Mowing Broken mower lift link

[JWE]

Today I removed my mower for the winter and discovered that the Left rear lift link is broken. There is a flat oval shaped piece on the end of the pin and it snapped off. Has anyone heard of this happening? (60 inch MMM on a BX2200)

It is part 010 on the attached drawing.

 

[rbarker]

Today I removed my mower for the winter and discovered that the Left rear lift link is broken. There is a flat oval shaped piece on the end of the pin and it snapped off. Has anyone heard of this happening? (60 inch MMM on a BX2200)

Bummer! You are talking about the shoulder on the pin at the end of piece #010, right? Don't see much way of fixing that besides replacing the whole arm. Must have got some twisting force somehow.

I've been reading here for three years or so and don't remember anyone talking about this problem. Lucky you to be the first!

 

[RonR]

If I'm looking at the right part, did the part break at the weld? If so, and it didn't mangle itself, you might be able to just reweld it. Or if the unit is still under warranty, a call to the dealer might be in order.

Yours is the first report of breakage I've heard.

ron

 

[JWE]

Yes, it is part 010 and it did break at the weld. My cousin is an expert welder so I may have him take a look at it. The part that broke off is so small that it may be hard to re-weld.

The tractor is not under warranty but I will call the dealer and get a price on a replacement.

John

 

[Dusty]

If the dealer wants to treat you well, he can warranty the part, if the weld broke. Some factory defects show up sooner than later, and in your case it was later. It isn't like the part wore out or was damaged by accident. Ask if they will warranty it, the worse that can happen is they say no. The best, you get the part for free.
Dusty

 

[JWE]

Dusty

It looks to me that the weld broke but there is no indication of a poor weld. No discoloration where the weld broke.

As far as the dealer covering the part under warranty, I doubt it. I had a hard time getting them to cover in warranty parts.

John

 

[Volfandt]

Just checked mine out, thats a pretty stout stub, it would have taken a VERY hard jam to break the weld. Would almost seem like a bad factory weld.

In checking mine out, that stub inserts through the bracket and is welded on the back side, is yours the same?

I've got three trains of thought here (I know that's dangerous )

1) If theres enough stub, clean/grind the stub and hole out/off of all the old weld, reinsert it then re-weld it.

2) Cleanout the hole in the bracket and go with a #5 nut & bolt setup to secure the lift link.

3) Order a whole new assembly.

I used to leave my MMM on when I was doing some serious digging (for under belly protection) but have since decided to always dismount the MMM and hook up my el-cheapo skidplate when digging , grubbing etc.
The MMM was never knocked around that much but it was enough to knock it out of plumb which effected my finish cut.
Anyways, good luck with the repair, good thing is you're not down for mow'n season
Volfandt

 

[JWE]

Those are good suggestions Volfandt. Tomorrow I will get a price on a new part. If the price is too high I will see what my cousin can do with it. He makes a living taking on difficult welding projects.

When I looked at the part closer, it almost looks like it was cast rather than welded.

I attached a photo of the part that broke.

John

 

[Volfandt]

Good pic! So it's broken at the tip. I don't know if that can be rewelded.
Wonder if you can just order the stub?
Also wonder if a #5 bolt welded in and the head ground down to resemble the stub would work?

I'm curious on what they want for the assembly.

Good luck
Volfandt

 

[JWE]

Volfandt

I think the shaft and tip are cast as one piece and then the shaft is welded to the plate.

If the tip is welded to the shaft, the weld joint is not visible.

The #5 bolt may be the best solution if I don't buy the part.

As you mentioned, I am fortunate that it broke when I was finished mowing for the season.

John