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An uneven mowing cut, often called step-cutting, is a common problem for most lawn mowers and can be caused by a malfunction in or misuse of machinery. It's easy to diagnose an uneven cut, once you know what to look for. Checking a lawn mower is best done on a flat, level surface, like your driveway. Before doing any work on a lawn mower, make sure that the engine is off and the blades aren't rotating.
Wheels
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The wheels of many walk-behind lawn mowers are used to adjust the height of the cut, so it's a natural first place to begin looking for problems. A wheel may have been mistakenly set to a different height than the others. If it's a riding lawn mower with inflatable tires, check the pressure in each wheel. One may be low and causing the lawn mower to tilt.
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Deck
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Decks are the part of the lawn mower that houses the blade. In some mowers, the blade and the deck are connected and a tilted deck could cause the blade to cut unevenly. Decks can loosen with age or bend with normal wear. Occasionally mowers may have been manufactured with a tilted deck. Using a tape measure, compare the height of the deck from the level surface on both the right and left sides. If the measurement is significantly different, a tilted deck could be the cause of uneven mowing.
Blade
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The blade in most lawn mowers cuts by rotating with a shaft that is either belt driven or attached directly to an engine. A blade that is just bent will not cause step-cutting, but will instead just cut the entire lawn lower as it rotates. However, a tilted blade, caused by a bent shaft or misaligned engine can cause an uneven cut. To check for a tilted blade, manually rotate it until each end is pointing directly to the left or right of the mower. Using a tape measure again, compare the distance from the tip of each blade to the level surface. If the two sides are different, the blade is misaligned. Fixing it may require a trip to the local lawn mower repair shop.
Other Causes
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An uneven mowing cut can be caused by other issues as well. Uneven cuts can also be caused by mowing wet lawns or by never varying the mowing direction. Self-propelled mowers that are operated at excessive speeds for the terrain can cause a poor cut. Also, riding lawn mowers that have an uneven weight distribution could be the cause.