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More mower stuff and misc. ramblings
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More mower stuff and misc. ramblings
rsv1cox Fri Jun 26, 2020 3:10 pm
I save the zero-turn and use the old tractor style mower to do the woods and down by the pond. Rough stuff there. Rocks, branches, stumps.
Going along well, the mower just stopped moving. Motor running fine. Oh, oh.....transaxle or drive belt. Hoping for the belt. Got the ATV and pulled it back to the garage after pushing it about 30 yards up hill to a cleared area. Not the first time.
Removed the body pan and found Florida grass and sand everywhere. Cleaned it up and hosed it off.
[/url
[url=https://servimg.com/view/19152833/5911]
Jacked it up to get a better look. Belt a mess, at least 25 years old, frayed but intact. They did not intend for you to remove the thing nothing in the book about how to do it. A mixture of idler and drive pulleys, guides, springs, steering arms and electrical connections that had to be removed or disconnected. Ordered a new belt.
Thought while I have the mower deck off I would deal with the holes sandblasted over time with Florida sand. Doesn't happen here. Used JB Weld on the small hole, probably won't last - and steel sheet bolted in on the larger hole which will be filled in with JB on the outside. Might as well grease the spindles and replace the blades while I'm at it.
Going along well, the mower just stopped moving. Motor running fine. Oh, oh.....transaxle or drive belt. Hoping for the belt. Got the ATV and pulled it back to the garage after pushing it about 30 yards up hill to a cleared area. Not the first time.
Removed the body pan and found Florida grass and sand everywhere. Cleaned it up and hosed it off.
[/url[url=https://servimg.com/view/19152833/5911]
Jacked it up to get a better look. Belt a mess, at least 25 years old, frayed but intact. They did not intend for you to remove the thing nothing in the book about how to do it. A mixture of idler and drive pulleys, guides, springs, steering arms and electrical connections that had to be removed or disconnected. Ordered a new belt.
Thought while I have the mower deck off I would deal with the holes sandblasted over time with Florida sand. Doesn't happen here. Used JB Weld on the small hole, probably won't last - and steel sheet bolted in on the larger hole which will be filled in with JB on the outside. Might as well grease the spindles and replace the blades while I'm at it.
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Re: More mower stuff and misc. ramblings
dckrsn Fri Jun 26, 2020 3:26 pm
Glad it was "just a belt", Bob. 
A plumber once told me, sometimes you get a call
for a leaky faucet, and you wind up chasing problems
all the way to the curb cock.
Bob
A plumber once told me, sometimes you get a call
for a leaky faucet, and you wind up chasing problems
all the way to the curb cock.
Bob
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Re: More mower stuff and misc. ramblings
OhBee Fri Jun 26, 2020 9:34 pm
Nothing worse than riding mower repairs! And if it's green and yellow it''s worse than the worst! I won't touch them anymore!
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Re: More mower stuff and misc. ramblings
Oldenginerod Fri Jun 26, 2020 10:17 pm
Green & Yellow covers two models, and I don't like either. Main reason with both the JD and the Yardman is replacing the belts. Usually just takes a wayward stick to throw a belt off. When refitting there's just no simple way to do it. Removing rusted guides and pulley brackets ain't my idea of fun.
Our mower is a local made Greenfield, chosen not only for being Aus manufactured, but it runs a simple and reliable belt-only drive, with a single constant running drive belt that runs around two counter-rotating clutch pulleys under the seat. Heel and toe control, no gearbox and no hydrostatics. Just two cork friction discs which hardly ever give trouble.
Our mower is a local made Greenfield, chosen not only for being Aus manufactured, but it runs a simple and reliable belt-only drive, with a single constant running drive belt that runs around two counter-rotating clutch pulleys under the seat. Heel and toe control, no gearbox and no hydrostatics. Just two cork friction discs which hardly ever give trouble.
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Re: More mower stuff and misc. ramblings
Cribbs74 Fri Jun 26, 2020 11:01 pm
Well, it’s fixed now and sounds like some much needed maintenance was in order anyway. Nothing ventured nothing gained as they say.
I am surprised you don’t have a little MIG welder to close up those holes.
