12 Reasons a Husqvarna Mower Has a Bad or Uneven Cut

You noticed your Husqvarna mower is giving you a poor cut lately. Your mower might be scalping your yard, leaving uncut strips of grass, cutting uneven, or leaving your grass with brown tips.

Any of these problems can be frustrating to see after you’ve invested a significant amount of money into your lawn mower, but there is a fix to your problem.

A Husqvarna lawn mower may give a bad or uneven cut when the mower blades are worn, damaged, or installed incorrectly; the tire pressures are uneven; the deck is not level or clogged; the deck components are damaged; the engine speed is too low, or the ground speed is too fast.

I’ll share will you what to look for when identifying the cause of your uneven cut so you can get back to having a nice-looking lawn.

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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.

Reasons Your Husqvarna Lawn Mower Has a Bad or Uneven Cut

Cause for Uneven Cut	Solution for Uneven Cut
Worn Mower Blade	Sharpen the blade or replace it with a new blade
Low Tire Pressure	Check tire pressures and bring them to the correct level
Bent or Damaged Mower Blade	Replace mower blade
Incorrectly Installed Mower Blade	Remove and install with the blade sail point upward
Clogged Mower Deck	Scrape the deck
Unleveled Mower Deck	Level the deck from side-to-side & front-to-back
Spindle Damage or Worn Bearing	Replace damaged spindle or housing
Bad deck belt or pulleys	Replace worn belts and pulleys
Engine speed is too low	Run your mower at full throttle
Ground speed is too fast	Mow at the correct speeds for your mowing conditions
Not overlapping mowing path	Adjust mowing paths
Damaged mower deck shell	Repair or replace your mower deck shell

Husqvarna Mower Blade is Worn or Dull

Worn mower blades can cause your mower to leave strips of uncut grass. Extremely worn blades become thin on the sails of the blade and need to be replaced with new Husqvarna blades once they reach this point. Honestly, they actually should have been replaced well before reaching this point.

Unless you are checking your mower blades’ condition frequently, you may not have seen your blades getting pretty worn down. A good indication of dull mower blades is the cut you get.

Your grass may turn brown a day or two after you mow the lawn and look pretty unhealthy. This could be a sign your mower blades are bad.

Take a look at the tips of your grass blades. If they turned brown because your dull mower blades beat them up, you will see brown tips with little cuts or tears in them. This is what happens when your grass blades don’t receive a precise cut with a sharp blade.

Remove and replace your Husqvarna blades. If your blades are still in good condition, you can just save a little money and sharpen your mower blades. I write about different methods to sharpen your mower blades yourself in “Inspect, Sharpen, and Change Your Mower Blades”.

I also recommend having your blade professionally sharpened if you don’t want to attempt it yourself. That’s what I do because I receive a much better edge from the professional than I am able to achieve.

Low Pressure in Your Husqvarna Tire

The cause for your mower deck not sitting level is not always a problem found in your mower deck. When one of your tire pressures is lower than the other, the deck sits unevenly. Check your tire pressures and make sure they are set to the manufacturer’s specifications.

The left and right-hand tires on your Husqvarna mower must have the same tire pressures. Check the tire pressures before assessing whether your blades are bent or your deck is not sitting level.

If you don’t check your tires first, you could end up replacing blades or making adjustments to your deck that you didn’t need.

Husqvarna Mower Blade is Bent

A mower blade that has impacted a hard object can become bent causing an uneven cut. Sometimes it’s pretty noticeable you have a bent blade. I’ve seen them bent at a 90-degree angle before.

Other times your mower blade may be so slightly bent it can be hard to visibly notice the bend. Even the slightest bends in your mower blades can cause a bad cut and send a vibration through your lawn mower.

You can check for a bend in your mower blade using one of the following methods:

Method 1: Remove each mower blade and lay it on top of a new mower blade to check for a bend. This will require you to have a new mower blade on hand which you may not have.

If you don’t have a blade to match your mower blades to or you simply don’t want to take the time to remove your mower blades at this time, use the next method.

Method 2: Find a flat-level spot to park your Husqvarna mower. Again, make sure your spark plug boots are unplugged before you work on your mower deck.

Once you are sure there is no chance your mower can start, grab a blade end and measure from the ground to the end of the blade. Record the measurement.

Next, spin the blade 180 degrees and measure the opposite side of the blade from the ground to the end of the blade. Compare the two measurements. If you find the measurements are greater than a 1/8” difference, you must replace the mower blade.

Continue using the same method to measure any additional blades your Husqvarna may have on the mower deck.

Do not attempt to straighten a bent blade. Straightening the blade will compromise the integrity of the metal making it weak.

Using a compromised mower blade on your Husqvarna while it is rotating at very high speeds can put other people or items at risk of being hit by a flying piece of metal if it breaks off.

Husqvarna Mower Blades are Installed Incorrectly

The sail of the mower must be pointed upward toward the deck when installed correctly. Check your mower blade as many of them are stamped to indicate which side of the mower blade faces up and which side faces down.

