314-8 Mower Deck Belt Contacting Bracket

[ryobi.warrior 5]

The belt on my Wheel Horse 314-8 mower deck (05-37SC01) appears to be contacting the deck bracket between the spindle pulleys. I am a novice when it comes to Wheel Horse maintenance (at best), but this does not seem correct.

 

I recently inherited this Wheel Horse, so I do not know the maintenance history. Unfortunately, the mechanic who previously worked on it was a no-show for a scheduled maintenance visit.

 

Any advice on how to address this? Thanks in advance... this seems like a great forum and I'm looking forward to spending time here!

 

Photos (please forgive the dirt and grime, I plan to clean it up!): https://imgur.com/a/4PknZuJ

[Ed Kennell 37,397]

 to the  ryobi.     I don't have that deck, but I would think the belt is not routed properly.     If you have the deck ID number, you can search for the manual on this site.

 

@gwest_ca      our file guru may be here soon to help you find the manual.

[Ed Kennell 37,397]

Mower Rotary 37in SD 1988-90 05-37SC01 OM #810518R1.pdf

[pfrederi 17,508]

You belt routing looks correct.  The parts manual shows only 2 bolts in the bracket you are rubbing on you have 3  wonder if it is misaligned  I do not have one of these newer decks...

 

Edited May 9, 2021 by pfrederi

[ryobi.warrior 5]

Ed, thanks for the kind welcome and suggestions, and Paul, thanks for checking the routing. The manual diagram matches the sticker below, which is on the deck. I also noticed that third bolt (only two on the other bracket) and wondered if it might have not been properly aligned when reassembled.

 

I'm going to take another look. Thanks so much for the quick replies!

 

-R

[Ed Kennell 37,397]

I took another look at your photos.        It appears the "U" shaped bracket that is welded to the deck has broken loose allowing the deck to move to the rear causing the belt interference.

Look at the two rods at the front of the deck. They should be parrelel and it is obvious the deck has moved to the rear on the side in question. The wear mark on the front deck bracket also shows the deck has moved rearward.           The PO probably tried to correct the broken weld by bolting thru the deck  with the third bolt.

[ol550 830]

I'm thinking the deck is rusted and thin or possibly bent or cracked at the area between the bracket and spindle.  Clean up the area on the bottom to see,

 

[Lee1977 6,545]

2 hours ago, Ed Kennell said:

I took another look at your photos.        It appears the "U" shaped bracket that is welded to the deck has broken loose allowing the deck to move to the rear causing the belt interference.

Look at the two rods at the front of the deck. They should be parrelel and it is obvious the deck has moved to the rear on the side in question. The wear mark on the front deck bracket also shows the deck has moved rearward.           The PO probably tried to correct the broken weld by bolting thru the deck  with the third bolt.

The spindle may have moved back.

[ryobi.warrior 5]

Thanks, everyone. I truly appreciate the replies.

Ed, impressive call: the bolt does go all the way through the deck. The weld seems solid (to my untrained eye... rolling disclaimer for all comments). With the two original bolts off, the weld between the bracket mount and the deck does not seem to have any give, and it does not seem possible to move the bracket further back on the mount (fixed holes, not sliding). Does that look like an original weld?

ol550, I cleaned somewhat and I'm not seeing rust. Deck seems sturdy. Lee1977, I don't see any sign of movement or give on the spindle.

With all that said, does anyone have a suggestion for squeezing some more mileage out of this deck? All thoughts and suggestions welcome.

[pfrederi 17,508]

Welding was not always one of Wheel Horse strong points.  but that weld looks to have been redone at some point.  Compare it to the weld on the other bracket..  i wish i had a deck like that so i could takes some measurements for you.  If it were mine i would take a carpenters angle lay it against the good side hanger aligned with the cross shaft and see how far off the bad side is....

 

 

[elcamino/wheelhorse 9,233]

@pfrederi Look at the photo of the bottom of the deck. Looks like a patch to my untrained eye .

[pfrederi 17,508]

2 minutes ago, elcamino/wheelhorse said:

@pfrederi Look at the photo of the bottom of the deck. Looks like a patch to my untrained eye .

 

 

I agree.  Something was done to the deck.

[Ed Kennell 37,397]

Yes, the bracket appears to have broken loose and was rewelded with a patch underneath.   It looks solid now, but unfortunately it was not position correctly when it was rewelded.

You could cut it loose and reweld it in the correct position.     Or if the deck being slightly shifted to the rear on the right side doesn't bother you and it cuts OK.      Just grind the bracket to get clearance with the belt and keep on mowin. 

[Ed Kennell 37,397]

     You could also replace the bushing in the right deck carriage bar with an eccentric bushing  with the hole positioned to the rear thus moving the right side of the  deck forward. The bushing gets pinched against the bracket  keeping the hole in the correct position. 

[dcrage 623]

I don’t think the deck belt can be removed with the location of that bracket. The belts on 37” SD decks don’t have any tight spots when removing or installing!!

Edited May 11, 2021 by dcrage

[ryobi.warrior 5]

50 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

Just grind the bracket to get clearance with the belt and keep on mowin. 

This was my next question! Given that I'm a novice with limited resources (I am not about to try my hand at welding), if grinding the bracket is a viable option, I'm inclined to give it a shot.

 

Unless anyone has a better idea, I will give it a try and report back. Thanks so much!

[kpinnc 11,457]

On 5/9/2021 at 7:52 PM, Lee1977 said:

The PO probably tried to correct the broken weld by bolting thru the deck  with the third bolt.

Agreed. I have had one of those decks. Your belts are routed correctly, but the bracket with the 3rd bolt is forward from where it should be quite a bit.