JD 272 RFM

[Mechanos]

Thought I was posting this in the Owning/Operating forum, but the thread I replied to was in the Buying/Pricing forum... so I'm reposting it here.

Well, I've been looking for a 6' RFM for quite a while now. There have been plenty for sale, but they're just priced a bit more than I wanted pay. Guess I was holding out for a really good deal. I found one earlier this week and went to look at it yesterday... ended up buying it and hualing it home. I think it was a decent deal. It has been sitting for a while since the seller bought a zero turn mower. He was tired of tripping over it and wanted it gone. It also helped the price that the mowing season is pretty much over and those wanting to sell their mower are motivated to deal instead of storing the mower for another winter.

I was looking at all brands of mowers, but it just so happens that the right-priced deal I came across was a JD 272. It needs a good cleaning up, a new belt, little straightening here and there, a couple of cracked welds repaired, a new set of blades and a fresh coat of paint.

I started tearing it down today, got all the pulleys, idlers and spindles removed. I don't see an "easy" way to get the belt off. It appears that I will need to remove the gearbox (or at least loosen it to raise the drive pulley a little to let the belt pass underneath). That seems a little odd to me that you'd have to go such measures just to get the belt off. It's kind of moot in my case, since I'm pretty much stripping the whole deck to prep and paint it.

 

[AKfish]

I've never heard anyone really unhappy with their JD 272 RFM. Seems to be a real solid, performer!

You might find a " work-around" for removing the belt on JDParts. There's been more than one occasion that I've found a better way to get the job done after looking at an exploded view on JDParts.

AKfish

 

[Mechanos]

Well, in this case the belt has to go around the drive pulley. Only way to get that done is pass the belt between the top of the mower deck and the bottom of the drive pulley. The only moveable piece is the drive pulley and it would be much easier to move the gearbox/drive pulley assembly than it would be to move just the pulley.

Wow!... $95 for a new drive belt. Those suckers aren't cheap.

 

[KML]

Have never done this myself (I have a land pride RFM) but this is "supposedly" from the 272 manual.
1
Park the mower on a level surface; pull out the J-pins located on both sides of the mower to release the three-point hitch. Remove the pin at the top of the mower and move the draft arm out of the way. Push the button on the side of the driveshaft and slide the shaft off the mower gearbox.

2
Pull back on the tension arm on the deck to relieve the tension on the belt. Slide the belt off the tensioner sheave and slide the deck spring off.

3
Remove the two 10mm bolts holding down the belt guard. Remove the four lock nuts holding the gearbox to the mounting plate. Raise the mounting plate high enough to slide the belt off the bottom pulley under the gearbox. Slide the rest of the belt off the mower deck.

4
Slide the new belt under the gearbox pulley and reinstall the four nuts holding down the gearbox. Follow the belt routing in the picture provided.

5
Reinstall the spring and tighten down the belt guard.

 

[Mechanos]

Have never done this myself (I have a land pride RFM) but this is "supposedly" from the 272 manual.
1
Park the mower on a level surface; pull out the J-pins located on both sides of the mower to release the three-point hitch. Remove the pin at the top of the mower and move the draft arm out of the way. Push the button on the side of the driveshaft and slide the shaft off the mower gearbox.

2
Pull back on the tension arm on the deck to relieve the tension on the belt. Slide the belt off the tensioner sheave and slide the deck spring off.

3
Remove the two 10mm bolts holding down the belt guard. Remove the four lock nuts holding the gearbox to the mounting plate. Raise the mounting plate high enough to slide the belt off the bottom pulley under the gearbox. Slide the rest of the belt off the mower deck.

4
Slide the new belt under the gearbox pulley and reinstall the four nuts holding down the gearbox. Follow the belt routing in the picture provided.

5
Reinstall the spring and tighten down the belt guard.

I don't think that is from the 272 manual. The deck pictured is definately not a 272. Looks more like a 72 MMM, but is definately not a 272 RFM.

 

[KML]

Sorry, I tried...:ashamed:

 

[Mechanos]

Well... it's not entirely useless info. They're both 72" decks, but the gearbox, gearbox mounting and location are different. However, I would have have to think that the spindles are probably the same. If the spindles are the same the distance from the deck to the belt would be the same. On the deck you posted about, it does say that you have to loosen the gearbox and raise it slightly to remove/install the belt. That is exactly what I'll have to do with the 272... there just isn't anyway around it.