KK RFM - not sure how it's posed to work

Trey · May 4, 2005

KK RFM - not sure how it\'s posed to work

I have what I believe it a KK 5' RFM. The deck is grey so I believe the unit is a bit older. I haven't been able to find any model numbers on the unit. Problem I have is that when hooked up, the blades spin in clockwise direction - which is opposite direction the blades need to spin to cut.

Something else odd - looking at pics of new mowers on kingkutter.com - the "pointed" side of the deck faces the rear (away from tractor). The way my unit is mounted, the pointed section faces toward the tractor. All the welds on the mower look factory so I dont believe that it has been modified. However, I do wonder if the unit has been disassembled and put back together wrong. But, I can't determine how the unit could be reassembled such that the blades, frame and deck would match up and have the blades spin in the proper cutting direction.

At first I thought that the belt could be rerun such that the blade direction could be reversed. I dont see that possible without doing some crazy belt twisting - which just doesnt make sense.

The unit has 3 blades, one flat-sided idler pulley and one flat-sided belt tensioning pulley.

Are the blades supposed to spin clockwise or counter clockwise? I found KK blades at TSC, but they're designed to spin counter clockwise - just like the ones on my mower.

What am I missing? If I posted a picture of the mower it might help clarify.

Any help is appreciated.

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gamble77 · May 4, 2005

Re: KK RFM - not sure how it\'s posed to work

We sell them...if you could post a picture that would help me better understand what you are explaining.

_RaT_ · May 5, 2005

Re: KK RFM - not sure how it\'s posed to work

I had a Woods 80" offset mower that had the blades on backwards. I noticed it after hitting several boulders and seeing no damage what so ever to the cutting tip that they were on backwards.

RoyJackson · May 5, 2005

Re: KK RFM - not sure how it\'s posed to work

I'd like to see a picture of this mower. Your description sounds like the mower was set up for front PTO operation....but that's strictly a guess.

Partsman2 · May 5, 2005

Re: KK RFM - not sure how it\'s posed to work

Your blades aren't mounted upside down by any chance are they?

Which side is the discharge on, the left or right? Right side being standard I would think would use clockwise blade rotation.

I have an older Woods RM306 that is a mulcher or can be set up for side discharge. The discharge is on the left but I can't remember which way the blades turn. The belt does make 2 complete twists in the threading which can be tricky to get right. I always have to follow the manual to the T to get the belt back on it.

PineRidge · May 5, 2005

Re: KK RFM - not sure how it\'s posed to work

If your deck is similar to our picture it may give you an idea of how they were put together from the KK factory.

Trey · May 5, 2005

Re: KK RFM - not sure how it\'s posed to work

I am not familar with front PTO operation. The PTO turns clockwise on my 8N - which I assume is standard. That turns the gearbox and the main pulley clockwise as well (as viewed from the top side). In turn all the blades are running clockwise.

Bear with me - I think I figured out some stuff yesterday evening that might lead to a solution.

This unit doesn't have a discharge chute, so I presume that means it's a rear discharge. If that's the case, does that mean that the blades should be installed such that the "lifting" section of the blade faces downward (as opposed to standard mower blades that are installed such that when the grass is cut, then the grass is lifted so that it can be discharged)? This made sense to me and I thought that flipping the blades over was going to resolve my problem, but then I remembered something else...

The blades are held on by left -handed threaded bolts (tighten by turning left rather than right). I don't know if this is standard for these mowers. If the bolt is tightened by turning it left (loosened by turning right as viewed from the underside of the mower) and the blade is spinning right (clockwise as viewed from the topside), when the blade tries to turn back left (resistance when cutting), it's going to back the bolt out and cause the blade to fall off. This is actually happening - when mowing (the little i've done with this mower) the blades just fall off. This makes me think that the blades need to somehow spin counter clockwise.

I know this is confusing to try to understand through writing, so I dont blame all of you for passing on, but I sure could use some suggestions - I.E - what direction do your blades spin? Are the blades mounted such that the grass is lifted or pushed down when cutting? Do you have left handed bolts holding the blades on? I'll try to get a good pic to post to help clarify.

At this point I'm about convinced that the blades need to spin counter clockwise (while the main pulley is spinning clockwise) because of the left-handed threaded bolts. If I can figure out how to run the belt to make that happen then I believe everything will fall in place.

Thanks to anyone who is patient enough to try to understand this and offer any info.

Trey Monson
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_RaT_ · May 5, 2005

Re: KK RFM - not sure how it\'s posed to work

The bent up edge goes on top for sure. Some manufactuers like mine offer various lift blades depending on what your cutting and soil conditions. I believe from memory that if I stand on the mower deck looking forward towards the tractor, my blades would spin clockwise.

Trey · May 5, 2005

Re: KK RFM - not sure how it\'s posed to work

Is it possible to modify the gearbox such that I can reverse the direction of the output pulley? I had the gearbox apart yesterday eve but dont recall if the gear on the input shaft could be flipped around such that the smaller gear / main drive pulley could be reversed in direction. If that is possible then my problem is solved.

Thanks,
Trey

PineRidge · May 5, 2005

Re: KK RFM - not sure how it\'s posed to work

Trey if your gearbox looks like mine it's pretty straightforward. Not sure how or if you could reverse the output rotation. (see diagram)