Or am I just waiting too long between cuts?
As a landscaper for 20+ years I can say for certain the answer to that question is no.
Well that’s some final destination circumstances
checks blade tightness
If a blade bolt comes lose the blade just drops to the ground.
That's my experience. Once the bolt gets loose enough, the blade can't spin anymore and it just falls.
Its almost like mower manufacturers put thought into the design of the way the blade fastens to the shaft...
don't they just use reverse threads ?
Which is why that almost never actually happens where a blade comes off mid cut. But in the rare circumstance that it would, the blade wouldn't be accelerating as it falls (besides from gravity)
blades coming off a mower and taking off my foot are the stuff of nightmares. please don't make me think about the mechanics and physics involved in this lol.
Well they did, and then corporate decided the safety was too expensive, so they decided to ignore it. Oh but they still increased the CEO's salary by 45% despite all of the ignored safety requirements from the FAA... hey wait a sec /s
How’s life working for Boeing?
He can't answer. A plane door fell on him. Strangest thing.
It was ruled a suicide.
Oh it's awesome! Just launched a rocket to the space station! Just don't look into any news about the launch... or the docking... or return. What goes up must come down... right?
Nobody said what order the parts had to come back down. Or if they needed to be “together”.
This is the first I've heard of this. Holy shit.
I think that counts as blowing the whistle... So, they won't have to worry about the whole "life" thing for much longer.
My last two Craftsman mowers had the "star" shaped blade mounts on the shaft that the blade indexed into. My newer Honda mower has two bolts that attaches the blades to the shaft mount. I wonder what would happen if just one of those bolts were to back out and drop off. There's probably going to be some carnage.
It will just wobble until the second bolt falls off and the blade drops to the ground just like any other blade, no carnage.
Mythbusters had a moment when they tried the mowing rocks episode where the blade left the mower.
But did the rocks get mowed?
For a balanced blade it would drop but if it’s off balance enough that it gets a good grab on the shaft it might get flicked a foot or so. Granted the mower deck will likely block that.
No, that’s not true either. I mow commercial and have several mowers and I simply have no time to balance, even unbalanced blades just fall to the ground. The only thing keeping a blade from spinning is the friction of a tight bolt, as soon as that friction is gone the shaft spins and the blade is held back by the grass. In the absence of grass it will just wobble and fall off.
Ya your right I was picturing the blade fitting over the shaft which it doesn’t.
Ha! You were wrong!
The mower has run over something hard such as a brick or rock becoming bent on one side. Probably just a little, but enough to cause this.
I bet they hit something and it’s bent
It is! And I have another set of blades that I’ve tried, same result.
And sharp?
If I had to guess I’d say its far to short. Try raising your deck, maybe the 1/2 way mark and see if that helps. After that try a new set of blades, or have the existing sharpened.
Yup, the first thing I thought was damn that's short! Personally, I'd cut a notch higher on the mower. It won't dry out as quickly if it's a bit shaggy...
Looks too short to me bumps in turf may show up like that
This and I'm assuming you're hitting small bumps in your lawn. Because you're cutting so low, you're just a fraction of an inch from scalping completely. I assume while you're mowing you can hear the blade speed jumping all over the place every time you bounce through a low spot.
Looks like you're cutting too low. When one of your mower wheels drops into a tiny hole the blade drops and hits dirt to scalp the lawn. Mow up 1 or 2 notches and it will go away.
This is the answer. Your mower has 4 pivot points. When one of them drops low enough, your blade is spinning in too low - hence the circle. If you want to mow this low, get a reel mower. Reel mowers have just two pivot points. Instead of swirls, you sometimes get a ridge cut in, but since it's only two, it's far less
Reel Mower or level the yard with sand. Bermuda loves being cut this height but I have the same mower and had to sand level before I could cut on the lowest notch. Before leveling I was on 3. OP is on 2.
I'm aware
A fellow dominator
Get outta here with that fake Astro turf
I was going to mention that. I think sand may be the answer screed it maybe by pulling a boars across in different directions?
Problem with the boars is their hooves leave low spots in the otherwise leveled surface.
Amazed I had to scroll this far down to find the right answer
Bent blade…
As my mechanic explained to me, the metal the blades are made of is stronger than the metal the crankshaft is made of, so if you do bend a blade you probably have more going on as well.
I don't think that's what's happening, i think the deck height has a lot to do with it.
Or a very bumpy lawn - that's my bet. A little leveling will go a long way methinks.
Edit - you can also tell this was cut pretty short from what seemingly was a higher grass (given the brown patches even where there isn't circular patterns). Probably made worse by the heat. Don't take more than 1/3 of your grass blade off per cut and it will help reduce how visible this is.
