F mower squeaking?

[Dan W]

Can't say I am a fan of squeaks and rattles either. I have to hunt them down but in general I try and lube all contact points, linkages etc regularly .
Using the appropriate lube can help but on most of the misc metal to metal I think and I prefer to use a light lube like INOX or Lanox which is pretty common here in Australia but WD40 should be OK too. I just avoid having anything to sticky that will attract dirt, dust and grit so that it doesn't turn into a grinding paste.
I do have a bit of a clattering sound when the cutting deck is engaged though, still yet to track it down, just hope it is not in the transmission.

John,
I know what you mean about the oil attracting dirt and forming a lapping compound... its always a concern to me as well... so a washing after usage is highly recommended ...

Regarding those clanking sounds, I have also noticed metallic noises during high rev deck operation. I disconnected the driveshaft one time and engaged the PTO, there was no sound at all at that point... there are so many moving parts to consider on these decks, sounds are hard to pin down... so another good reason to lube-up as many metal to metal parts as you can I suppose...

Dan

 

[johncar]

OK Dan, I was lucky enough to have a neighbour with an F3690 but the same deck as mine so I talked him into a temporary swap of deck to hear the effect and yes rattle was gone. Interestingly the rattle seems to be coming from under the centre of the machine, like between the engine and the transmission or in the transmission itself and when we swapped decks his had the same rattle in the same place. Not from the front area as you would expect.

Anyway after a bit of swapping various components we narrowed it down to the mower drive shaft. Mine had a slight wobble in it and his ran dead true. I thought initially that the shaft may be slightly bent so I have a lathe, Vee blocks and dial indicator etc so I ran some tests on it and it was pretty straight, within .01mm so not enough to worry it but I even straightened out so it is dead true now. Anyway the wobbles are still there so on closer inspection I could see that the universal joints had a bit of end play and one cap was pressed in further than the opposite side which would be either wear or dodgy installation, so at least I know what it is and not up for a whole shaft at this stage which is about $750AU. The Uni's are pricey though but it will be good to get rid of that rattle and it can't be good for the drive train. Needs a new belt too so there goes a few bucks..

 

[Pete6114]

OK Dan, I was lucky enough to have a neighbour with an F3690 but the same deck as mine so I talked him into a temporary swap of deck to hear the effect and yes rattle was gone. Interestingly the rattle seems to be coming from under the centre of the machine, like between the engine and the transmission or in the transmission itself and when we swapped decks his had the same rattle in the same place. Not from the front area as you would expect.

Anyway after a bit of swapping various components we narrowed it down to the mower drive shaft. Mine had a slight wobble in it and his ran dead true. I thought initially that the shaft may be slightly bent so I have a lathe, Vee blocks and dial indicator etc so I ran some tests on it and it was pretty straight, within .01mm so not enough to worry it but I even straightened out so it is dead true now. Anyway the wobbles are still there so on closer inspection I could see that the universal joints had a bit of end play and one cap was pressed in further than the opposite side which would be either wear or dodgy installation, so at least I know what it is and not up for a whole shaft at this stage which is about $750AU. The Uni's are pricey though but it will be good to get rid of that rattle and it can't be good for the drive train. Needs a new belt too so there goes a few bucks..

Just wondering if you disconnect the drive shaft or leave it connected when you tilt the deck up for cleaning?

 

[Dan W]

OK Dan, I was lucky enough to have a neighbour with an F3690 but the same deck as mine so I talked him into a temporary swap of deck to hear the effect and yes rattle was gone. Interestingly the rattle seems to be coming from under the centre of the machine, like between the engine and the transmission or in the transmission itself and when we swapped decks his had the same rattle in the same place. Not from the front area as you would expect.

Anyway after a bit of swapping various components we narrowed it down to the mower drive shaft. Mine had a slight wobble in it and his ran dead true. I thought initially that the shaft may be slightly bent so I have a lathe, Vee blocks and dial indicator etc so I ran some tests on it and it was pretty straight, within .01mm so not enough to worry it but I even straightened out so it is dead true now. Anyway the wobbles are still there so on closer inspection I could see that the universal joints had a bit of end play and one cap was pressed in further than the opposite side which would be either wear or dodgy installation, so at least I know what it is and not up for a whole shaft at this stage which is about $750AU. The Uni's are pricey though but it will be good to get rid of that rattle and it can't be good for the drive train. Needs a new belt too so there goes a few bucks..

