5xi Pulley Issues

[acemanrocks 0]

I have a Wheel Horse 5xi  that threw a Idler pulley and tore up a belt.  I bought a new pulley and belt, installed and adjusted.   2 minutes into mowing I threw the other idler pulley in the box.      What am I missing?   What am I doing that these pulleys are walking off the shaft? 

 

Thank in advance for the help.

Aaron

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,410]

I believe there are two different types of idler sets for the 5xi models. Possibly a low mount and a high mount? What is the model number of the deck you are using? Just so those that are familiar with these can respond.

 

Garry

[acemanrocks 0]

Tractor Model is 78363.

Deck Model is a 73470.   

Thanks, 

       Aaron

Edited October 18, 2016 by acemanrocks

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,410]

I see the difference in the 2 styles. This one has the adjustment knob on the front

Sometime between 1998 and 2002 the adjustment knob moved to the bottom

Garry

[acemanrocks 0]

Yes the adjustment is in the Pulley box on the front.   I have adjusted this so that the indicators are identical on both sides.  

I believe the mowing deck angle is ok also.  I don't think that is causing the problem.   

[doc724 925]

I have one of each of those mule drives so I will take a look tomorrow (no electric in the shed).  Might not be until late in the day that I can get to it.  You should not be throwing pulleys and there is no need to take a pulley off to install the mule and PTO belt. 

[shallowwatersailor 3,214]

Okay, my wife will be mad because I shot these on the one kitchen counter. Please excuse the clutter in the background.

 

These are two spares of mine and have not been cleaned. New style on left and old style on right. My one Toro dealer told me when I bought my 2000 520xi from him that there had been a recall/update on the mule for customers. He said that they shipped the newer style mule to him. He is more a business man than collector.

 

This is how they would be mounted on the tractor

 

 

Upside down.

 

 

From the bottom.

 

 

Belt sizes for the different mower decks.

 

 

Closeup of the older style.

 

[Dennys502 246]

I've been mowing with my 60" deck for 18 years now and have never thrown a belt. I've broken many when the blades have been stopped instantly by an object that wouldn't move.

You said the pulleys were coming off the shaft? Do you have a picture of the pulley? I've never heard of any problems with the pulleys.

[Dennys502 246]

Both of the pulley boxes function the same - the change was made so that you could see both indicators while adjusting instead of going from one side to the other to see where the indicator was.

[Snowmobileaddict 403]

20 hours ago, acemanrocks said:

I have a Wheel Horse 5xi  that threw a Idler pulley and tore up a belt.  I bought a new pulley and belt, installed and adjusted.   2 minutes into mowing I threw the other idler pulley in the box.      What am I missing?   What am I doing that these pulleys are walking off the shaft? 

 

Thank in advance for the help.

Aaron

 

Could you clarify what is actually happening here? 

 

You say that the "pulleys are walking off the shaft" 

 

The only way the pulley can come off the shaft is if there is no nut securing it.  If you mean to say that the belt connecting the PTO to the driven pulley on the mower deck is popping off one or more pulleys, I would say that the tension in the mule drive is set incorrectly, the belt is worn, the belt is the wrong size or cross section, or the belt is routed incorrectly.  It should be seated in the PTO sheaves, then rotated 1/4 turn so the narrow side of the belt faces aft and seats in the mule drive idlers, then rotated 1/4 turn again to seat in the driven pulley on the mower deck.  There should be a decal depicting the belt routing on the mower deck. 

 

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,410]

Just noticed the drive belts are different for the early and late designs. Will check out later when I have more time.

 

Thought I would compare the belts I added to the file pages to what is on the decal on the idler assembly. Did not match for the 48" deck.

 

Garry

[shallowwatersailor 3,214]

Here are three photos with the older mule attached to my 523Dxi. You can see how the belt makes the 90 degree turn and back again to ride in the pulley. Sorry about the quality but black items in shade are hard to photograph.

 

 

 

[acemanrocks 0]

So the simple explanation might be that the pulleys are old and are failing.   Images below show the pulley I replaced and the pulley that was thrown (Just like the other pulley that I replaced)    You will see the bolt/shaft for the pulley is still in place and is ribbed.  The bearing of the pulley is free but is smooth.  It is coming off the shaft.

On the new pulley, the black spacer that you see on the shaft,  is attached to the pulley.   I am wondering if this is just old and failing.   I want to make sure I am not doing something else wrong before I spend more money.

Thanks! 

 

 

[Snowmobileaddict 403]

Looks like you're missing a flat washer under that nut? 

 

Without a washer the pulley can just slide right off that shaft because the nut is smaller that the OD of the shaft that the pulley rides on. 

[acemanrocks 0]

I wondered that myself.  Neither pulley had a flat washer on it when I got it.    Makes perfect sense and I considered that as a fix.   Thanks for the input.

 

[shallowwatersailor 3,214]

Nope! There isn't a washer missing. Knurled sleeve is tight to the pulley. I wonder if it needs to be replaced when you replace the pulley . It maybe expands as it is tightened?

 

 

 

 

Edited October 19, 2016 by shallowwatersailor