1981 Troybilt Horse....

   / 1981 Troybilt Horse.... #1  

jaken

New member
Joined
Apr 18, 2013
Messages
14
Location
Remington, VA
Tractor
Kubota B7510, Ferguson TO30, Troybilt Horse
With a Kohler engine. No matter what I do with the "belt engagement lever block" for lack of a better name, it jumps out. The block looks almost new but the detent wheel has some wear and pitting. I am at a total loss....real pain in the back! hehehe. I can get it ajusted where it will stay engaged but it take two men and a boy to disengage the lever at the end of the row. My lever gets bent with me trying to get the roller to come back over the block. Any ideas where to get a new wheel or other suggestions welcomed. Thanks
 
   / 1981 Troybilt Horse.... #2  
is the roller free? is the block right side up? Is the spring the correct one? Have you covered the entire roller (and block) with white grease?
 
   / 1981 Troybilt Horse....
  • Thread Starter
#3  
is the roller free? is the block right side up? Is the spring the correct one? Have you covered the entire roller (and block) with white grease?

The roller is free, The block is in the right way, I don't know if the spring is correct, and it is greased. To clarify, when I do get it engaged the roller is totally off the block below it. Kinda locks there with real force required to pull it back up.
 
   / 1981 Troybilt Horse.... #5  
It's been a couple of years since I worked on one, but I recall that the block had a slope on the bottom side (the side closest to the transmission). The roller should still be on the slope when the belt is tightened. Usually, if the belt is too loose, it will not drive, but slips when you engage it. If the roller is totally clear of the block, you need to move the block lower (there is a single bolt on the front of the block which locks it into place). If the block is really adjusted as far as it can go, then the problem may be a combination of belt too long and rusty or misadjusted rods that the engine assy slides up and down on. These are the two vertical rods about 7/8 dia which connect the engine mounting housing to the transmission assembly. They each have a locking bolt about half-way down. Those bolts need to not be tight against the rods, thus the locking nuts on the bolts. Try loosening them a bit and see if that helps.
 
   / 1981 Troybilt Horse....
  • Thread Starter
#6  
It is a brand new belt...the one specified for my model and serial number tiller. The motor assy. slides easily up and down and the belt engages if I push the handle down and hold it. I have adjusted the block up and down to every imaginable position and it still won't engage and stay engaged unless I hold it down. I have adjusted it to where the roller is on the bottom slope and it will lock there but it is almost impossible to disengage and I have actually bent the control rod at times pulling it up. That is what made me think the roller might be worn out.
 
   / 1981 Troybilt Horse.... #7  
Well, it might be, but probably not if it rolls freely. A lighter duty spring holding the roller onto the block would be what I would try next. I have also found that, sometimes, the adjustment up and down of the block by a very small increment makes quite a difference. I would start by moving the block so that the control lever jumps out of gear and then adjust little-by-little until it just catches. I, too, have bent the lever on mine. Had to reinforce it where it is joined to the machine.
 
   / 1981 Troybilt Horse.... #8  
I have the same problem, I have adjusted everything to spec, replaced the belts, replaced the roller, replaced the spring and nothing has solved the problem. I broke my garden up today and I resorted to taking a piece of pipe that would slip over the handle and welded a block of steel that weighs about 5lbs to it and I just slip it over the lever before I drop the tines. Works perfectly and when I'm ready to stop I can slip it off and hang it on the custom receiver that I made for it. Didn't take as much weight as I thought to hold it in gear, I experimented with some small dumbbells until I found the minimum amount of force that I needed to apply to hold it in gear.
 
   / 1981 Troybilt Horse.... #9  
I bought a couple tb's cheep because of this problem!---brought them home and removed the blocks,-- re-built them and re-shaped the geometry to factory angles and they work good as new!---its a simple few mins. to fix! thanks; sonny580
 
   / 1981 Troybilt Horse.... #10  
Sounds like the belt is stretched. Replace it with one that is 1-2 sizes smaller.

If the adjustment block and roller are not worn, and the bushings in the shift mechanism are all in good shape, the factory belt should work perfectly. If any of those parts are worn you'll never get things right. A shorter belt is not the answer.
Tim
 
 
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