Tenn_Blue
Silver Member
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2007
- Messages
- 154
- Location
- N.E Tennessee
- Tractor
- Deere 2320, Bobcat 322 mini-ex, Bobcat 763 skidsteer
I have a Deere m669 zero turn mower with a blown engine. Originally came with a Kohler 23 hp twin engine and a 5' iron seven cutting deck.
Long story short, I would like to adapt a 3 cylinder liquid cooled mitsubishi diesel engine in it. I already have the engine laying around.. Making it fit necessitates changing the mower drive train. Since the diesel turns slower, I will have to speed up the mower drive train. Thinking abut using a belt-fed right angle gearbox to go from the horizontal crank to the verticle mower shaft (instead of the long belt and numerous pulleys of the original design). That also helps shorten the package since the new motor is longer than the original one. I can use the pulley ratio (crankshaft to gearbox) to get the deck blade speed back up where the gas motor's would be.
Also can change the pulley size on the hydraulic pump to get the speed back up there.
What issues do you see with this change? I have reasonable fabrication skills and can make the mounts, pulleys, etc that I don't have. I know the "easiest" thing would be to buy a replacement engine, but I want a diesel ztr, and already have most of the parts I would need to make the conversion.
One other question - with the original configuration, what percentage of the engine power is used by the mower deck, and how much goes to the hydraulic drive train? I know deck load depends on what you are cutting, but trying to get some idea where the power goes for sizing the mower drive train...
Long story short, I would like to adapt a 3 cylinder liquid cooled mitsubishi diesel engine in it. I already have the engine laying around.. Making it fit necessitates changing the mower drive train. Since the diesel turns slower, I will have to speed up the mower drive train. Thinking abut using a belt-fed right angle gearbox to go from the horizontal crank to the verticle mower shaft (instead of the long belt and numerous pulleys of the original design). That also helps shorten the package since the new motor is longer than the original one. I can use the pulley ratio (crankshaft to gearbox) to get the deck blade speed back up where the gas motor's would be.
Also can change the pulley size on the hydraulic pump to get the speed back up there.
What issues do you see with this change? I have reasonable fabrication skills and can make the mounts, pulleys, etc that I don't have. I know the "easiest" thing would be to buy a replacement engine, but I want a diesel ztr, and already have most of the parts I would need to make the conversion.
One other question - with the original configuration, what percentage of the engine power is used by the mower deck, and how much goes to the hydraulic drive train? I know deck load depends on what you are cutting, but trying to get some idea where the power goes for sizing the mower drive train...