Riding Mower Deck Shake

last year

Okay, I'm aware of the usual causes, blade out of balance or bad spindle. I have one of those little MTD 30" rear-engine riders, about 7 years old. The deck shakes when I engage the blade drive but after a minute its all good and I can use the mower with no vibration for as long as I want to - but that first few seconds bothers me - any ideas? I took the blade off, sharpened and balanced it to no avail. I had bought a spare blade so I made sure of the balance and put it on - no change. I've never had a riding mower before so I'm not hip to weird belt problems or anything.

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Comments (3)

always_beezee
last year
Check the pulley on the engine, could be loose.

Check the mower deck itself, broken mounts or rods, lost pins.
1saxman
Original Author
last year
Thanks, will do. I'm putting a bagger kit on it tomorrow so maybe I can get it in a position where i can see the deck mounts/springs, etc.
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1saxman
Original Author
last year
The bagging chute and adapter are one big piece. When I engaged the blade the first time after installing the kit, the deck didn't shake at all - the chute stabilized it. That made me think I probably need to get under there and clean/lubricate the deck stabilizers. But that bagging kit was great! I couldn't believe how well it worked and how much it could bag before needing to dump. The kit is a genuine MTD part and fits all these 30" riders - Murray, Craftsman, Cub Cadet, Troy-Bilt, etc., etc. I got mine on ebay for $239 delivered - well worth it.