Bumpy lawn is my guess. I have one and this is exactly what it looks like after I mow.
When you mow that low a bumpy lawn makes it took bad. It’s not a green on a golf course, raise your mower deck for the simplest fix.
That's what I've had to do, especially when it gets hot. I'm not going to pretend I know what I'm doing, but I have a Bermuda grass lawn and was told to mow it about an inch tall, which is what yields these rings in some spots. If I raise the deck much higher the grass seems to utilize the space to create stalks with seeds at the top that are not great to look at, so I'm in flux between the two states.
Yes, this is Bermuda, and this is the advice I’ve been following too. Just have to cut higher I guess
Down to the brown. It's a lifestyle.
Yep, I’m thinking this is the culprit
It's 100% a bumpy lawn. I have a bumpy ass lawn and when I scalp or reset HOC it looks like this
This. There are a couple spots in my lawn where there are low spots, and if one of my tires hits them then it momentarily drops the blade lower and creates these crop circles.
Not sure this is correct. Strength is a materials ability to resist deformation. A lawn mower blade will be deliberately made of low to medium carbon steel to keeps its hardness low ish, so that it will deform rather than experience a brittle failure.
I dunno man, that would make sense though.
My guess
You are probably just moving too quickly and/or your lawn is not 100% level and your wheels are hitting dips. These were my issues with similar results to yours. Your yard looks pretty level but when you cut this low any little dip will cause the rings. I mow pretty slow these days and try to enjoy the break from reality :)
Literally just made a post about this! I was going nuts because I couldn’t figure out the yellowing.
your wheels are hitting dips
This is the cause of circles on my lawn. I suspect it's OP's problem, too.
The blade is not tight! and maybe bent also. on a side note raise your deck for greener grass.(this advice comes from somebody who’s been landscaping for 20+ years.)
I bought a new blade on my Honda HRR mower for $38 at HD - took about 10 mins to replace. Was about 3 years old. Cuts much better now
You can sharpen them, you know
Sharpening doesn’t straighten a bent blade though.
Thank you for being the voice of reason
Sure…. You CAN sharpen them. Like most any other blade, Captain Obvious. But when they are bent, or have dents from rocks, etc, replacement is easy and cheap, considering the result and benefits of having a brand new, sharp, straight blade. Problem solved, you know.
If you have Bermuda and like keeping it short, it might be worth getting a reel mower.
I just got a manual push reel mower for one section of my yard that I’m putting extra effort in and I find it’s way better for lower cuts. I also have a Honda rotary similar to yours and it’s tough to go lower than 2”. But with the reel, I can easily go down to 1”. For the rest of my lawn, I use the gas rotary but using the reel is actually pretty fun.
Definitely asking too much of that rotary mower. It's not dialed in enough to handle short cut he's looking for.
Eyyyyy nice edge work though 🫡
Thanks!
How low are you cutting that putting green anyway?
You have the wheels set way too high, I can tell by the position of the adjusters. I don't even use that setting when I am trying to scalp the lawn. With the deck that low any imperfection the the level of the lawn is going to result in those swirl marks.
Your mowing too short. Raise the deck.
Is your lawn bumpy? I get these cuts when my mower wheel hits the gap between sod sections and part of the mower dips.
Bumpy lawn most likely, looks like you're cutting very low so when you hit a bump the deck moves up and down.
That’s definitely not looking right. Is the blade cracked or unbalanced?
Or loose?
It’s easy enough to check balance and torque it to spec. I’d do that to start.
Are you pushing the front of the mower up and setting it down as you mow?
Ring worms 🤣
You are mowing to low on a lawn that is not smooth enough to be cut that shirt.
Lay your mower over and put a straight edge across the bottom of the deck and measure to your blades, if they measure the same your yard is very uneven.
If you can’t level the yard you could raise the height of cut so this will be less noticeable.
Edit: also check and make sure your wheels are all at the same height.
You're just mowing a tad too short. The lawn isn't level or smooth enough to handle that short cut and it's occasionally scalping.
Looks like the motor bit that the blade screws into has shifted / bent. No idea what it’s called the bit the bolt through the blade goes into
It means your mower deck is too low and you’re scalping your grass
Is your lawn super uneven?
Have you tried spraying for aliens?
Is that fescue? My god that is cut low. Do you water 3x a day or something?
Nope. This is Bermuda. I water 3x a week.
Update: took my mower into a local power equipment shop and he agreed I’m cutting too short. According to him, anything less than 2” on a rotary mower will give you swirls like this. He recommended moving to a reel mower if I want to keep my Bermuda this low, which is what I was afraid of. Not willing to invest in a reel mower just yet, so for now I’ll be moving back up to 2”. What a great community though! Everyone here was so helpful! Thank you!
