Slow blade rotation

[chobeegators 5]

Hello. I have a 417-8 and when I engage the blades and start mowing they start to slow way down. Sometimes when I engage them I can tell they aren't spinning fast enough and can disengage then re-engage and they work but not always. Last week I patched a vouple of holes on the deck and mowed almost the whole yard and it was the best it's run for me, but I stopped to move stuff out of the way and when I re-engaged the blades went back to rotating to slow. Any help would be greatly appreciated.  

[daveoman1966 3,745]

Couple things:  (1) when you patched holes, did you clear the debris from the spring-loaded TENSION pulley?  It MUST be able to float free to keep tension on all three pulleys. (2) Mule drive belt tension correct?..it should deflect 1/2-3/4" midway of the engine & front mule drive  (3) PTO clutch at engine slipping?  There is a tension adjustment on the threaded end of the PTO engagement lever/rod.

 

 

[peter lena 8,587]

@chobeegators , have any pictures of your unit? agree with daveoman , above on spot checking your entire deck set up , sounds like a combination of issues, those decks typically spin up with little effort , and your 417-8 should be a grass cutting fool . deck pictures , belt pictures , how does the bottom side look ?  thank you for any added views of your issue , pete

[chobeegators 5]

I'll get pics up when I get home. Also fhis problem existed before I packed the deck. 

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,033]

Your pto clutch may be slipping. Ever had it off to see how thick the friction material is?

When you apply the pto the linkage goes over center and then the handle almost snaps down to it's resting place. To tighten it move the trunnion closer to the pto handle about 2 turns and try it again.

 

Garry

[chobeegators 5]

Here are some pictures. Not sure if this is what you were wanting. 

Edited May 31, 2021 by chobeegators
Forgot to add photos

[chobeegators 5]

I turned it 2 times same  so I turned 1 more turn and got sparks

[daveoman1966 3,745]

You could start by getting an OEM deck spindle drive belt.  The one you have is SHOT...I can see that it has rolled-over and THAT ALONE may be your whole problem.

 

[chobeegators 5]

21 hours ago, daveoman1966 said:

You could start by getting an OEM deck spindle drive belt.  The one you have is SHOT...I can see that it has rolled-over and THAT ALONE may be your whole problem.

 

I put on a new deck spindle drive belt, and still same issue.  Do you think it could be the PTO belt? Also the bell that has the drive belt and pto belt is getting hot. 

[OutdoorEnvy 1,522]

On 5/31/2021 at 3:36 PM, chobeegators said:

Here are some pictures. Not sure if this is what you were wanting. 

 

 

 

Is that belt on right?  looks like it may be on backwards maybe?  Can't tell but it should be flat on the outside you can see.  The V part should be inside the pulley. 

[chobeegators 5]

36 minutes ago, OutdoorEnvy said:

 

Is that belt on right?  looks like it may be on backwards maybe?  Can't tell but it should be flat on the outside you can see.  The V part should be inside the pulley. 

This is the one I just replaced. It had rolled over on itself. 

[Jeff-C175 7,199]

@chobeegators

 

Your PTO clutch material looks very thin in the photo and if it's getting very hot it's probably slipping.  But you've also got a problem with the deck belt apparently.

 

Note the thickness of your friction material, not much left of it.  Probably been riding the rivets for a LONG time.

 

 

 

Here's the new one that I just installed.  Friction material is thicker than the backing plate:

 

 

This is the one that came out,  note that it is not quite, but durn near down to the rivets, and it's STILL a LOT thicker than yours!

 

 

It's real easy to pull the PTO bell to inspect it.  And, while you have it off, re-grease the the roller bearing with some Lucas "Red N Tacky" grease.  You only need a little bit, don't overdo it.

 

 

Edited June 2, 2021 by Jeff-C175

[Tuneup 1,433]

You should be able to add tension to the drive belt by adjusting the mule drive knob at the front of the tractor. If that doesn't solve it, you can increase the tension on the PTO 'bell' by adjusting the trunnion clockwise a few turns as was suggested above. As Jeff suggested, the bell friction plate might be worn.

[tunahead72 2,411]

22 hours ago, Jeff-C175 said:

... It's real easy to pull the PTO bell to inspect it....

 

That's a real nice post Jeff, great photos!

 

@chobeegators You should be aware the PTO bell is fairly heavy, be careful when you remove it, don't want any crushed toes.

 

[chobeegators 5]

23 hours ago, Jeff-C175 said:

@chobeegators

 

Your PTO clutch material looks very thin in the photo and if it's getting very hot it's probably slipping.  But you've also got a problem with the deck belt apparently.

 

Note the thickness of your friction material, not much left of it.  Probably been riding the rivets for a LONG time.

 

 

 

Here's the new one that I just installed.  Friction material is thicker than the backing plate:

 

 

This is the one that came out,  note that it is not quite, but durn near down to the rivets, and it's STILL a LOT thicker than yours!

 

 

It's real easy to pull the PTO bell to inspect it.  And, while you have it off, re-grease the the roller bearing with some Lucas "Red N Tacky" grease.  You only need a little bit, don't overdo it.

 

 

Thank you for the pictures, that helped me out a lot. Going to start looking for new friction material tomorrow.  

[Jeff-C175 7,199]

1 minute ago, chobeegators said:

Going to start looking for new friction material

 

Best bet is Brian a K & B Horse Parts, a vendor here.  He sells high quality NEW manufactured replacements.

 

@76c12091520h

[chobeegators 5]

Well I got my clutch plate today and now I'm back to cutting grass again. Thanks everyone with the info and guiding me to the right place for the replacement part. 

[Handy Don 12,167]

Great to hear it's working for you.