Correct installation for a lawn tractor with 3 blades

[LeakySeals]

I'm replacing the blades on my 26hp 50" inch Craftsman PYT 9000 lawn tractor. It has 3 blades. Should they be installed so they all turn in the same direction at the same time? I'm wondering about balance.

 

[tshephard]

Yes, if they are all made to lift when either CW or CCW.
But the machine will take care of itself, if they are belt linked.
Single blades 'balance' on a pencil through mount hole.

 

[mk378]

Turn the belt by hand and watch. I've never seen one where the blades don't all rotate the same direction.

All you really need to remember is put the sharp side down.

 

[LeakySeals]

Sorry I might not be describing it right. There is a star pattern which allows me to set the blades at different angles to each other. Like not parallel. I could set one facing up one facing to the side. That's what I meant.

 

[chemman]

The star pattern is just a way to ensure that once you install the bolt and torque it, the blades do not move around on their own.

 

[Gyro Gearloose]

It doesn't matter what angle you set them with respect to each other. Belt driven blades will inevitably have some slippage and minute variations in pulley diameter that will cause them to constantly change their relative orientations to each other during usage. The blades locations in the deck are staggered so the cut patterns overlap but the blades can't touch.

 

[doitmyself]

Gyro Gearloose is correct. I tried (once) to align the blades on my workplace zeroturn. Belt slippage took care of that in one use. We're all allowed to do stupid stuff on occasion, more so for us old duffers.

 

[Lubener]

I'm replacing the blades on my 26hp 50" inch Craftsman PYT 9000 lawn tractor. It has 3 blades. Should they be installed so they all turn in the same direction at the same time? I'm wondering about balance.

As long as the blades aren't up side down, just bolt them on, it doesn't matter.. There will always be some slippage of the mower belt around each blade's pulley and each blades orientation will change as well. You are making a science project over this.

 

[LeakySeals]

I put them on facing parallel to each other. I probably should have changed them years ago because it's a dramatic difference. Less noise and so much smoother. And I'm getting no belt slip when the blades engage. It's like a different machine.

 

[mk378]

There are a very very few mowers with a cogged belt like a timing belt to keep the blades in time, because they interfere and would hit each other if allowed to spin randomly. An ordinary V belt will always slip some and leave the timing random.

 

[repairman54]

They will always change position on disengagement. Blade brake is not precise. As long as blades are ''balanced'' is all that really matters.

 

[Duffyjr]

I always wondered about this and understand on a 3 blade deck how the overlap works but my neighbor has an old craftsman twin blade. A couple years ago I was watching him clean and put on new blades and the one thing that bothered me is how the blades did not overlap and thought how does that not leave a strip of grass uncut, but he said it didn't. Here is an image that looks just like his.

 

[daman]

It doesn't matter your going to have belt slippage over time and they will not match up anymore, balance blades throw them on and call it a day.