Good detective work John and thanks for the follow-up on this issue.

Dan

 

[johncar]

Just wondering if you disconnect the drive shaft or leave it connected when you tilt the deck up for cleaning?

Yes Pete6114,
I not only disconnect it, but remove it completely and make sure it is out of harms way. But I bought this machine second hand (ex govt machine) so one can imagine how it was looked after there, maybe good or bad?? Anyway it is the problem when one can't afford the $$$$$ for a new one.
Just have to work through the issues and hope there is nothing major.
The local dealer spare parts guy warned me when I first bought the machine to take good care of the drive shaft, in particular the quick release coupling being about $480AU if you break it!!

Although my F3680 wasn't beat up badly and in pretty good cosmetic condition, It doesn't appear to have been regularly greased and serviced so my guess is hence the worn uni's.

 

[Pete6114]

Yes Pete6114,
I not only disconnect it, but remove it completely and make sure it is out of harms way. But I bought this machine second hand (ex govt machine) so one can imagine how it was looked after there, maybe good or bad?? Anyway it is the problem when one can't afford the $$$$$ for a new one.
Just have to work through the issues and hope there is nothing major.
The local dealer spare parts guy warned me when I first bought the machine to take good care of the drive shaft, in particular the quick release coupling being about $480AU if you break it!!

Although my F3680 wasn't beat up badly and in pretty good cosmetic condition, It doesn't appear to have been regularly greased and serviced so my guess is hence the worn uni's.

Sounds like they wouldn't likely have bothered removing the shaft before tilting the deck up. Things definitely cost to much, to not follow the manuals instructions.

 

[Sigarms]

Am I the only one who missed the oiling part (per this thread topic) in the owners manual?

 

[jcummins]

Am I the only one who missed the oiling part (per this thread topic) in the owners manual?

Nope.

 

[Pete6114]

Am I the only one who missed the oiling part (per this thread topic) in the owners manual?

Drive shafts require greasing and pertains to the thread topic. I also grease the pins and wheels. Those decks aren't cheap and not maintaining them is foolish.

 

[Sigarms]

Drive shafts require greasing and pertains to the thread topic. I also grease the pins and wheels. Those decks aren't cheap and not maintaining them is foolish.

Greasing the drive shaft is on the maintence table in my owners manual on page 28, as well as oiling the seat adjuster and throttle cable. I can read that. What I'm asking is where I missed oiling all the other parts, and where in the manual?

I figured it was common sense, just thought they would of mentioned it in the manual. I can be kind of cheap. When I spent what I did on this mower, I get **** retentive about the owners manual because I figured the manufacturer would have you covered.

I've been know to do stupid things, that's why I'm asking if common sense would prevail in my line of thinking.

 

[johncar]

Greasing the drive shaft is on the maintence table in my owners manual on page 28, as well as oiling the seat adjuster and throttle cable. I can read that. What I'm asking is where I missed oiling all the other parts, and where in the manual?

I figured it was common sense, just thought they would of mentioned it in the manual. I can be kind of cheap. When I spent what I did on this mower, I get **** retentive about the owners manual because I figured the manufacturer would have you covered.

I've been know to do stupid things, that's why I'm asking if common sense would prevail in my line of thinking.

Yes I agree with you and I haven't seen it in the owners manual and maintenance schedule either to specifically lubricate every contact point, linkages etc. I think that the original poster was possibly generalising and had thought that they saw it in their book.
I figure that the maintenance schedule in most owners manuals is the bare minimum essential maintenance so that the machine gets through the warranty period without any major problems for the dealer, importer or manufacturer.
But as an owner you can do a lot to ensure that your machine gives you much longer trouble free life. I am pretty fussy when servicing and performing any repairs or service work. Every bolt, nut fitting is treated with some type of grease or antiseize, every linkage, moving parts, clamps etc lubricated . Anything that will make things work better, last longer is worth doing.
Another big part is keeping the machine clean and dry from moisture and areas of damp or wet debris.

All machines are far from perfect and there is a lot obsolescence engineered into the product, which can either be to ensure a healthy demand for parts or future new machines to replace the worn out. So if you are the government or a wealthy person and happy to get a new one every couple of years I suppose it doesn't matter, but for me it is to make it as well maintained as practical and economical to do so.