BX2200 MMM Deck Noise

[JWR]

I have one RCK60B-22BX deck on my own BX2200 and another on my daughter's machine. The daughter's machine was treated rough by a previous owner but in good operating condition since I acquired it for her in late 2014. Her deck is noticeably much more noisy than mine. I'd call it a "rumble" more noticeable on the right side than on the left. I have:

• Lubed the three shafts well and recently
• cleaned out any/all debris
• tightened up the tin lids over the left and right pulley areas.
• adjusted linkage
• tightened up & reinstalled the center blade that got loose last season
• ran it mowing (myself) for 45 min twice recently
• grabbed the blade and tried to wiggle it from the vertical. No play or looseness found.
• when bought 8 yrs ago from a dealer, they had replaced one of the mower deck spindles and the belt. It has had routine single family use since then

So I am puzzled at the much greater noise level on hers. Looking at it from the side at full rpm the dual belt is flapping in and out like crazy and at first glance one would say that is what is making the noise -- except that LOOKS the same on both machines. I find the belt tension spring to be tight and stiff but that is just by hand feel. The two belts on the two tractors feel equal just to tug at them.

Anyone have an idea as what may make this excessive noise ? Why it would be so much different between two same-model-same-number decks?

What should I check next ?

 

[seville009]

If it's convenient, swap decks between each machine and see what happens with the noise. That will at least make certain that the deck itself is the cause or not. You never know.....

 

[JWR]

If it's convenient, swap decks between each machine and see what happens with the noise. That will at least make certain that the deck itself is the cause or not. You never know.....

Good point. That's not easy to do (involves trailering between locations and at my Yuk, age, is no longer as easy as it once was. ) Still not impossible if I fail to get to the bottom of it. True "you never know," but I have not been able to visualize the tractor causing the noise since both machines sound about the same when the deck is not running. Will keep it mind though.

 

[seville009]

Another possibility is a spindle or pulley bearing going bad, even though you've made sure it was greased.

The belts can also wear/stretch. Maybe swap just the belts between the decks to see if anything changes.

In the end, if it were me, I wouldn't worry about the noise. If it is a spindle bearing going bad, I would just use it until it (the spindle) breaks. I say that because it's a royal pain to get spindles off, so it's not easy to swap them around for testing purposes.

You've checked everything pretty thoroughly, and there's nothing obvious, so it seems safe to use.


I wear the ear coverings (like headphones) when I mow; that's the best way to fix the noise.....

 

[Eagle1]

Out balance or bent blade can make some bad noises as well. So does fishing line or other stuff wrapped around spindle not always an easy one to see.

 

[UncleScrooge]

Are the blades identical on both decks or does one have stock Kubota blades and the other mulching or aftermarket blades?

 

[dodge man]

When I had a BX I noticed at certain rpm’s the belt would really vibrate. If running at or near full throttle is smoothed out.

 

[Fxfymn413]

I replaced the stock Kubota blades with Oregon brand blades this year and immediately noticed how much quieter they are. Might be worth a try.

 

[JWR]

Are the blades identical on both decks or does one have stock Kubota blades and the other mulching or aftermarket blades?

I did put new blades (Kubota dealer supplied) on the quiet one last season. The noisy one has not had new ones in the 8yrs we've owned it. The dealer put them on when we bought it back then. The blades on the noisy one look the same and not bent or beat up. Good idea worth doing though is to try a new set of blades on it.

 

[BravoXray]

I would check the blades for balance, and it would be a pain, but remove the mower deck belt and spin the blades to check for noisy spindle and idler pulley bearings. Bearings can be tight, but still have rough races that can make a lot of noise. While the belt is off, engage the PTO and see if the drive shaft or gearbox is making any noise.