Rear Finish Mower Problem with Landpride RFM

homeinwestIL · Jul 13, 2011

I have a Landpride FDR 2572 rear finishing mower. My belt is either broken or loose, as the blades stopped turning. When I tried to get the cover off of the belt assembly, I find I'm not able to unscrew the knobs holding it on. One of them unscrews and comes off. The others (5 of them) I got to turn, but they just turn in place and don't unscrew off. Any ideas on how to get them off so I can fix the belt?

leonz · Jul 13, 2011

Sounds like the welds broke on the studs and they are spinning in the holes, ouch!!

it will be easy to solve once you find out of the stud welds are broken-

you can purchase allen bolts to replace the studs and use 2 nuts with every knob to secure the bolts using blue loctite to secure the nuts.

Use a nut and bolt secured with the loctite in each stud hole to reattach the cover knobs.:thumbsup:

ametcalf · Jul 14, 2011

I recently bought a used 2572 and had the same problem with the knobs. I found the knobs broke loose from the bolts they are attached to. I just destroyed the knobs. Once I got the knobs destroyed, I lifted off the belt guards off the bolts, soaked the bolts with penetrating oil and turned them out with a wrench. I need to get new knobs ordered but I haven't done it yet. Incidentally, I just took the blades off to sharpen them. They were on really tight so I wasn't sure it they were right or left handed threads. I used a long breaker bar on a 3/4" socket, wedged a short piece of 2x6 between the blade I was working on and the mower housing to keep the blade from turning and the bolts came right out. They are in fact right handed, normal threads.
ametcalf

homeinwestIL · Jul 14, 2011

Thanks for the ideas, guys. It wasn't the stud welds -- it was the stripped plastic knobs that weren't turning the bolt. I mangled one of the knobs enough to get it off and was able to take off the bolt with a wrench. Those plastic knobs seem awfully flimsy for an otherwise well made piece of equipment. I'm not sure it makes sense to buy more. I think I may just use a shorter bolt and big washer to hold the covers on. By the way, I found the blades on tight too when I changed them a few years ago and used the same method to get them off.