roadkillinct 58 #1 Posted July 18, 2022 (edited) Thought I would share my latest project. Just finished restoring this RM-323. I've worked on a lot of mowers over the years but have never seen anything like this. If any of you are not familiar with this deck as you can see the blades are gear driven and turn in opposite directions also the curved pieces on the sides come off and are mounted upside down on top of the deck. The front moves up and down you can move it up if the grass is tall and heavy. If anyone has one that has the front guard I would like to see a picture as someone along the way made the one that I have . The wheel is off my 854. Edited July 18, 2022 by roadkillinct added picture 3 9 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,296 #2 Posted July 18, 2022 Looks great for an old "suitcase" deck. If you have not already, download the attached manual for the deck. It has a picture of the missing front guard. You need to reposition your 2 drive belts to the middle and inner most pulleys - the outer is for the PTO belt. Bill Mower Rotary 32in RD 1963 RM-323 #A-7137.pdf 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,296 #3 Posted July 19, 2022 (edited) Another tip - use a good anti-sling grease like Lucas Green X-tra Heavy Duty on the gears and spindles - regular grease flies off the gears, makes a mess, and leaves the gear teeth "dry" ask @peter lena - he can add more to the subject... he is another local CT homeboy... Edited July 19, 2022 by ri702bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peter lena 8,589 #4 Posted July 19, 2022 @ri702bill hello bill, was recently over to see a guy with a tractor related issue , glairing to me , though not the problem !, was the rust coming out of every related movement point / joint , cable end, battery cable ends were fried / corroded , REALLY ? you know what i'm talking about . people want to spot fix things , while they are in a swamp of neglect . will have to get together sometime for a sts , pete 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,296 #5 Posted July 19, 2022 @peter lena, yup, it never ceases to amaze me with the folks that should know better, how they abuse their equipment without knowing it. I recently spoke to the Landscaper that maintains the property next to mine. I asked if he did his own maintainence on his equipment. He said he did not and that was why he had TWO of everything on the truck so that one could be dropped off for service.... I would have thought he have taken a more hands-on approach - landscaping must pay darn well to allow him to do so. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,296 #6 Posted July 19, 2022 (edited) 18 hours ago, roadkillinct said: The wheel is off my 854 Nice work - a fresh AG tire on a properly painted rim... A side note - the driven gear on top of the spindle is reversable top to bottom so you can get a second unused portion of teeth if need be. The drive gears can be switched from side to side to engage the driven gears on the other side of the tooth profile... Edited July 19, 2022 by ri702bill 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peter lena 8,589 #7 Posted July 19, 2022 @ri702bill thinking about those fresh ag tires being pushed into the ground , would need all the mechanical help you could get . if he had a regular rib tire / wheel swap .might help , round and round , pete 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 8,296 #8 Posted July 19, 2022 30 minutes ago, peter lena said: @ri702bill thinking about those fresh ag tires being pushed into the ground , would need all the mechanical help you could get . if he had a regular rib tire / wheel swap .might help , round and round , pete I tend to differ - a lot depends on the width of the tire, air pressure, and the weight of who is driving! I have a set of wide Tru-Power AG's - I like the agresive look and they do not tear up the grass.... and they are NOT worth a thing in the winter to plow with! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squonk 41,040 #9 Posted July 19, 2022 I have the same deck only 36" I front cover was missing on mine too. Had to make one. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peter lena 8,589 #10 Posted July 19, 2022 @roadkillinct sweet looking deck ! nice build , how does it sound? asking because of grease color , kind of a yellow / light green . only a suggestion , https://www.autozone.com/greases-and-gear-oil/lubricant-grease/p/lucas-oil-products-xtra-hd-grease-tube- darker green , polyurea ( recovering ) grease hi temp 560 deg , anti sling , really quiets things down , no whining bearing / gear noise . also use it in all my deck spindle bearings and mule drive bearings , also in pto drive cone needle bearing , no noise or failures . just a heads up , hope you find a picture or speck sheet on that front guard . greasy pete 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
roadkillinct 58 #11 Posted July 19, 2022 9 hours ago, ri702bill said: Nice work - a fresh AG tire on a properly painted rim... A side note - the driven gear on top of the spindle is reversable top to bottom so you can get a second unused portion of teeth if need be. The drive gears can be switched from side to side to engage the driven gears on the other side of the tooth profile... Hi Peter, I haven't run the deck yet time will tell what it sounds like. Wheel Horse did put out a service bulletin about the noise they changed the cross shaft gears, longer spindles and thicker thrust washers. I did replace all the bearings and thrust washers only thing I know for sure it will sound a lot better than what it did. That grease is marine grade I used it because it was in a squeeze tube made it easier for assembly. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
roadkillinct 58 #12 Posted July 19, 2022 7 hours ago, squonk said: I have the same deck only 36" I front cover was missing on mine too. Had to make one. Hi, I'm real happy with how the wheels look all sand blasted primed and antique white. I used plastic rim guards that are used for motorcycle wheels only had to do very little touch up. Really helps when you have the right tools. I have a good set of tire tools that that I used when I had Austin Healey with wire wheels didn't trust anyone else to mount the tires. The deck is going on a 854 which is going to look strange with nice tires, wheels and restored deck and the rest of the tractor looks like crap. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
roadkillinct 58 #13 Posted July 19, 2022 8 hours ago, ri702bill said: I tend to differ - a lot depends on the width of the tire, air pressure, and the weight of who is driving! I have a set of wide Tru-Power AG's - I like the agresive look and they do not tear up the grass.... and they are NOT worth a thing in the winter to plow with! Tell me about the AG tires in the snow. I have a 86 312-8 that I mow with the tires work great for that. I tried the AG's with a snowblower, they may be all right with a flat driveway which do not have. I was spending more time digging it out than moving the snow. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ineedanother 1,369 #14 Posted July 20, 2022 2 hours ago, roadkillinct said: The deck is going on a 854 which is going to look strange with nice tires, wheels and restored deck and the rest of the tractor looks like crap. uh oh! sounds like there's another project in the making!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handy Don 12,174 #15 Posted July 20, 2022 13 hours ago, ri702bill said: @peter lena, yup, it never ceases to amaze me with the folks that should know better, how they abuse their equipment without knowing it. I recently spoke to the Landscaper that maintains the property next to mine. I asked if he did his own maintainence on his equipment. He said he did not and that was why he had TWO of everything on the truck so that one could be dropped off for service.... I would have thought he have taken a more hands-on approach - landscaping must pay darn well to allow him to do so. He can earn more in the hours he'd spend doing maintenance that it'll cost to have it done plus he doesn't need a workspace. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
