The Toro Timecutter, like all mowers has a housing within which blades and other components sit. This casing, better known as a deck, protects the user from getting injured by blades or debris that is thrown around as the mower cuts grass. Besides protecting the user and the mower engine, the deck has a significant influence on the quality of work that a mower does in terms of lawn cutting. When your Toro Timecutter deck develops problems, you are likely to have an unpleasant mowing experience.
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Deck Vibration/Loose Deck
Misaligned, bent, or damaged blades can cause excessive mower deck vibration problems for your Toro Timecutter. Other causes may include worn pulleys, damaged deck belt or pulleys that have gathered debris inside. Besides being generally annoying, a vibrating deck will not allow you to get the best cut out of your mower.
Thorough Check
Remove deck and ensure that all fasteners are tightened. Also check pulleys for loose nuts and bolts and tighten these as well. Carefully check blades for any sign of inconsistency In terms of sharpness.
sharpness of edges, balance and general well being. Blades can be sharpened, but trying to straighten bent blades may just compound your problem and cause the lawn mower deck to vibrate more. It is best to replace such blades.
Noisy Deck
After your Toro Timecutter clocks in a significant number of usage hours, you may start to experience noise problems as you engage the deck. The rotating parts housed by the deck may have been affected during its use. The sound of these noises will vary depending on the source of the problem.
Pulleys
When a noise is emanating from under the deck, it may be hard to pin point the exact source, especially when you are not a professional, so you probably need to conduct a number of checks. Remove the belt and turn the idler pulley and tension pulley by hand, listening to each closely for any grinding sounds.
Deck belt
If the lawn mower deck belt is rubbing on other components or not secured on “V” grooves, it may cause a noisy Deck. Ensure that the belt is not damaged or loose.
Spindle Bearing
Spindles are attached to the cutting deck and work with pulleys, turning the blades. this is an important part of your mower. Check for excess play on the spindle Bearing by holding blade and rocking it. Check under the deck for debris, there could be be foreign material accumulated and rattling off, causing a noise problem on your Toro Timecutter.
Clogged Deck
The mower deck has one primary purpose of feeding grass efficiently through the blades and getting rid of cut grass blades as quickly as possible. When this function is nolonger performed effectively, grass cuttings will gather on the underside of the deck. Cutting grass too short or cutting in wet conditions will also cause deck clogging problems for the Toro Timecutter. You can minimize deck clogging by paying attention to the following.
Weather Conditions
There are seasons and places with prolonged wet spells, and in such circumstance, you might find that mowing under wet conditions is unavoidable. If ,however, you can help it, always schedule your mowing for warm, sunny days. Wet grass easily gets stuck under pulleys and deck underside, causing problems for the lawn mower deck.
Cutting patterns
The recommendation is that you cut no more than 1/3 off a blade of grass, so the moment your grass gets too long, you are supposed to adjust cutting height. Ensure that you schedule your grass cutting on a fairly regular basis. This will take the load off your Toro Timecutter and spare you those clogged deck problems.
Deck Maintenance
Clean the underside of the deck after use. Service the deck to ensure that it is not damaged or corroded. If the underside of the deck is smooth, grass cuttings will swirl freely around the deck and into the bag. Proper daily care and maintenance will save you time and money for repairs later. Most Toro Timecutter deck problems stem from neglect and poor maintenance.
Uneven Deck Height And Deck Pitch
This problem has been saved for last but it definitely is not the least, as far as lawn mower deck health goes. Deck pitch refers to the tilt angle from the front of a mower deck to its back while deck height is the height above the soil line that the blades cut to. A poorly adjusted deck height or pitch gives birth to a number of mowing problems, some of which are explained below.
Scalping
Scalping happens when the mower keeps touching the ground in the process of cutting grass. The “scalping effect” will be seen in your lawn having patches of area with removed grass.
Streaking/Stuttering
When thin strips of uncut grass are left behind by the machine, it’s called streaking. A maladjusted Toro Timecutter deck is a possible cause of this problem.
Stepped Cuts
Intermittent edges and ridges on your lawn are a sure sign of deck problems on your mower. Here are suggestions for getting smooth, even cuts from your lawn mower.
Adjust Deck Pitch ( Back To Front)
You will get the most efficient grass lift and cut when you have a pitch of 1/8″ to 1/2″ between the front and the back of the deck. This would put the sweet spot at about 1/4″ of pitch. Forward deck pitch is recommended because of the air seal that it creates at the front when blades are in rotation. Toro Timecutter deck pitch is not a problem when done according to operation manual directions.
Level Mower Deck Height ( Side to Side)
Grass cutting height must be even across the width of the deck. Maintaining a uniform cutting height on both sides of the deck will give a smooth side by side appearance between rows of cut grass. Properly adjusted height should take into consideration the height of the grass and the steepness of the area, then you will minimize cutting problems related to the deck of your lawn mower.
Final Word
When servicing the mower deck, remember that a complete service will include all of the deck components like the spindle assemblies, mower blades, deck belts, pulleys etc. Focusing only on sprucing up the casing will just make your mower look good on the outside without improving performance or preventing deck problems on the Toro Timecutter.