Blades slowing down

[heysavoy 15]

 I have a 1990 wheel horse classic model # 31-12KE01.  Today while cutting, my mower seemed to bog down in higher grass. I had to go over several areas twice. The PTO slowed down and I could look down at the spindles on the deck and see that they were turning slower. But then they'd speed back up. I have new belts on and believe they're tight. Could it be dull blades? I tried going slower but that didn't solve the problem. Are there any deck adjustments that can be made? Thanks for any help anyone can provide.

 

[Jeff-C175 7,195]

11 minutes ago, heysavoy said:

adjustments

 

How about the PTO clutch adjustment?

 

[heysavoy 15]

Could you be more specific please as to how I'm to make this adjustment?

 

Edited July 14, 2021 by heysavoy

[8ntruck 6,358]

Assuming that you have a manual PTO clutch (not electric), you will want to pull the hair pin that holds the PTOrod on the clutch lever at the engine end ant turn the trinipm on the threads so it gets further on the threads.

 

You should feel the engagement lever 'toggle over center' as the clutch engages.

 

Several other folks on the forum found that the pivot point on the PTO lever was sloppy and tightened it up by adding some Teflon washers to tighten the pivot up.

 

I just has a similar thing happen on my Horse.  I found a stretched and broken C clip on the outboard side ofthe stub shaft the hoop pushes on the PTO pulley.  That C clip was not in the groove on the shaft, letting the stub shaft slide in the bearing instead of transferring engagement force to the PTO clutch. Cleaning up the stub shaft and replacing the C clip fixed my problem.

 

You might want to take a look a th the clutch lining, too.  If it is worn too thin, it might need to be replaced.  A 1990 tractor probably has a clutch with the friction material bounded to the disc.  If the lining is around 1/16" thick or less, that might be your problem.

 

Good luck and have fun.

 

I see your location is Charlotte.  That happen to be in Michigan?  If so, I'm about 1 1/2 hours north of you.

[Jeff-C175 7,195]

 

I'm on my tablet or I would type more.

 

My suggestion is to go the manuals section and download the manual for your machine if any of the above is unclear.  This should be it.

 

 

Edited July 14, 2021 by Jeff-C175

[heysavoy 15]

OK - unfortunately I have to admit I lost a lot in translation as I'm not very mechanical but I'm getting better. I love that old tractor so I've at least learned how to change belts, tranny oil, starter and battery cables. Guess now it's time to learn about a PTO. I do know how to take out the pin and the arm (needed to for belt replacement) but not sure of much else, for example "turn the trinipm on the threads so it gets further on the threads". I do appreciate you and Jeff C175 trying to help me though.

[Jeff-C175 7,195]

5 minutes ago, heysavoy said:

OK

 

There's a triangular plate at the top of the PTO hoop.  That hunk of metal on the threaded rod that goes into the dash is the trunion.

 

Remove the pin and lift tne trunion out of the plate and screw onto the rod one turn at a time and try again.  Only tighten just enough to eliminate the slippage.

 

 

[heysavoy 15]

Great! The manual will definitely help. Thank you. Looking for trunnion adjustment

 

[Jeff-C175 7,195]

1 minute ago, heysavoy said:

manual will definitely help

 

Or not!  The pics are not good scans and there's only one sentence how to adjust the clutch!

[peter lena 8,035]

@heysavoy , this what I did for that nagging PTO adjustment trunnion area , see all the washers under that battery ground rail ? that is the unsupported sloppy ,pto lever starting point. you remove the battery to easily get to it . you also use a fine wire brush and penetrating oil , to find the outside lever snap ring grove , to hold it in place. 3/8 - or more washers and lubrication , gives you the mechanical advantage on the lever. lubricate as you do each step , also lubricate the pto cone needle bearing , use hi temp grease , lever should firmly snap down in place . to hold setting , always slowly feed in the pto clutch , to reduce wear , should work smoothly and easily. have this set up on my 3 horses , so I  know it dependably  works every time , good time to add that ground cable for electrical issues.  just an idea, pete 

 

[gt14rider 693]

#1. Remove pin 

#2. Turn trunnion 1 or 2 turns,clockwise. 

#3. Replace trunnion, insert pin,check clutch, adj as necessary. 

[heysavoy 15]

gt14rider ... Thank you!  How do I "check clutch" after making adjustments? Is it as simple as operating the tractor to determine whether it's still slipping or something more specific? 

 

[Jeff-C175 7,195]

24 minutes ago, heysavoy said:

Is it as simple as operating the tractor to determine whether it's still slipping

 

Exactly.

 

Being careful not to burn yourself...

 

A slipping PTO clutch will often get the PTO really really HOT!  due to the friction.

 

It's going to be hot during operation, no mistake about that, but if the clutch is slipping it will be REALLY! HOT!

 

[rjg854 10,708]

Should be a 1/16" clearance between the clutch plate and the PTO

[Jeff-C175 7,195]

12 minutes ago, rjg854 said:

Should be a 1/16" clearance between the clutch plate and the PTO

 

Seems a lot to me.  

 

If you adjust the PTO BRAKE as instructed to 0.012" then there would be no more than that amount of clearance when the clutch is disengaged.

 

That said, I don't adjust my PTO brake that tight.  I usually go for about 0.025" but still way less than 0.062" (1/16")

[rjg854 10,708]

8 hours ago, Jeff-C175 said:

 

Seems a lot to me.  

That's what was stated in my manual.

[Jeff-C175 7,195]

2 hours ago, rjg854 said:

That's what was stated in my manual.

 

I sure be!ieve it!  Specs evolve over time.

 

Not super critical, in fact there have been years I've forgotten to reinstall my brake with no ill effects.

Edited July 15, 2021 by Jeff-C175

[WH_Fan 2]

So, been having the same issue snd already tried new clutch material, greased spindles, replaced pto bearing, belt, adjusted tension all to no (barely) avail... Could kind of get a sweet spot mid detent position but will not hold. So, added washers to the pto pivot connection and voila' seemed to work...for about half an hour...then just stopped...bearing or something bound...Done for the day...🙄🤷🏻‍♂️😡

[Rick3478 371]

Don't forget the mule drive.  That belt can slip too.

[8ntruck 6,358]

Check your deck to make sure the spindles are spinning freely.  The PTO clutch started slipping on my 14-8 when I was mowing with my 42" RD deck earlier this summer.  Swapped over to my 42" SD deck and ran without issue - no changes to the PTO clutch.

 

I haven't gotten into the RD deck to see what is going on there yet.