I would check the direction clutches and the direction clutch bearings. They should be removed and the splines greased yearly anyway.
Richard,
I'm rereading this. Do I have to remove the clutches? I keep that spline greased/oiled a lot more often than yearly.
May I assume the direction clutch bearings are external, since the clutch is, and not crazy to get off/replace? Sounds like something I could do, but I'm not
getting inside that trans case, no way. Way over my ability. thanksDrew
These riders are not quiet machines. Most of the time the trans noise is masked, unless I'm just traveling somewhere with pto off. And yes, I engage at low rpm.
The gravely rarely stalls doing that. My JD lawn mower if not perfectly warmed up will stall very quickly if the rpm is not high enough when pto engaged electrically.
I sure like slowly but surely engaging the pto lever on the Gravely, one can "feel" whats going on. Seems analagous to popping the clutch in your car, for those who still have clutches,
at 5000 rpm and wondering why the clutch needs to be replaced after awhile. Those instant on electric pto clutches gives me the willies, and they are everywhere. Kind of a game seeing
how low an rpm I can go on my LX280, with a very nice Kawa 18 inside. The Gravely doesn't seem to care. and it's amazing all that gearing starts spinning around so easily.
I keep the thing
well lubricated...
I can't imagine not having a Gravely rider. What a great machine, a bit crude but tough as nails. This is my second one, I bought a new 16G back in the mid 80's I think, and my friend just sent me a pic
he dug up of our using it at his cabin in the Catskills. Lots of rides for the kids; my friends four year old daughter is quite happily sitting in the trailer. I didn't keep one pic of that tractor, glad my friend kept this one.
I bought the first Gravely to use to mow the lawn on our farm, while I was living there, having come home after ten years of working outside of the area. 7 acres of lawn, huge job to mow and trim, and it took five years
of "helper" use of that mower, after I sold it back to the family when I moved out, to blow up the Kohler K engine in it. Or was it a Magnum? Regardless, we weren't aware of how easily those engine fins get clogged back then,
and I bet a combo of low oil and a hot engine just did it in. Sure can't blame the mower, which is usually the case. Hit a stump, pay the price, don't blame the machine...
pleased to report I've lost over fifty pounds from this pic. Sure was needed... And yes, the beard went too. My wife did not like the mountain man look, so ok.
hmm, after zooming in on this pic, seems the old rider was an 8163G, but that had a B&S, which is wrong, I definitely had a Kohler. How are your eyes? 1986 I believe. But the 16G came in 1988.
Hmmm, how did I get a Kohler on that?