bizzo15 52 #1 Posted May 10, 2015 So I pulled my 1998 312-8 out of the shed last week, dropped the battery in her, aired up the tires, turned the fuel on and fired her up for the first time of the season. She ran a little rough at first but eventually smoothed out and was running like her normal self. I hooked up my rear discharge mower deck(with recycler attachment), greased all the fittings and started out on my first mow of the season. Shortly into the mow I noticed whenever I would hit a thicker section of grass the mower blades would stop spinning and the pto belt to the mower would stop. If I backed up out of the thick stuff they would start up again on their own, but sometimes I would have to disengage the pto and re-engage it to continue mowing. Is this a sign of a worn out belt? I have the tensioner on the mule drive maxed out as tight as it will go. If not where else should I start looking to resolve this issue? I feel as this shouldn't be happening unless I'm going through some really tall grass which certainly this is not. I attempted to get the part # off my current belt to order a replacement but the numbers are worn down making it illegible, can anyone help me out with proper part #'s for my tractor and mower deck? The other issue I noticed is that about half way through my mow, the tractor starting emitting a squeal like I had been running it with the parking brake engaged(i know because I've down this plenty of times) I looked down and the parking brake wasn't engaged, I pumped the brake petal a few times and it went away only to come back a little while later so I once again pumped the brake pedal and it went away. I'm assuming my braking system might need a rebuild, but I don't know where to begin. I've only had the horse for two years and haven't had to do anything other than regular maintenance so far but I'm pretty mechanically inclined and like doing my own work so I'm not afraid to tear into her with a little direction or a service manual. Thanks guys! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,473 #2 Posted May 10, 2015 That squeal is likely coming from your pto clutch because it is slipping under load. You don't want that so remove the rod from the pto end and tighten the trunnion one turn and try it. It may take 2 or more turns to eliminate it. Garry Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Racinbob 11,925 #3 Posted May 10, 2015 (edited) That was my first thought too. Look to see if the pto is stopping with the belt. If so, that's it. With your mule drive at it's max tension I'm assuming it's hit the end of it's travel. It could also be that the belt is stretched out and has become too long. I verify the tension by squeezing the belt together underneath between the deck and mule drive. Edited May 10, 2015 by Racinbob Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bizzo15 52 #4 Posted May 11, 2015 So I attempted to adjust the trunnion on the PTO rod and it won't budge. I let it soak in some penetrating oil and it still wouldn't budge, I busted out the propane torch and applied some heat, hoping it would bust it free but nothing, felt like if I put any more muscle into it I was going to bend the rod. Any tips for freeing this thing up? I took a video of me engaging the pto and the belt, and as you can see it definitely isn't tight enough. I pulled the belt off and was able to find a legible part # which is 108834, is this the correct belt for my setup? Also when running the mower deck the belt has always been on the inner pulley on the pto instead of the outer, is that the correct positioning for it? Thanks again for all the help! P.S. Here's the video... https://youtu.be/b2nN4dIGVKQ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dcrage 630 #5 Posted May 11, 2015 Belts do wear out and that one is definitely not tight enough -- Just my opinion but after looking at the video I would think the pulley is spinning on the belt to make the noise Having said that stay after the trunnion -- Sooner or later you will need to adjust the PTO clutch Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Racinbob 11,925 #6 Posted May 11, 2015 Oh wow! That belt is waaaaaay too loose. Like Dave said, fix that issue before you worry about the PTO itself. Go over the front mule drive to make sure everything is in perfect working order while you are at it. Make sure you can move the adjuster the full travel. It's hard to tell in the video but it kinda looks like you should have more adjustment left in it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dcrage 630 #7 Posted May 11, 2015 And now after reading Bob's post and reviewing your video, I am in agreement that you mule drive doesn't appear to be adjusted to maximum belt tightness -- Is the adjustment bolt ready to start exiting the "stationary nut"?? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Racinbob 11,925 #8 Posted May 11, 2015 As far as the correct belt goes, there are several decks for your tractor. Find the model of your deck and take a look in the manuals section here. You are correct in having the belt in the inner PTO groove. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bizzo15 52 #9 Posted May 12, 2015 Thanks for all the help guys. It's great to have a bunch of people way more knowledgeable than me on these tractors to seek advice and answers from. Racinbob, that's the problem I'm having, the tag with my deck model # is worn off so I can't know for sure what deck I have. It's a 42" rear discharge deck and it has the recycler attachment on it. That's why I posted the belt part # that I have to see if anyone could verify that it's the correct one for my setup. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bizzo15 52 #10 Posted May 12, 2015 Also, as far as the mule drive goes. I looked at it again and there was still some meat left on the rod before it completely exited the stationary nut. I gave it a few more turns and it seemed to take some more slack up, but I couldn't run the tractor to verify as my fiancé was sleeping since she's working nights this week and I wasn't about to deal with the wrath of that . I will check it tomorrow and report back as the lawn is due for another mow. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,473 #11 Posted May 12, 2015 78355 recycler deck manuals Perhaps you have the 86001 recycler kit added to a 78350 rear discharge deck 108834 is the correct drive belt for a 42" rear discharge mower and the recycler deck - 98" Garry Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bizzo15 52 #12 Posted May 12, 2015 Garry, You are a whiz with implements and manuals. I'm going to assume I have the 78350 deck with the recycler add on because when I bought the tractor two years ago the guy asked if I wanted the recycler attachment. I decided to install it last mowing season midway through the season because I didn't like the look the rear discharge deck gave the lawn after it was mowed. Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm assuming that the actual recycler deck doesn't have the removable recycler piece? On second thought I'll just check the links you provided. :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,473 #13 Posted May 12, 2015 Sorry to say I have given you some bad info I think but haven`t figured out where the mistake is. It bugged me that 2 different drive belts show up for basically the same deck. Checked a recycler ipl and the 108834 belt is listed for it. Will do more digging when I get time. Garry Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bizzo15 52 #14 Posted May 12, 2015 No worries, I actually picked up another horse last night(310-8) so I'm going to be cleaning that up and using that to mow my lawn for now, until I get the other one straightened out. I bought the 310 because I wanted the tall chute blower that came with it and the guy wouldn't separate them! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wrightorchid 261 #15 Posted May 12, 2015 You may also want to see if the deck can be moved further towards the rear, just prior to lifting it. You may also not have the correct belt. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Racinbob 11,925 #16 Posted May 12, 2015 Bizzo, you've got the shorter of the belts Garry mentioned. It would be a good idea to measure the one you have just to see how close it is to 98". That might give some insight to your issue. You won't be able to move the deck further to the rear. If you manage to do that it will mean that the front deck bracket isn't positioned properly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bizzo15 52 #17 Posted May 12, 2015 Bizzo, you've got the shorter of the belts Garry mentioned. It would be a good idea to measure the one you have just to see how close it is to 98". That might give some insight to your issue. You won't be able to move the deck further to the rear. If you manage to do that it will mean that the front deck bracket isn't positioned properly. Ok maybe I'll do that tonight, going to take the new 310-8 out and mow my lawn with it and then I'll see about measuring that belt and if the additional turns on the mule drive removed that excess slack on the belt. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,473 #18 Posted May 13, 2015 Figured out the mix up in the rear discharge and recycler deck belts The belt chart has the recycler and side discharge mower belts reversed for the 1996-1999 model years. Made a note in the file description because I can't change the belt chart without rewriting the pages. Garry Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