Ron
I am surprised you don’t have a little MIG welder to close up those holes.
Ron
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Re: More mower stuff and misc. ramblings
rsv1cox Sat Jun 27, 2020 10:00 am
Cribbs74 wrote:Well, it’s fixed now and sounds like some much needed maintenance was in order anyway. Nothing ventured nothing gained as they say.
I am surprised you don’t have a little MIG welder to close up those holes.
Ron
Got one Ron, (belongs to my son) but it works so poorly that I seldom use it.
Used it on the zero-turn mower to repair some cracks and a badly bent/broken hangar caused be me running into rocks and stumps. Dissatisfied, I brought it to the local welder who did a great job. Well spent $45.
Gotta say, never had a problem with either JD that wasn't caused by me. 14 hp Kawasaki on the LX-172, 18.5 hp B&S on the Z225 total of 35 years running both.
Pretty sure it was the belt Bob. Put it in neutral and spun the transaxle pulley with no problem. Put it in gear, spun the pulley and the wheels turned. And as Rod said, maybe a stick moved the belt off the pulley, I did remove a stick stuck up there after I got it in the garage.
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Re: More mower stuff and misc. ramblings
Oldenginerod Wed Jul 01, 2020 5:29 pm
While on "Mower" ramblings, I just got sent this link to a song our band did a few years back. It was actually a school project for Steve's nephew. I know it looks pretty "cheesy", but it was done in fun. (I'm the one with the not-so-grey beard).
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e0N6c08oHM4P0QEFO0d_SX34rI-0ejMI/view?usp=sharing
A word of explanation- Here in Aus this type of mower is simply referred to as a "ride-on". There was a competition running in the US by Briggs & Stratton where they were looking for the best song which contained the brand name. Steve must have had a little too much time on his hands to write this one.
No, we're not just a novelty band. Just that the only video we have of us is for the silly stuff.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e0N6c08oHM4P0QEFO0d_SX34rI-0ejMI/view?usp=sharing
A word of explanation- Here in Aus this type of mower is simply referred to as a "ride-on". There was a competition running in the US by Briggs & Stratton where they were looking for the best song which contained the brand name. Steve must have had a little too much time on his hands to write this one.
No, we're not just a novelty band. Just that the only video we have of us is for the silly stuff.
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Re: More mower stuff and misc. ramblings
Marleysky Wed Jul 01, 2020 10:22 pm
Rod, Thanks that was a fun video to watch, almost got to sing along! 
Who’s got a grey beard??
Who’s got a grey beard??
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Re: More mower stuff and misc. ramblings
Oldenginerod Thu Jul 02, 2020 4:38 am
Well that was filmed in '09, so my beard is a little greyer now, plus our greying guitarist Darryl no longer has a beard.Marleysky wrote:Rod, Thanks that was a fun video to watch, almost got to sing along!
Who’s got a grey beard??
As for my hair going grey, well there's not enough of that left to be worried about
The video probably has a few cultural references that some may find puzzling, although I'm sure mobility scooters are pretty much universal. Happy to field any questions to aleviate confusion.
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Re: More mower stuff and misc. ramblings
rsv1cox Thu Jul 02, 2020 7:06 am
Thanks for that video Rod, it brought a smile and a chuckle. Loved the ride alongs and the editing, song, and music were first rate.
We just call them riding lawn mowers here with sub-categories of Tractors and Zero-turns.
Got a lot done on my John Deere LX-172, 25 years old and a gift from my wife when we retired to Florida. Guess she wanted to ensure i kept the lawn mowed. Florida sand "sandblasted" holes in the mower deck that I repaired with JB Weld and bolted in steel plate. Took about 36 hours for the JB to dry rock hard. I used a rasp to shape it then sanded it down a bit and painted with primer and some Krylon yellow that I had on hand. Not a bad match.
Got the new traction (drive) belt in and replaced it, no easy job but it should be good for another 25. Testing flat out through the woods in fourth gear it held fine.
Got new blades coming so I haven't installed the deck yet. Chunks missing from the old blades (installed in '96) left me no choice. Imbalance issue.
Hood has major problems. $1300 to replace so it will have to do.
