# Riding mower scalping mystery solved



## DIY Lawn Guy (Jun 19, 2019)

Here is where I began to wonder what was going on:

I have had my Toro 42" double blade riding mower for 8 seasons and only this year have I noticed the issue in the first image: one blade/left side cutting lower than the right side as evidenced by the modest scalping.



I read a few TLF posts about similar problems and then checked my Toro, none of those reported issues found.

As I was mowing by backyard today in the sunshine, heat and high humidity ( I must have a double allotment of sweat glands ) I once again saw the scalp/lower cut on the rider's left side.

Then in an "aha" moment, I pulled the mower to a stop, looked down at the anti-scalp wheels on the left and right sides of my mower 42" deck and it was so obvious, the left side wheel was worn down much more severely that the right wheel.

Why? Because I always mow my yard in a clock-wise direction because my discharge chute is on the right side of the mower deck. I discharge all the clippings into the center of my yard and then run over them multiple times to reduce them to tiny bits.

So the left side anti-scalp wheel takes the brunt of the wear due to the constant right turns of the clock-wise mowing. Just like a race car, there is more wear on the wheel on the outside of a turn.



Here is the simple solution: swap the deck wheels to their opposite sides on the mower deck. I installed the smaller wheel one position lower to compensate for it's reduced diameter. While in the swap process, I added a little axle lube and anti-seize to the wheel and mounting bolt.



After the wheel anti-scalp wheel swap, here is the end result; an even level cut:


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## ken-n-nancy (Jul 25, 2017)

Well done! Congrats!


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