Go grab a manual reel mower. They are only $130-$140 for a new one (earth wise, Scott’s, etc.).
Y SO LOW?
Glad the dealership was able to help you out however I can tell you if that's a new construction home you definitely need to do compost this will help alleviate the unevenness. After Decades of regular cutting though your clippings would have the same effect but adding compost is really beneficial you would essentially be getting a fertilizer and not needing to water as much since it would retain moisture. The best time to do this is generally in the spring each year
Good tip, thank you!
Looks like you're scalping the crap out of your lawn. Those circles are where you've stopped briefly and your blades are too close to the actual ground.
I’d say it looks more like the height is a little to short and/or you might be bouncing or pressing the front of the mower a bit. Also, I’ve got (some, not much 😬) thick zoysia in my yard, if I stop or push the mower too hard, this will happen.
Check that your blades aren't mounted upside down. I did that once, my cut looked just like that
Time for a reel mower
Would love to.
Deck too low and hitting low spots on the ground is my guess
Your yard isn’t level. When your wheels hit bumps it dips the deck and cuts low in an area leaving the mushroom or yellow color. If you cut every 3-4 days the grass will look right bc it will green on the tips and the mushroom color will never be exposed when cut. The best remedy is to level your yard with sand, water and cut frequently.
Aliens
I don’t think this is a bumpy lawn. I have a bumpy lawn and in some areas it will scalp it if I cut too low but it looks nothing like this. Your blade is messed up if I had to guess.
Unlevel lawn and deck is too low. Try raising the front and back up one notch and see if that helps next time you mow. If you want to mow this low, you need to level your yard and have fun with that
It's aliens
Could be the blade. Could be the lawn. Check if the blade is balanced after u sharpen it and go from there.
You’re cutting too short and scalping, friend. It doesn’t look like Bermuda - is it supposed to be short like that? Inspect and sharpen your blades, too.
Is that bermuda?
It is!
Jealous. Looks great
Low spots. Level the lawn.
reddit never lets me down
If it's sporadic like this, I'd guess the blade is loose and its moving up and down as it's spinning.
Bent blade or your lawn needs leveling. Mine gets them in the spots where my wheel hits a rut in the grass. every. time.
A bent blade is an easy fix - and you can get a cheap balance to make sure they're in good shape the next time you sharpen. Leveling is a bit more work, but comes with the benefit of top-dressing your lawn.
Finally - mow more often and cut higher, if needed. Generally you don't want to take more than 1/3 of your grass blade off. For many species (like mine, Bermuda) it's only green on top and brown 2/3 of the way below, making these rings stand out further. It's not just about cutting higher, but cutting consistently.
Looks like alien crop circles.
You are not mowing too low. There is something wrong with the blade.
I think you have a bent blade 🤣
If you pause at all you'll get this. Keep moving & only stop at/past the edges.
That thing must shake a like a salt shaker with a bent blade like that.
No shaking, don’t think it’s a bent blade
Nah, your mower was just inspired by 70’s carpet patterns.
It means your mower dropped in a hole or there was a high spot there. Raise your deck.
What kind of grass do you have? Regardless your HOC is too low, you need to raise it up a notch.
Aliens 👾
Deck is a little low, and your turf is slightly uneven. Raise the deck a hair
Nah that just means aliens are coming to your house first.
What the hell does "waiting between cuts" mean?
Not mowing often enough… my grass is growing quick and I can only mow every week or so. So I’m probably waiting too long between cuts and cutting too much off
Oooh, I thought you meant you would mow like 10 feet, stop, then mow another 10 feet
Looks like you are cutting your grass way too short. It may be high points in your yard as opposed to the lawnmower being the issue.
Bumpy lawn being mowed too low. Your wheels are hitting dips and mowing extra low, effectively scalping random spots.
Could be more to do with the lawn not being leveled, will always show up more the lower you cut!
Mowing too low on an unlevel lawn. Looks like new construction. I bet they used the squares of sod and the randomness of the pattern is just how the wheels are falling between the stairs.
Most likely means your yard isn't as level as you think it is. Could also be that the deck on your mower isn't level or that the tires are all at the level.
Karsh
More likely bumps in the lawn
You're cutting it too short, raise the mower.
You sure those blades are on the right way? I have that mower and they need to go on a specific way.
Bent blade, bad spindle.
Check to make sure all the wheels are at the same level, I had one of my wheels at the wrong level and did the same thing as I pushed it around.
Suburban crop circles!
Level your lawn.
Low spots in yard
Looks like you are cutting it too short.
Are one or more of your wheels loose or maybe they’re all not on the same height setting.?
