arms. Tighten the deck belts enough so that they don’t flop around too much.
Mower Deck Belt Is Being Ground Into Dust
If this occurs, then rusty pulleys may be the culprits. Inspect the pulleys closely to ascertain if the surface has little patches of rust. The rust acts like sandpaper on the belts. Rust is a problem on mowers with decks that have fully enclosed shielding. Water is not able to evaporate and causes rust. Replace the pulleys with newer Kubota pulleys that are more resistant to rust. Also make sure to keep the deck dry. Don’t wash the deck every time you mow.
Mower Deck Belt Is Shredding
If shredding of the mower deck belt occurs, then its pulley tension arm is misaligned. The belt should ride in the center of the flat pulley. If the belt is riding at the top of the pulley, then the pulley arm may be bent or the bushings are worn. You will have to make certain that the pulley is back in line. If you are experiencing trouble keeping the pulley arm in line, Kubota offers a high tech plastic that serves as a spacer between the arm and the deck. It will help keep the arm in the correct position. The spacer is 1-inch by 4-inches by 5/16-inch thick plastic and its part number is 70000-14638.
Anti-Scalp Rollers Are Wearing Out Prematurely
There are lightweight plastic rollers on your mower deck. They are designed to help the deck navigate over high spots in the lawn. They are not supposed to carry the weight of the deck. Inspect the deck to make certain that it and the roller brackets are adjusted properly according to the owner’s manual. They should correspond to the selected mowing height.
Mulching
Some mowers have the capability to mulch. Other mowers may need to be converted to mulch by adding special blades and baffles. If you have a mower that can mulch, then you really need to understand what mulching can do for your lawn.
Mulching is when the grass clippings are chopped into fine particles and then re-distributed on to the lawn. To assure that the process works as it is supposed to you must be aware of certain things.
First, consider the length of the cut. For most mulching mowers there is no discharge area on the deck or it has been blocked off. This assures that the cut pieces of grass returns to the lawn due to gravity and overcomes the suction effect of the blades. For example, if you are cutting 4-inches of grass down to 2-inches, the mulch system is grinding up a 2-inch length of grass blades. This results in clumps of 2-inch blades. The weight of the grass is too heavy to be cut repeatedly. Centrifugal force is greater than suction force and guides the cuttings into areas in the baffles that have sudden angles. The clippings gather in these places until gravity distributes them on to the lawn. Because of this, it is important that you cut the length of the grass to no more than one-quarter the total height of the grass at one time. Results are better if you cut no more than half an inch of grass at a time regardless of how tall the grass has become.
Also keep in mind that the more moisture there is in the grass, the heavier it will be. That will affect the gravity that is working to distribute the cuttings on to the lawn. Moreover, moisture increases the stickiness of the grass. So mow when the least amount of moisture is present.
Second, when mulching you need to slow down the mowing to a speed that allows the blades of the mower to properly re-cut the grass.
(Source: Mountainkubota.com)
