Remove the deck from the tractor. Turn it upside down and spin the blade by hand. look for the area where it is contacting the deck. Is there a dent there now that wasn't there before? If so use a mallet to bump the dent back out.

Mallet and Bump???
You'll need a BFH and plenty of elbow grease, to hammer the front edge of the deck back into place. You'll surely be able to see where the blade is hitting the deck, with the deck lying upside down on the garage floor!
Of course, if you don't want to go to the trouble of removing the deck--well then---just let the blade keep hammering at it, and sooner or later, it will have worn off enough metal to clear!

"sooner or later, it will have worn off enough metal to clear!"

Atta Boy, Rusty.

Walt Conner

"sooner or later, it will have worn off enough metal to clear!" He's exactly right. I've seen some that hit enough where the blade cut completely through the mower housing, leaving a rather nasty gash. But, eventually the blade cleared the housing!

Check for a bent blade.
If that's not the case, you have a bent deck or crank shaft OR the blade mounting is messed up.

What caused the problem to start?

Post the Sears # so we know which mower you have.

"It worked fine until I pushed the riding mower up a ramp that was too steap in my shed. I must have moved a setting on the deck or something. Any help is appreciated. Thanks."

I guess you could crease the deck with enough force from the weight of the rider, but you would have certainly had to lift it uo then to get it over the shed door. Does the deck look creased where you pushed it over the shed entrance?? If not, you have other issues as mentioned above.

I thnk there are only 3 possible causes:

1. The blade is bent

2. The deck is bent.

3. The mandral the blade attaches to is broken, or loose.

I suppose there could be other causes, but I just can't think of any.

Thanks to everyone. I removed the blade last night and filed down the end up the blade where it was hitting the deck and this solved my problem.

See how simple that was." Seek and Ye Shall Find"..Another couple of posts,and there would be suggestions to buy a John Deere.That is how it usually runs here .tbk

Buy a John Deere ; )

Or is that, "Buy John a beer." :D

Make sure your blade is still in balance - from the web... "You can sharpen rotary mower blades with a grinding wheel and file, but be careful not to destroy the balance. To determine which end of the mower blade is out of balance, put a nail in the wall and hang the blade from the hole in the center of the blade. File more off the blade on the heavy end."

One problem with the preceding message. "Drill a hole in wall, insert nail, hang blade from nail--will be able to see which end is too long or too heavy!
Oh yeah??
Hang the blade on a nail (how thick is a nail?) Then spin the blade! Or hang the blade from the nail!
Won't the blade be off center, hanging on the nail?
What is really needed is a round shaft that just fits the center hole, and allows the blade to spin freely, until it stops spinning, whereupon you would be able to determine which end is heavier than the other.
I've sharpened a lot of my blades by using my bench grinder, and i get no vibration! Now, if i would grind off a half inch from one end--then yes i'd get vibration.
One time, i didn't have a blade in my stock, to fit a mower, so i carefully measured the end that would allow it to clear, marked both ends, cut off the outer ends with an air grinder, file the edge a bit, hung it back on the machine, and felt on vibrations!

Chris
I think you just bent the blade up towards the deck when you had it on the ramp. If it's not vibrating and giving you a nice even cut you'll be OK. I myself would put a new set of blades on it . They're not that expensive and keep it off that ramp. You don't have to take the deck off to change the blades. Since you filed some weight off one end of the blade you probably should have tried to fill the same amount off the other side. It sounds like you didn't bend it that bad. Good luck to ya. You'll get it back the way it was. Pap

Agree with rustyj14, Hanging a blade from a nail to balance it doesn't work....period. It's impossible to get the nail centered properly. They do however sell little pyramid shaped balancers that work fairly well.

Not to start an argument, but try this.... Use a nail, 8 penny, 16 penny, it doesn't matter which. Hold the blade so that it's horizontal with the gound (3:00 and 9:00). Place the blade mounting hole over the nail and LOOK at the blade and nail as you rest the blade on the nail at the CENTER of the mounting hole (The center will be the "highest" point of the hole). Then gently release the blade. If it stays at rest, it is balanced in that plane. If it starts to rotate, the end that swings down is heavier than the other (Newton doesn't lie). If you question your results try it a couple of times. If your eyesight is so poor that you can't see the center of the mounting hole, mark it with a piece of chalk before you start. Make sure you are using the center of the marking hole (not the center of the blade).

Or you can buy a balancer for a couple of dollars.

Walt Conner