48" deck issue with d-180

[jmack 35]

I've been fixing up my D-180 the last few weeks and finally got a 48" deck.  I didn't have a belt for the PTO and bught a TORO Wheel Horse #102868 V Belt to get the deck hooked up.  Today I tested out the deck and it bogs down, starts to squeal, and looses momentum when it hits the grass.   

 

Could this be a tension issue or do I have the wrong belt from the PTO?       

 

Thanks

[jusjeepn 59]

Jonathan,  It sounds like either your PTO clutch is slipping or your belt is to long.  Since It sounds like it spins up ok with no load, I would suspect your PTO clutch.  You can give me a call if you want!

[jmack 35]

Well I replaced one of the center bearings on my deck yesterday and seemed to fix my issues.  After I brought the tension up on the PTO belt it snapped after one day of mowing.  My guess is the pulley's angel on the belt dug into the side and broke it apart.  Good news is I got a great deal on a replacement belt!  

 

But now I have another question...

 

On my D-180, my Bell crank Assembly part #101000 on my hydraulic lift linkage seems to be off.  As you can see on the far left and right the snow thrower links are not in the same place.  According to my parts manual, it appears they're alined in the same position.  The issue I'm seeing is the right snow thrower link is hitting my mower deck right on the head.  Is this normal or would I need to service the bell crank assembly to aline to the left link?  

 

 

 

 

[tommyg 152]

Something doesn't seem right. I took a quick look at mine and indeed, the blower lift arms are parallel. Yours looks 10 or 15 degrees off compared to the opposite side. I also noticed that the lift arm is set about a half inch outside the mower deck leveler arm. So there's no way they could contact each other no matter how high the deck is raised. If yours is hitting at that location, it could really throw the whole deck out of whack. I didn't think it was possible for that lift linkage to become misaligned. I thought everything was welded in position, but maybe I'm wrong on that. Have you done a close inspection to see if something was cracked?

[coldone 35]

No clearance problems on either of my Ds and the 48 inch deck. The bell cranks are aligned unlike yours.

[Trouty56 565]

There should be extenders on the rubber deck stops when the deck is attached to a D series tractor.  Also the lift link is too short....

The bell crank needs corrected also.....I don't know which angle is correct though.  You can probably tell which one has been rewelded....but I will see if I can get a correct angle today for you......

Edited August 4, 2013 by Trouty56

[Trouty56 565]

So here is a pic showing the stop extenders. You can also see the blower lift arms are.parallel and the deck lift mechanism.

[jmack 35]

All this is interesting being that I believed many of these decks were interchangeable to a certain extent, but I guess I was wrong.  I measured the difference between the two Wheel Horse decks I own and the tack-a-matics are slightly different in width.  Hopefully changing these out for each other will fix my problem.  

 

I also noticed my bell crank seemed to be welded on both side which would make it almost impossible to fix.  In the drawings the bell crank is made of two pieces...why would you need to weld these together?  When I get some time I'll pull the whole assembly out and see what can be done.  

 

J-Mack

 

Edited August 5, 2013 by jmack

[Trouty56 565]

The D series has a different width than the other tractors.  The carriages are basically the same....I change from C to D but the deck stops need extenders for the D and the front rod needs swapped out.....these are the parts for a D series......

 

[Trouty56 565]

The bell crank is two pieces.....there is always up/forward force but not down/back force......this provides a "float".....A pin can be inserted to provide down pressure for snow blades or scraper blades.  Same for the rear 3 point.....

[jmack 35]

Good news then, I have these.  I already replaced the handle bracket, but haven't swapped out the bumpers.

 

Edited August 6, 2013 by jmack