Using residential and gas-powered mowers over many years, I was very skeptical of the cutting performance of an electric lawn mower.
After using an electric mower, I can say I was quite surprised with the cutting results. An electrical mower will give you a nice cut, but there are many items that can affect its cut quality.
An Ego lawn mower has a bad or uneven cut when the tire pressures are not correct; the mower blade is bent, worn, or installed incorrectly; the cutting height is too low; the mower deck is plugged; the deck is not level; the mower blade speed is too slow; the ground speed is too fast, or the mower deck is damaged.
Prior to working on your mower, remove the safety key, battery, and any other power source attached to your mower, if any. Wait for all moving parts to stop. Wear heavy gloves and eye protection for safety.
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Follow all safety instructions provided in your equipment operator’s manual before diagnosing, repairing, or operating. Consult a professional if you don’t have the skills, or knowledge or are not in the condition to perform the repair safely.
12 Reasons Your Ego Lawn Mower Cuts Uneven
Tire Pressures are Not Correct or the Wheel is Damaged
When you first notice a bad cut with your Ego mower, it’s normal to go to the cutting deck to try to figure out what’s wrong.
However, before you do this, check your tires and wheels before moving on to checking any of the other items that can cause your Ego mower to cut unevenly.
This is because something as simple as a low tire or a damaged wheel can cause the mower deck to sit unleveled.
Ego push mower wheels: The wheels on a push mower can come loose or become damaged causing the mower not to sit level. Inspect the wheels. Tighten any loose hardware and replace any damaged wheels.
Ego zero turn mower tires: Use a tire pressure gauge on the rear and front tires of your mower. Make sure they are filled with air to the recommended pressures provided by Ego. You can find these in your operator’s manual.
The left and right rear tires should have the same tire pressures. The left and right front tires should have the same tire pressures. If the pressures are not correct, add or remove air until they meet the pressures required.
Confirming your tire pressures are correct before moving on will save you from making the wrong adjustments to your mower and then having to reverse them once you find you have a low tire.
Mower Blade is Worn or Dull
Worn mower blades that are rounded around the blade tips can leave strips of uncut grass. Blades become worn and dull when dirt and debris wear on the metal blade.
This is normal wear and tear and should be expected over time when the blade is not regularly sharpened and replaced when it is showing signs of wearing.
The blade edge must be sharpened to maintain a sharp edge to maintain a good cut quality. Ego mower blades become worn from dirt circulating under the mower deck and wearing on the blade edge.
If you notice the tips of your grass are turning brown a couple of days after mowing the lawn, you most likely have a dull mower blade.
The grass blades turn brown because the mower blade is beating up the grass instead of precisely cutting it with a sharp blade. Grab a handful of grass and you’ll see the ends are bruised, torn, and brown.
Remove your mower blade(s) and sharpen it if it is in good condition. Replace it if it is very worn or there are gouges in the blade edge.
Mower Blade is Bent
A bent mower blade can cause your Ego mower to cut unevenly. A mower blade bends when it impacts a solid object. This can be a rock, stump, or another item that could have been left in your yard.
To minimize objects that can damage your lawn mower blades, it’s a good idea to walk your yard and remove any objects you see in the mowing area before you start mowing.
Even a slightly bent blade can cause your Ego mower to give you an uneven cut. It can also cause a vibration in your mower. There are a couple of ways you can check for a bent blade.
First, make sure your mower is parked on a flat-level surface and your safety key and battery pack(s) is removed.
- Check for a Bent Ego Mower Blade By Removing the Blade
Remove the blade and lay it on top of a new Ego mower blade. This is the best way to verify whether or not your blade is bent. If you don’t have a blade to match it up to, bring your blade to your local Ego service center for assistance. - Check for a Bent Ego Mower Blade With Your Blade Still Installed
Park your Ego mower on a flat-level surface. Measure one side of the blade from the ground to the blade tip. Record the measurement.
Next, rotate the blade 180 degrees and measure the other side of the blade from the ground to the blade tip. If the measurements are greater than a 1/8” difference, you most likely have a bent blade. Remove the blade to confirm.
Never attempt to straighten a bent mower blade to reuse it. When you do this, the metal is compromised and becomes weakened.
It is possible for the weakened area to break off and fly out of your mower deck at high speeds. This could cause injury or damage to people, pets, or objects in the area.
Mower Blade is Installed Incorrectly
When your mower blades are incorrectly installed with the sails of your blades facing the ground, damage can occur to your blade motors and to your lawn.
