If you have recently hit a stump with a riding lawn mower, you may be wondering what type of damage that you could have done to it. They odds are that everything is fine, but there can be some issues caused by this.
Bent Blade
The most common thing that happens when you hit a stump is a bent blade. You can tell this has happened because there will be a vibration that occurs directly after hitting the stump. The mower will vibrate because the blade is no longer balanced, because it has been bent.
In order to confirm that you have a bent blade, you’ll need to take the deck off and inspect it. But, if you recently hit a stump, and immediately after you feel a vibration with the deck engaged, it’s almost guaranteed that the blade has bent.
Deck Damage
The next most likely thing to happen when hitting a stump with your mower would be damage to the deck. Now a dent to the deck, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the path of the blade is not a big deal. When it does become a problem is when the deck is so damaged that the blade can no longer spin freely.
You’ll also want to check and see if the deck is still secured. A lot of John Deere mower’s use cotter pins to secure the deck. These pins are known to sheer off when the mower hits a stump. When this happens, the belt that turns the blades will not have the proper tension and will likely keep flying off until the deck has been restored to proper working order.
Conclusion
Inspect the mower after hitting the stump to make sure that the deck is undamaged. If it looks fine and you don’t feel the vibration of a blade that is vibrating, you’re probably ok to keep cutting. Good luck!