Walker MTGHS

[lefty]

I have this machine in my shop right now. Belongs to a homeowner. He complained about striping on the lawn, so I checked it out and it does appear that it's leaving two 6 inch wide stripes down the middle approximately 6 inches apart. Barely noticeable but enough for him and me to notice.

I also noticed a sound that I didn’t like. It’s coming from the deck. I’ve included a video. I also noticed some play in the gearbox when I move the blades. Particularly on the right side (when looking with the deck tilted) There is also a slight bit of play side to side in the shaft.

The machine has about 750 hours. There are no leaks from the gearboxes or seals beneath. Blades are in good condition. The owner removes them twice a season and brings them to me for sharpening. It does not appear as if he hit anything. Blades are not bent and cutting edges are pristine. Everything under the deck looks good. He mows about once or twice a week during the summer in New England. His property is flat and well maintained.

I have not removed the covers on the gearboxes yet because I don’t currently have the gaskets to replace them. I don’t work on a lot of these but all my neighbor’s landscapers use them. I do recollect a whining noise when they're mowing but this sounds a little concerning to me. Not sure if these two issues are related or if I have an issue at all. I’m hoping the video will convey appropriately. I listened myself and it sounds true to life.

Does this sound weird? I plan to open a gearbox to check the level once I have a gasket to reassemble. The manual says if they’re not leaking, they should not require maintenance. But it won’t hurt to take a look at the gears.

Thank you

https://photos.app.goo.gl/nXpAAR93wSU5DKWM7
https://photos.app.goo.gl/nXpAAR93wSU5DKWM7

[lefty]

Apologies.

I posted the same video twice. Here's the other.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/vmFQCTkBhSMjSkcMA

[KE4AVB]

From what I can find out about this mower is it uses a two counter rotating blades. It has optional decks from 36" to 52". I doubt it going to be a blade problem and probably more likely the rear anti scalp system. Something the rear of the deck too low. I can see that on the 36 and 42 inch decks the anti scalp wheels are about 8 apart but they are not six inches wide.

Also is this area you describing lower or higher than the rest of the cut grass. That might point to the cause.

[lefty]

That's a good question. It appears as if these two stripes in the middle are slightly higher. I'll try to post o photo of a cut today.

This particular deck doesn't have anti-scalp wheels. Just two small plastic wheels in the back for when you need to tilt the deck up for service or storage.

I should have posted this before but I just realized that the deck has a separate identifier. SN: D7 127827

Did the sound strike you as odd?

Thanks.

[lefty]

I opened up the blade gearboxes today. Everything looked good inside. To me, it sounds like the bearings at the bottom where the blade shafts come out are going.

[lefty]

From what I can find out about this mower is it uses a two counter rotating blades. It has optional decks from 36" to 52". I doubt it going to be a blade problem and probably more likely the rear anti scalp system. Something the rear of the deck too low. I can see that on the 36 and 42 inch decks the anti scalp wheels are about 8 apart but they are not six inches wide.

Also is this area you describing lower or higher than the rest of the cut grass. That might point to the cause.

I'm just now realizing you meant the two wheels in the back of the machine. Sorry about that.