Mowing G1800 Hydraulic Issue

[Snakebit12]

Wondering if anyone has had this experience...

While mowing on my G1800 (1992 w/ 900 hrs), I heard a pop and totally lost all hydraulics. Unable to move (forward or back) and unable to lift the deck. No hydraulics.

Checked the dipstick and the hydraulic reservoir was full.

Praying that it's a valve or pump...worried that it might be the HST. It is at a local dealer for diagnosis but the mechanic has been sick so no word as of yet.

Thoughts?

 

[Dave M7040]

After looking at an online spec and picture of your tractor, the first idea is a V belt breaking.

I don't know your machine but most built with the engine at the front and the HST at the rear powering the rear wheels, get the power to the HST by way of a V belt from the engine to the HST at the back end of the tractor

I have recently looked into V belt routing on a diesel Kubota of similar layout. The HST had its belt and the mower deck had one. The other hydraulics take their pressure supply from the HST unit so if a belt broke then nothing works.

Kubota belts are expensive like $100 to $150 in some cases but I think your fears of a more major failure are unlikely to be realized

Dave M7040

 

[Snakebit12]

Kubota belts are expensive like $100 to $150 in some cases but I think your fears of a more major failure are unlikely to be realized

Dave M7040

I hope that you are right!

 

[lakeside]

I hope that you are right!

Many parts carrying an OEM P/N aren't made by the OEM but are commercial parts re-branded and marked up. It really makes no economic sense for an OEM to design a belt or cylinder from the ground up when equivalent parts are available from third parties. Most folks won't go to the trouble of doing research to try and find a suitable substitute so the OEM more or less has a locked in clientele. There may be some parts that you really don't want to experiment with but a replacement belt usually isn't one of them.

If it is the belt you should be able to do some research to find a suitable substitute. The most important specs are width and length. Just remember, belts stretch over time and if you just measure the old belt you'll likely buy a new one that's too long.

I bought a chipper years back and, through my own fault, burned through the drive belt. The OEM wanted something like $180 for a new belt. I found a perfect replacement for $35 and which has kept on ticking now for a few years of use.

 

[Dave M7040]

Snake.......

Plse lets us know the outcome.

Further to Lakeside's post, my advice is to look for an alternative to the OEM belt when you have a new OEM belt in your hand rather than a torn up broken belt.

Another critical issue with belts has to do with the internal cords. For highly stressed mower decks for example, the OEM belt will have a Kevlar internal cords.

I will use one of my mowers as an example. It is a 48" 3 blade from a Cub cadet. The deck belt that replaces the OEM is an AP103.

This style of identification, like AP103, is universal between all belt manufacturers. Gates, Carlisle or Dayton will each have an AP103 belt product. Each manufacturer will also have their own "in house," part number for identification. "A" defines the cross section of the belt. "P" is the designation for Kevlar internal cords of greater strength.

With the AP103 identifier, I can go on Ebay or Amazon and find it. Some for sale will be Gates, some Carlisle etc. The significance of the 103 is that it is the internal length of the belt, i.e. measuring the length of the belt when it is laid out flat around the the inside of the circle the belt makes.

From memory, the deck belt for a 72" LandPride finishing mower is a BP158. The internal measurement is 158".. If you measured around the outside of the belt the 158" would increase to 161".

So with a new OEM belt, first determine the dimensions of its cross section compared to info on line. This to determine if your belt is an A or a B.

Next lay your new OEM belt flat on a table and use a light rope to follow the inside of the belt in a circle. Why a rope. Steel tape measures dont do a good job of following a circular object. A cloth tape measure would but most of those at not long enough. Now lay the rope straight and measure its length. With the determination of the A or B and the inside length, you can find an alternative for almost all OEM belts.

Dave M7040

 

[Snakebit12]

Snake.......

Plse lets us know the outcome.

The dealer diagnosis is a broken drive shaft and yoke...$750. A slim chance that the pump has been damaged.

Yikes.

I figure the tractor is worth 1,500 - 1,700 (when working!) so it probably makes sense to repair.