Husqvarna Mower Cutting Unevenly

Your Husqvarna mower may cut unevenly if the blades are damaged or worn, the deck is clogged, the ground speed is too fast or the deck belt is defective.

In this article, I share 13 reasons and troubleshooting tips to enable your mower to deliver remarkable cutting results and also enhance a nice-looking lawn.

Husqvarna Mower Cutting Unevenly: Reasons and Fixes

Before I go into details, let’s look at some common reasons why your Husqvarna mower is cutting unevenly and their practical fixes:

Reasons	Fixes
1. Worn or dull mower blades	Sharpen or replace the dull mower blades. Replace the worn mower blades.
2. Bent blade	Change the bent blade
3. Blades are installed incorrectly	Take off the blade and install it correctly.
4. Low pressure in the Husqvarna tire	Ensure that the tire pressures are at the correct level.
5. Blocked cutting deck	Clean the mower deck.
6. Husqvarna mower deck is not leveled	Level your mower deck according to your owner’s manual.
7. Bent blade spindle	Replace the bad or bent blade spindle.
8. Damaged mower deck shell	Repair or replace the mower deck.
9. Lawn is uneven	Mow the lawn like that or use a roller. Use a push mower that has a smaller format to mow ditches.
10. Improper overlapping path	Overlap the cuts correctly.
11. Defective pulleys/deck belt	Change the bad deck belt Change the bad pulleys.
12. Ground speed is too fast or engine speed is too low	Mow your lawn at the ideal speed that suits your cutting conditions. Operate your mowing at full throttle.
13. Incorrect deck height	Adjust the deck until it is level with the ground.

Tools You Need for this Job

While troubleshooting, you might need to have the following tools nearby:

• Wire brush
• Deck scraper
• Ratchet
• New deck belt
• New mower blades
• ⅜-inch socket
• ½-inch standard socket

Husqvarna Mower Cutting Unevenly: Reasons, Diagnosis and Fixes

1. Dull or Worn Mower Blades

If your blades are dull, your mower will not be able to get the desired cutting results on the lawn.

Using dull blades to mow your lawn will cause brown tips on your grass blades because they will not deliver precise cuts on the lawn.

Worn mower blades can also cause your mowing machine to cut unevenly. Extremely worn blades become thin on the blade’s sails, requiring that you replace them. If you check the condition of your blades frequently, they may not get worn to that point.

Diagnosis

Inspect the blades to know their condition. If they are dull, you can sharpen or replace them. In addition, signs of wear on your mower blades also indicate that you should replace the blades

Fix

• Sharpen or replace the mower blade. If you can’t sharpen it, you can take it to a professional to sharpen it for you.
• Replace the blades if they are worn.

2. Bent Blade

Your mower blade can get bent if it hits a hard object and can cause uneven cuts on your lawn. In some cases, it can become slightly bent so that you may find it difficult to notice it.

Diagnosis

• You can diagnose a bent blade based on two methods.

Method One: Take off your mower blade and place it on a new one to inspect the bent area. If you do not have a new blade to match your mowing machine or you just do not want to take them out, you can try the second method

Method Two: Look for a flat-level spot to park your mowing machine. Ensure that you unplug the spark plug boots before you carry out any operation on your mowing deck.

Once you are sure that your mowing machine will not start, you can take your blade end and measure from the ground to the blade’s end. Make sure that you record this measurement.

After that, spin your mower blades 180 degrees and make a measurement of the opposite side of the blade from the ground to the blade’s end. 

Compare these two measurements. Replace the blade if the measurements are more than a difference of ⅛ inches.

Fix

• Replace the bent blade with a new one.

3. Blades are Installed Incorrectly

To install the blade of your Husqvarna mower correctly, the mower’s sail must be pointed upward toward the deck. 

You also need to inspect the blade because most of them are stamped so that you can know the area that your blade should face.

You can “sail up” if you do not see anything that is stamped on your mower blade. Improper installation of your mower blade can damage the spindle and spindle housings and the lawn itself. 

Diagnosis

Check your blade for its mode of installation. If you notice that the blade is not rightly installed, ensure that you troubleshoot your problem.

Fix

• Remove and install the blade properly.

4. Low Pressure in the Husqvarna Tire

The deck will sit unevenly if one of the tire pressures is lower than the other. This will affect the mower’s operation.

Diagnosis

• Inspect the tire pressures and ensure that they are in accordance with Husqvarna’s specifications. The left and right-hand tires must have the same tire pressures.

Fix

• Ensure that the tire pressures are on the correct level.

5. Blocked Cutting Deck

If your cutting deck is clogged with debris and grass, your mower can cut unevenly on your lawn.

Debris and grass buildup will prevent proper air movement and good suction. In this case, it is best to minimize the buildup by cleaning it.

Diagnosis

• Inspect your cutting deck for debris and grass buildup. If it is dirty, you need to clean the deck.

Fix

• Use a deck scraper or wire brush to scrape the deck. This will allow the removal of dirt and grass that are stuck to the deck’s underside.

6. Husqvarna Mower Deck is Not Leveled

Your Husqvarna mower can cut unevenly if the mower deck is not leveled. In this case, it can hinder the mower from getting the desired cutting results on your lawn.

