loud mower deck on a b-80

[matt monte 132]

i brought a wheel horse back from the dead. sitting in elements for 5 plus years. replaced everything u would suspect would be bad for being idle outside for years. Got it running. impressed but not surprised. i sharpened blades and everything spun freely. Unfortunately deck is way to loud and deck belt shakes alot more than a 312-8 i have with similar 36in RD deck. any thoughts? assuming a spindle is worn out. i pulled inspection cover and noticed no zerk fitting. how do u lube? deck is surprisingly in excellent condition.zero rust. so weird! Lastly there is no grey area to clutch. everytime i come off pedal im pulling front wheels! Is this an adjustment? hoping both are easy fixes. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[oliver2-44 9,713]

The deck spindles usually had Zetks or I have seen Allen plugs in their place. Clean the top of the spindles and look if there are plugs, or threads, or the rusted/broken off remains grease zeros.  The spindles may be ok and the bearings just need grease or bearings need replacement. Maybe that’s why they parked it. 
 

There is a procedure to adjust the clutch in the manual.  Do a search in the Manuals Section for your model tractor. Also check your clutch spring. Is it possibly stretched out?

[Ed Kennell 38,048]

6 hours ago, matt monte said:

deck belt shakes

Check all the pulleys for debris wedged deep in the VEE.  I have found chunks of wood and small stones that cause the belt to vibrate.

Unbalanced blades can cause noise and vibration.

Some of my decks do not have grease fittings on the spindles.    They use sealed bearings.   Remove the deck belt and check for any up/down and side to side movement.

If they have play, they are worn out and need replaced. 

With the deck belt off, make sure the tensioner slides freely and is applying the correct tension to the deck belt.   

 

A rusty engine or transmission pulley or a worn belt can cause the belt to grab and cause the sudden engagement. 

I don't believe there is any adjustment for the clutch, only for the brake. 

Lube the brake/clutch pedal (it may have a grease zerk) and the cross shaft (oil the bushings) for smooth operation of the tensioner pulley.

Make sure the tensioner pulley bearing is good with no play.

 

 

[peter lena 8,589]

@matt monte  only a suggestion on the bearing issue , while you are right there , make sure you use a  hi temp grease , in those bearings , lucas green x-tra hd , has a 560 temp rating , stands up to heavy load stress , also do the pto mule drive bearings over , and pto drive bearings also , this lubrication clean out / conversion , completely  frees up deck drive function . done this on my decks , and related bearing trouble spots . this is only a suggestion , but you are right there in  , the replacement build stage , it works , pete

[8ntruck 6,993]

My 1973 vintage 42" deck has zerk fittings on the spindle housings on the blade side of the deck.

 

That is a nice 57 in the background.  Is that 6 cylinder trim on the trunk lid part of a 'sleeper' vibe on the car? 

[Moparfanforever 844]

Really noisy deck ,check the idler pulley, bearing probably bad.

 

My 36" RD deck has the cast belt pulleys and the two outside pulleys have zerks but the center pulley has a bolt where the zerk should be, sealed bearing I guess. 

[Moparfanforever 844]

Is your clutch spring the correct spring and in good shape??

 

I have a tractor with a wrong stretched out spring and it pulls wheelies like that. Probably may not hurt to buy a new spring, last time I looked they were like $12.00,but who knows with today's economy. 

[matt monte 132]

haha 57 is 350/4-speed, she goes. no zerk fittings however noticed a wobble in center drive pully that was horrible, no idea why. i pulled deck and retro fitted spare deck from my 312-8 for the B80. thought all attact o matic stuff was interchangable, not exactly the case as i found out. seemed to work. the b80 is only a backup to my 308-8. now that that is situated, i can now attach snowblower attachment i scored over summer to the 312-8. that way im ready and not screwing around mounting it in freezing weather the night before a storm only to find out there is an issue, thank you everyone for your quick responses.

[matt monte 132]

once i get snowblower sorted out ill circle back to deck for a nice winter project. totally worth saving, zero rust, its so odd since its been outdoors for years

[Ed Kennell 38,048]

15 hours ago, Moparfanforever said:

the center pulley has a bolt where the zerk should be

On my decks that have a zerk on the top of the center pulley, I replace the zerk with a bolt as the lift arm hits and damages the zerk.   I just replace the zerk when greasing spindles.