Instead of cutting the blades of grass, an upside-down blade will beat up and tear your grass and possibly impact the ground. This will give you a bad cut.
Ego mower blades have a sail which is the high side of the blade. The blade must always be installed with the sail pointed upward toward the mower deck.
Sometimes you find “THIS SIDE DOWN” or “THIS SIDE FACING GRASS” on the blade to indicate which side of the blade needs to face up and which side faces down. If you don’t see any markings, don’t worry. Always remember “Sail Up!”
Another important step to keep in mind when installing your blades is to make sure they are balanced. If you are placing a new blade on your Ego lawn mower, you won’t have to worry about this.
If you are reinstalling a blade you sharpened, you need to ensure they are balanced for a good cut and to minimize damage to your mower and deck.
A balanced blade is one where it is of equal weight on both ends of the mower blade. The most accurate way to check your blades is by using a blade balancer. A balancer is relatively inexpensive. It’s worth the investment because an unbalanced blade can cause damage to your Ego mower.
Another method to check for a balanced blade is by hanging the blade on a nail that is mounted to your wall with the nail head sticking out of the wall about 3/4″ to 1″. You will need to remove metal from the end of the blade that is hanging lower until the blade sits level.
Mower Blade is Not Tight
When the blade is not securely attached, the blade will fail to rotate causing your mower not to cut the grass. Refer to your operator’s manual for the right torque specs for the blade bolt and tighten accordingly.
Incorrect Cutting Height
You can end up with an uneven cut when your mower deck is set too low and it isn’t able to handle the amount of grass without compromising the cut. Adjust the mower deck height to a higher setting.
Mower Deck is Plugged with Grass
Grass buildup under your mower deck will give you a bad and uneven cut. The air movement created by your mower blades and the suction created under the deck is what creates a good cut from your EGO.
When you take away the volume of area under the deck for air movement, the quality of the cut suffers. A clogged deck can also affect blade speed and cause your engine to work harder when it needs to turn through thick debris.
There is no way to keep all grass and dirt from building up underneath a mower deck, but there are ways to minimize it so you can achieve a good quality cut from your Ego lawn mower.
- Don’t cut your grass while it is wet. Wet grass clumps and collects under your mower deck. It also leaves clumping in your yard.
Zero Turn Lawn Mower Deck is Not Level
If you are operating an Ego Zero turn mower, you need to keep the deck within the specifications provided by the manufacturer. The mower deck must be level from side-to-side. The front-to-rear measurements must also be adjusted once the deck has been leveled side-to-side.
The front of the deck should sit a little lower than the rear of the deck. Check the operator’s manual for the specification for your Ego model.
Mower Blade Speed is Too Slow
Some Ego lawn mower models have a blade speed setting to slow down the blade to conserve battery power and speed up the blade when needed.
Depending on your mowing conditions, you may need to increase the blade tip speed to cut through the grass. A faster blade tip speed will be needed to cut tall or thick grass.
If you notice your mower isn’t cutting as well as it once did, your not cutting think grasses and the blade is in good condition, you should have your Ego service center take a look at the mower to determine if there is something wrong with the blade motor or power supply.
Ground Speed is Too Fast
Your ground speed needs to be adjusted to your mowing conditions to receive a good cut. If you don’t properly adjust your speeds and move too fast through your lawn, your Ego mower will give you a bad or uneven cut because it may just be pushing over some of the grass instead of cutting it.
Your lawn mower is put under a heavy load when it is cutting thick, tall, or wet grass. You must slow down so your mower is better able to handle the load.
Mower Deck is Damaged
The deck shell is designed to move air under the deck with the assistance of the mower blade. This air movement creates a suction under the deck to stand the grass tall while the blade passes by to give it a precise even cut. A damaged deck shell can affect the cutting performance.
You can attempt to fix the deck to get it back to its original condition and shape. If you are unable to adjust the deck shell in this way, replace the deck shell.
Your Lawn is Uneven
If you are like me and have a lawn that is not perfectly level, you may run into areas where your mower deck is scalping your yard. This can happen when you have a high spot in your yard. Another area where I see a lot of scalping is in shallow ditches especially if you have a wide-format mower.
A wide format mower deck can’t adjust with a bend or dip in the yard and therefore scalps the yard or creates an uneven cut. When mowing ditches, it is best to use a smaller format deck like those on your Ego push mower.