Good side/bad side.
High tech hood latch (wire tie) holds it on.
We just call them riding lawn mowers here with sub-categories of Tractors and Zero-turns.
Got a lot done on my John Deere LX-172, 25 years old and a gift from my wife when we retired to Florida. Guess she wanted to ensure i kept the lawn mowed. Florida sand "sandblasted" holes in the mower deck that I repaired with JB Weld and bolted in steel plate. Took about 36 hours for the JB to dry rock hard. I used a rasp to shape it then sanded it down a bit and painted with primer and some Krylon yellow that I had on hand. Not a bad match.
Got the new traction (drive) belt in and replaced it, no easy job but it should be good for another 25. Testing flat out through the woods in fourth gear it held fine.
Got new blades coming so I haven't installed the deck yet. Chunks missing from the old blades (installed in '96) left me no choice. Imbalance issue.
Hood has major problems. $1300 to replace so it will have to do.
Good side/bad side.
High tech hood latch (wire tie) holds it on.
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Re: More mower stuff and misc. ramblings
Marleysky Thu Jul 02, 2020 9:51 am
Hey BOb! Nice repair on the mower deck! Ya can fix alotta stuff with $1300 worth of JB Weld! I’d rivet or screw a patch of hardware cloth on the inside of that opening on the LH side of the hood then bondo or fiberglass over it, sorta like what you’ve done to the deck. I’ve used “Gator blades” on my rider. They’re a little thicker than the standard blades, but turn small twigs off the trees into compost! This year I have run over enough molehills it looks like the inside of the deck has been sandblasted! 
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Re: More mower stuff and misc. ramblings
rsv1cox Thu Jul 02, 2020 4:34 pm
I looked at those blades Rene but opted for the more traditional type. Probably should have got them as I use this mower on the rougher parts of my yard.
Got the new blades today. Powder coated John Deere Green, same price as most of the others.
I have tried to repair that hood. Poor design on the hinges where most of the troubles occur. Plastic holes and pivots don't last very long. But, I was never very careful with it either.
Got the new blades today. Powder coated John Deere Green, same price as most of the others.
I have tried to repair that hood. Poor design on the hinges where most of the troubles occur. Plastic holes and pivots don't last very long. But, I was never very careful with it either.
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Re: More mower stuff and misc. ramblings
Jason_WI Thu Jul 02, 2020 5:58 pm
Cracked plastic hoods are par for course for John Deere. Their farm tractors use plastic hoods and they crack too. But those cost $7-8k to replace plus a $500 decal set. John Deere is real proud of them at that cost. It got so bad an aftermarket company is making hoods at 2/3 the price.
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Re: More mower stuff and misc. ramblings
rsv1cox Thu Jul 02, 2020 6:19 pm
Jason_WI wrote:Cracked plastic hoods are par for course for John Deere. Their farm tractors use plastic hoods and they crack too. But those cost $7-8k to replace plus a $500 decal set. John Deere is real proud of them at that cost. It got so bad an aftermarket company is making hoods at 2/3 the price.
Yes, within the first five years the hoods pivots were toast. I repaired them by using backup metal across the cracks bolted in place, visible in the first picture above in front of the shed. A losing effort.
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Re: More mower stuff and misc. ramblings
rsv1cox Sat Jul 04, 2020 3:34 pm
Finished the John Deere but not without a hiccup.
Thought I got a whiff of overheated drive belt and checked. Sure enough I had a washer on the wrong side of the belt keeper keeping the spindle from spinning. The back of the belt riding on the stationary spindle would have worn a flat on it had I not caught it before I installed the mower. Washer rides on the inner race allowing the spindle to rotate.
Put the mower on and cut a perfect line in the lawn. New high lift blades work well.
26 years old but always garaged.
Thought I got a whiff of overheated drive belt and checked. Sure enough I had a washer on the wrong side of the belt keeper keeping the spindle from spinning. The back of the belt riding on the stationary spindle would have worn a flat on it had I not caught it before I installed the mower. Washer rides on the inner race allowing the spindle to rotate.
Put the mower on and cut a perfect line in the lawn. New high lift blades work well.
26 years old but always garaged.
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