Canopy RCK48BX Mower mod to stop breaking spindles

[mrutkaus]

I had cub cadets for 40 years with their belly belt mowers and I didn't care what I drove into/over, if the blade hit something, the belt slipped, whatever. Then, acquiring my BX1500 in my old age with its 48" mower I was set I thought. Set to break spindles unless I just had a level grass field to mow, that is.
After breaking two spindles in two months I was about to give up (why are the spindles almost first on the page at the dealers computer when they look for parts?). I had 'just' broken each side spindle hitting stumps and rocks, I don't know what I would have done if I'd broken the center, gearbox... truly given up.

I tried teflon washers on the blade bolts, nada, they just wouldn't keep the blades on.

I retighted all the blade bolts and looked carefully at the idler pulley spring. Hmmm it looks pretty hefty and keeps things pretty tight. Could I transform my Kubota into a Cub Cadet?

Enter Amazon 7" trampoline spring, $2.40 for 2: Amazon.com : 7 Inch Trampoline Spring Set of 1 : Trampoline Parts And Accessories : Patio, Lawn & Garden

This afternoon I barely got the old spring off (obviously remove that part of the cover first) I jused a spring puller tool and long screwdrivers etc. Installing the new spring was a breeze, it fit perfectly and was easy to put on.

Did a test mowing about half an acre of rough rollign grass with sticks rocks and weeds, worked so well I stopped often to look underneath. When I turned one blade by had the other two turned normally, but if I hald one blade and turned another, I could turn them independently. The belt was much looser on top. there was no unusual noise and no belt burning.

.

 

[Zick]

So you're saying that you had a too tight of a spring and that was causing you to break spindles?

 

[mrutkaus]

Yes,everything was designed so tightly for I guess lawn use that hitting little stumps, big rocks etc broke two spindles. This seems like it will work well for me, I can't see how enough force would be applied now to break anything if I can move them with my hands. And it mowed perfectly for me in my field.
Mike

 

[boggen]

looser belt huh? nice job!

 

[mrutkaus]

Thanks, hope it may help someone else. I was so surprised at the dealer when he went to the computer page just for the BX-1500 and right there on the first page was the mower spindle! I think.

Mike

 

[RaydaKub]

When we first got a lawn tractor, we tried to reclaim a lot of the yard from 3 foot tall Brome grass. You'd walk through looking for stuff to pick up and get it out of the way, but it frequently was inadequate. I've run just about everything imaginable into a mower (baler twine, sticks, rocks, bones, barbed wire, tire chain, and log chain are all on the list). Most of those made a helluva racket and the blades would reflect it. I can't imagine what your blades must look like if you regularly hit "little stumps, big rocks, etc".

 

[JWR]

I'm not believing that a looser belt improved anything, much less breaking spindles. You did replace bearings and all when you replaced the spindles, right ?

Those Kubota decks are blasted near bulletproof and very well made in my experience. Mine have all been 60" but they are made pretty much the same. You are just asking for belt slippage, wear and eventual belt failure by using a weaker spring.

You said "I had 'just' broken each side spindle hitting stumps and rocks, ..."
Must have been a heck of a stump and rock to break spindles!

My guess is the solution is to put the standard spring back on where it belongs and stop hitting stumps and rocks.

 

[aczlan]

You said "I had 'just' broken each side spindle hitting stumps and rocks, ..."
Must have been a heck of a stump and rock to break spindles!

My guess is the solution is to put the standard spring back on where it belongs and stop hitting stumps and rocks.

That or the previous owner was very hard on the deck and the spindles were already close to being broken...
I know for a fact that the mower decks on our B7500 and BX2660 have both split a lot of rocks and bent their fair share of blades but (knock on wood) we have never had replace a spindle.

Aaron Z

 

[JWR]

Maybe it was just an approximate description -- i.e. maybe the spindles were bent and became unusable, not actually "broken?" Those spindles are steel, not cast iron or some material that would break. If anything they would bend, not break, under some sort of very abusive treatment. Bearings failed maybe ??

Regardless the solution is NOT to find a way to get the belt to slip on the pulleys !

 

[dodge man]

I also have a 60" deck and have hit a lot of crap with it, never broken a spindle yet.