Flail mower problem

IslandTractor · May 26, 2010

gtrippleb said:
This seem to have worked. I didn't think they were that loose but after tighting them, the mower is back to working properly. It looks it might be time for some new belts as I tightened them and then mowed some and noticed it wasn't cutting very well again so I tightened them again. Once again it was cutting.

Is there a point that it can be to tight?

As I recall I have mine set for about half inch deflection with my thumb pushing hard. If your belts are still slipping then you pretty clearly have a ways to go with tension unless they have oil or glaze on them. I got good quality US made replacements for about $17 each or something like that so it's not a bad idea to just get new ones and keep the old ones as emergency spares.

fixit · May 26, 2010

Have a look at the pulley the belts drive on the sides so if they are at the bottom of the groove they are shot and no amount of tensioning will make them grip :thumbsup:

greg_g · May 26, 2010

gtrippleb said:
Is there a point that it can be to tight?

When they break, you'll know you've reached that point. My cheap V-belts ($6/ea) stretch like crazy. I'm just using them as a temporary measure until I can find the proper (manufacturer specified) belt. It's supposed to be a banded belt (two belts molded together), but I'm using a pair of V-belts as a stopgap. And they suck, but at least I'm still mowing while I track down the proper drive belt

//greg//

IslandTractor · May 26, 2010

greg_g said:
My cheap V-belts ($6/ea) stretch like crazy. I'm just using them as a temporary measure until I can find the proper (manufacturer specified) belt. It's supposed to be a banded belt (two belts molded together), but I'm using a pair of V-belts as a stopgap. And they suck, but at least I'm still mowing while I track down the proper drive belt

//greg//

I replaced my stock belts with US made belts from ?Colorado based major belt manufacturer (blanking on the name). It is possible to use banded belts (three across in my case) but the banded belts are quite a bit extra as I recall and typically not found in places like NAPA. I agree the banded ones are probably best but single high quality belts work fine too.

Dead Horse · May 26, 2010

If you over grease the rotor and some gets slung onto the belts you will get the kind of performance you are talking about. The grease will ruin the belts too, especially if they are cheap belts.

Belts are cheaper than bearings, though!

My Seppi has 5 belts. It cut ok with two good ones and a bad one remaining, before I bought a new set.

sodamo · May 27, 2010

gtrippleb

I have a VL manual in pdf format. If you'd like a copy, PM me your email.

David

gtrippleb · May 29, 2010

So far so good with the tighting of the belts.

My plan was to pick up some new ones this weekend from an industrial supplier but didn't make it there before they closed at noon today. I'm sure I could get the belts at TSC, Advance, Autozone, ASC, or NAPA, but figured they would be of better quality if I got them from one of the local industrial suppliers.

I assume that the previous owner didn't change them but I could be wrong. The numbers on the belts are still readable so he might have. If I google the numbers on the belt, most of the results looked to be an A/C belt for a few car models.

gtrippleb · Jul 30, 2010

So it's been 2 months since I changed the belts. I've used it a handful of times since I've changed them the latest being about two weeks ago to mow some of the lawn and the side of the road.

I go out last night to do some mowing and it works for about 5-10 minutes and then it starts to feel like it's free-wheeling as my pto is about at the 540 rpm speed but by my grass isn't being cut. So I turn the pto off and go check the belts thinking that maybe they've started to stretch or something.

When I take the side cover off, I notice that the bearing that slides on the the lower shaft that the bottom pulley fits on, has somehow come out of the pulley. My thought was maybe the belts didn't have enough tention on the pulley or something as I'm not sure how that bearing actually stays on the shaft. What I am calling a bearing has 4 or 5 screws in it with what looks like a flat washer sandwiched between two 1/2 inch think pieces of 2 inch in diameter metal. There's maybe a 1/4 inch or so of space that I can see the threads on the screws. I assume that the screws some how clamp/regulate the pressure of the bearing on the shaft?

So I loosen everything up and put the bearing back on, put the pulley back on along with the belts and tighten everything back up. I'm thinking I've fixed it so I go try and mow again. I turn the pto on and I notice that it feels like it usually does when it's working correctly. Once again after about 5-10 minutes, it feels like it's free-wheeling again. So I shut the pto off. Get off the tractor and take a look. Sure enough, the bearing has come out of the pulley again.

Sorry I don't have any pictures of what I'm talking about but I'm sure someone has an idea. It was to late to get some pictures when I parked the tractor and used the lawnmower to finish mowing.

I was surprised when I first looked at the pulleys after I bought it and didn't really notice any set screws or keys that I've seen on other shaft/pulley combinations.

So if anyone has any ideas on what I can do/need to do to stop this bearing, or whatever it's called, from coming out of the pulley it would be greatly appreciated.

IslandTractor · Jul 30, 2010

Gotta get some pictures posted. Yours is not one of the common flail mowers so I doubt people will be able to help without a series of photos to orient them.