They are all on the same height setting, but this is a good callout. Never replaced these wheels. Very possible they need replacing or could be loose. Thanks!
One time I accidentally had my wheels at different heights and the mower deck rocked back and forth. I’d check and make sure everything is tight, blade, wheels and crank shaft. Good luck!
It get that when I let it go too long and have to bounce the mower to clear the cuttings stuck in it.
the dreaded Honda crop circles, jump it up 1 notch or level the yard. You're hitting bumps, low spots and high spots...they don't have to be very big to do this.
Check that your blade isnt bent.
I don't think you have your deck height set low enough... /S
Looks to be a little rough and uneven.
Are you expiriencing any alien abductions?
Deck height too short. You’re hitting holes or bumps that your wheels are dropping into and causing the blade to scalp.
Looks more like a disease. And you're mowing to short
Is your blade loose?
Glad you got your answer. Next time, put the blade on upside down like I did once. Makes for a nice cut.
Cutting too short. Unbalanced ground
Hondas have two blades. Make sure they are stacked correctly.
D
Make sure there’s nothing wrapped around the blade spindle. Pull the plug lead and when you check under wear gloves. Could also be if you sharpened recently the blades are unbalanced. The deck could be cracked. The wheels are locked properly. Check all those things but make sure u pull the plug lead off first. Always always always. Please. Thanks
Your blade is loose causing it to cut at different heights
That or an eneven lawn.
Your lawn is bumpy and uneven causing the mower to bottom out when the wheels fall into holes.
Your yard isn't level, and since you're using a rotary with 4 points of contact to the ground, your wheels are falling into low spots and causing the blade to scalp that small section as you move across the yard. Very common with rotary mowers when not mowing often enough on imperfect ground. Even if you're not cutting short, when the wheels hit low spots it cuts the green off the grass and you hit the stalk
All you have to do is put some Xs amongst those Os, and you’ll have a big tic-tac-toe game in your yard! ❎
Your deck is a little too low, and in the high spots, the blade is hitting and creating those circles, I’ve got a couple of spots like that in my front yard
Need to add blinker fluid
Raise the height first and do a mow, and if that doesn’t help then you have more going on.
Was the grass very long and mowed got bogged down in those areas?
possibly too short
Location? That grass is short like a golf course. Can't do that in washington where I livee. Will bumps cause that? Reel mowers do very nice for short grass like that
Just help address the problem. Not a sidetracked train oc nedless comments pls
I’ve seen this from 2 things: a bent blade, or a blade that was put on upside down.
My main guess is a loose mower blade or it's skewed on the bolt, maybe the securement nut is misthreaded
Mow higher
make sure all wheels are at the same height.
Um WOW! How bad is the rattle when its running?
Yard is probably a bit bumpy, causing the mower to dip and cut more in these spots. You could raise the height of cut or level these areas with sand
This. I own a lawn care company and this happens with any rotary mower when cutting low if the blade bounces against the lawn. I have owned dozens of high priced commercial stand on/sitters/push mowers from every brand out there. Happens to all of them when you cut this low on a bumpy lawn. If you want to cut this low, get a reel mower as someone already suggested.
You’re scalping the lawn. Happens easily with rotary mowers because of how uneven it can be
Either that or you’re cutting too low and the mower is bouncing around too much somehow.
Just replace the blade… problem solved.
Looks like it’s way too short on cutting height, looks like he’s on the very last notch by the looks of the deck height.need to raise it much higher..
Its hard to tell on a picture what the issue is but looks to me like your mowing a little shorter then a rotary mower can handle on thick grass like that. You could raise it up a notch and see how it looks. A reel mower would give you a much better cut at that height.
The blade is scraping the soil. Raise your cut of height 1 notch buddy
Waiting too long between cuts.
Raise your mow height a notch higher.
It's likely your mower deck is unbalanced. Check blade sharpness and deck levelness. Regular mowing helps prevent circles.
Bent blade
Wow. Was not expecting to wake up to 70 comments. Thanks for all the help.
For those suggesting bent blade or blade not tight- I have two sets of blades. I’ve tried them both with the same result. Both have been sharpened recently. I had this pattern last season too.
I suspect, like others, that I’m cutting too low and have an uneven lawn. I guess you just can’t cut Bermuda this low without a reel mower.
Thanks all!
You probably waited a little too long but there's also something wrong with your blade or shaft. If the blade or shaft were in perfect working order, you'd just have scalped areas with no circular shapes like that.
Are we sure this isn't disease? I know op said Bermuda grass but looks very similar to fusarium or rhizoctonia blight.
Super low but you tip it when you stride
A masseuse gave your lawn a cupping.
You just don’t know how to mow a lawn bud
Thank you!
Thank you!
You're welcome!
Is the blade tight?