If you can’t find anything stamped on your blade, just remember, “Sail Up”. Making the mistake and placing your mower blades upside down will not only damage your yard, but it can cause damage to your spindles and spindle housings.

When the blades are attached with the sails facing toward the ground, the sails can hit the ground and beat up the grass. The impact of the sails hitting the ground is what can cause damage to your spindle housings.

Balance Your Husqvarna Blades

Husqvarna mower blades must be balanced so you receive a level cut, reduce vibration in your mower, and prevent spindle housing damage.

Your blades are balanced when they have equal weight on each side of your mower blade. When the blade is heavier on one side, you must shave some metal off of the blade until each side is of equal weight.

The best way to check for equal weight is by using a blade balancer.

Some people choose to use a method where you place a nail on the wall and hang the blade from it. While this method can work, it is not always the most accurate.

Husqvarna Mower Deck is Plugged with Grass

It’s hard to avoid grass and debris collecting under your mower deck. There are a couple of things you can do to minimize the buildup. Don’t cut your lawn in wet conditions as wet grass sticks to the deck and leaves clumping of grass in the yard.

Some Husqvarna owners choose to use a deck spray designed for mower decks to keep grass from sticking. Although this product does help, it doesn’t keep everything from sticking so you’ll still have to scrape your deck periodically.

Grass that plugs up under your deck doesn’t allow air movement and a good suction to form under the deck. The blades can also be hitting debris in the deck which each passing.

Your Husqvarna’s good cut relies on the speed of your blades creating air movement. This air movement in the deck creates a suction that pulls your grass tall so the blades can pass by and create a nice-looking cut.

Keep your mower deck clean by performing regular cleanings. Scrape the deck using a deck scraper or wire brush to remove all grass and dirt stuck to the bottom of the deck.

Husqvarna Mower Deck is Not Level

When your mower deck doesn’t sit level, you will definitely have an uneven cut. Now, you should have already checked your tire pressures to make sure you don’t have a low tire that is throwing off your deck level.

If you didn’t, check your tire pressure before checking the deck level.

To check the level of your deck, you will need to park your Husqvarna on a flat-level surface. Measure from the ground to the deck on each corner of the mower deck. Record the measurements. Compare measurements from side-to-side and front-to-back.

You will want to make sure the deck has the correct pitch where the front of the deck sits slightly lower than the back of the deck.

Because mower deck level specifications and adjustment procedures can vary by deck type, refer to your owner’s manual for further instructions.

Husqvarna Blade Spindle is Bent

A bad spindle or bearing in the spindle housing can be the cause of your bad mower cut. In order to check for problems in your spindle housing, you’ll need to put on a good pair of work gloves and grab a hold of each side of the mower blade.

Firmly gripping each side, rock the blade up and down. What you’re looking for is any movement or a knocking sound. If you find either of these conditions present, you will need to take apart your spindle housing as it is most likely an indication of a bearing failure.

Bad Mower Deck Belt or Pulleys on Your Husqvarna

The next items to check on your mower deck are the pulleys and belt. Turn each pulley on the deck to make sure it moves smoothly and you don’t encounter any resistance.

Also, listen to the bearing noise when you are turning the pulleys. If you hear noise or encounter resistance, you need to replace the pulleys because the bearings are failing.

You will need to check the deck belt for signs of wearing including a glazed appearance, cracking or fraying. A belt that shows signs of wearing can fail to turn your mower blades at their top speeds. Replace your worn belt.

Your Husqvarna Engine Speed is Too Low or Ground Speed is Too Fast

Your mower deck needs engine speed in order to cut at its best. Run your mower at full throttle to keep your blades spinning fast. In addition to running your mower at full throttle, you must also gauge your mower’s ground speed.

Adjust your ground speed to your conditions. For example, if you are mowing thick, tall, or wet grass, you will need to slow down your ground speed so you don’t put too much of a load on your engine.

Moving too fast across your lawn can also cause you not to get a good cut as your mower may be pushing over some of the grass instead of standing it tall.

Incorrect Overlapping Path with Your Husqvarna

You may be the type of person that tries to get their mowing done in less time by making your mowing paths the widest you can. Not everyone enjoys spending as much time with their mower as they can.

If you are noticing small strips of grass once you get done mowing, make sure you are properly overlapping your cuts so you don’t miss cutting any parts of your lawn.  

Husqvarna Mower Deck Shell is Damaged

A deck shell can get tweaked by running your mower into objects like trees, rocks, and other hard surfaces. The deck shell is formed to create a suction to give you a good cut. If the deck has been damaged, your cut could also be compromised.

You’ll need to try to repair your Husqvarna deck or you may need to replace it altogether. If you do replace the shell, you will have to move the components from your old deck onto the new deck shell.

Your Lawn is Uneven

When your lawn is uneven and bumpy, your mower deck can scalp your lawn leaving you an uneven cut. You will either have to deal with this or you can get a lawn roller and try to even it out.

Mowing ditches with a wide format mowing deck can also provide a bad cut or a stair step type cut because it isn’t able to follow uneven curves. It’s best to use a push mower with a smaller format deck in these areas.