Diagnosis

• Park your mower on flat ground. On each corner of the cutting deck, measure from the ground to the deck and record the measurements.
• Make sure that you create the measurements from side to side and front to back. If the deck does not have the correct pitch and is not leveled, you need to make the necessary adjustments.

Fix

• Depending on the deck type of your mowing machine, check the owner’s manual to get further instructions about deck leveling.

7. Bent Blade Spindle

A bent or bad spindle is one of the reasons why your Husqvarna lawn mower can cut unevenly. You need to troubleshoot this problem so that it won’t cause lawn damage.

Diagnosis

• Check for bent or bad spindles in your mower. To do this, you need to wear a pair of work gloves. Grab a hold of each side of your cutting blade and ensure that you rock it upward and downward while you grip each side firmly.
• If you notice any movement or knocking sound, it indicates there is a bearing failure. You will need to take apart the spindle housing to get this.

Fix

• Replace the bad or bent blade spindle with a new one.

8. Damaged Mower Deck Shell

A deck shell can get damaged when your mowing machine runs into objects such as rocks, trees and other hard surfaces. 

The deck shell creates a suction to deliver superb cuts on your lawn. If it is damaged, your mower will mow unevenly

Diagnosis

• Check your mower deck shell for damages. If damaged, it indicates that you should repair or replace the deck shell.

Fix

• Repair the Husqvarna mower deck or replace it. If you want to replace your deck shell, you need to move the parts of the old mower deck to the new deck shell.

9. Your Lawn is Uneven

If you have a bumpy and uneven lawn, the mower deck can scalp the lawn, causing the mower to have uneven cuts. 

You can get a lawn roller to make the mowing task easy on an uneven lawn. Furthermore, mowing ditches with a wide format deck can deliver bad cuts because it will not follow uneven curves.

Diagnosis

• Check the lawn terrain and deck format of your mower. If your lawn is bumpy or uneven, you may have to deal with it or use a lawn roller.

Fix

• You will have to mow the lawn like that or you use a lawn roller.
• Use a push mower that has a smaller format to mow ditches.

10. Improper Overlapping Path 

Some homeowners like to get their mowing done in a short time by making paths the widest as they can. 

If you do not overlap the cuts properly, the mower may miss cutting some parts of the lawn.

Diagnosis

• Check for small strips of grass once you are done mowing. If you notice that some cuts are not correctly overlapped, you need to troubleshoot the problem.

Fix

• Overlap your cuts correctly to prevent uneven cutting results.

11. Defective Pulleys/Deck Belt

This is also one of the common reasons why your mower may cut unevenly. A bearing noise may indicate faulty pulleys. If the deck belt is bad, it will prevent the blade from turning at its top speed.

Diagnosis

• Check the deck belt for wear, cracks, fray and glazed appearance. If you notice these signs, you need to replace it
• While turning the pulleys, check if you encounter any resistance or hear any noise. Any resistance or noise in the pulleys indicates that it is faulty.

Fix

• Replace the bad deck belt
• Change the bad pulleys.

How to Replace Deck Belt on a Husqvarna Riding Mower/ Lawn Tractor

Here are some tips on how to replace a deck belt on a Husqvarna riding mower/lawn tractor:

• The first thing to do is to gather tools such as a ratchet, 3/8-inch socket and ½-inch standard socket.
• Remove the deck from your mower/tractor.
• Take off the belt guides and pins with your ratchet and 3/8-inch socket. This will allow you to locate and remove the deck belt.
• Ensure that you remove the bolts and guide pins that hold the belt with a ½-ich socket and ratchet.
• After removing the belt, insert the new belt and ensure that they are properly seated around the pulleys.
• Put back the guide pins and plastic guides.

12. Ground Speed is Too Fast or Engine Speed is Too Low

While you run the mower at full throttle, ensure that you grade the ground speed of the mower. Furthermore, adjust the ground speed according to your mowing conditions.

For instance, you will need to slow down the ground speed if you are mowing tall, thick or wet grass to prevent excess load on the mower engine.

Ensure that you do not move too fast across your lawn so that you can achieve good cutting results. 

The cutting deck needs the speed of the engine to cut well. Make sure that you operate the mowing machine at full throttle so that the blades can spin fast.

Failure to follow these techniques will allow the mower to cut unevenly.

Diagnosis

• Inspect the engine speed or ground speed to see if it suits your conditions/needs. If not, you may need to adjust the speed.

Fix

• Mow at the correct speeds for your mowing conditions.

13. Incorrect Deck Height

An incorrect deck height may also cause your mowing machine to cut unevenly. In this case, it will affect the mower’s cutting performance and cause the lawn to look unattractive. 

Diagnosis

• Check the deck height of your mower. If you notice that the deck is not level with the ground, make sure that you adjust it.

Fix

• Adjust the deck until it is level with the ground.

Conclusion

If your Husqvarna mower is cutting unevenly, the possible causes include a clogged mower deck, damaged deck shell, bent blade spindle and dull/worn blades.

Check our troubleshooting guidelines to solve the problem so that your mowing machine can deliver optimal cutting performance on your lawn.

You can contact your local Husqvarna dealership or mower repair shop for assistance if the problem persists.