club cadet 42" ride on mower few issues

Given a ride on mower last year and been impressed. Offered for free said I didnt need it, then asked to just try it. Did and was like a 12 year old kid with my first mini bike. I noticed last bit lifing the height aduster left side was not coming up and down just staying on the ground as the right went up and down. For whatever reason cutting it was cutting even set on 7. Other day I turned in the field behind and guess hit some higher ground left side and its stopped cutting. One belt was partiall off so put that on but seems one blade is not turning and one is and can even bump into it

Do they have shear pins for the blades. Realize I need to lift it up and start poking about. Know there were lots of you tubes on that model as well. Quick look with not enough time didnt find what I might have done but likely its there. Any thoughts appreciated.

Is there a spring or something that is supposed to hold the left side same as the right side as you raise the deck up and down?

I had a Club Cadet zero turn for 7 years and loved it.
For the deck being down on the left side, I am betting that the pin came out. There are springs and lifters for each side that keep the mowing deck level. If the pin comes out, the deck drops.

ast for the blade not turning, there are no shear pins. If the belt is on correctly, the. There is a good chance that the spindle assembly for that blad is shot. They are sealed units, so you have to replace the entire assembly.

No shear pins. They have a spindle for each blade. If you hit something, it's easy to break the casting that holds the bearings, which will let the spindle lean one way. Bearings can also seize, or the "gear" inside the shaft opening in the pulley can get the teeth worn down in the pulley, or on the shaft. It's all a pretty simple system. You can buy replacement parts off ebay, with free shipping, for a lot less than parts from a dealer, and I've found them to be okay.

Sounds like something has come loose that holds the back of the low side up. I had to weld the rear bracket on one a couple of weeks ago, that the welds had broken. It could just be the cotter key that keeps the lift arm on the pin though.

I pull the front end of any mowers straight up with a chain hoist. No crawling under one. Wash the deck off before working on it.

HI thanks on the pin thing, these are new to me and I didnt totally clue in the left side was drooping, last time I cut it was even so visually didnt show. Yes I likely turned in some uneven ground, im guessing now a belt came off and that is why it did not run, then I put that belt back on, (was not completely off and) heard the blades hitting so will have to go under. Just strapped for time at the moment. Thanks for the common sense and sure the tilt thing and not being level was the start of this that led to the next undetermined thing. I can borrow the Lawn boy but hesitant to do the long ditch with it or even borrowing just in case Murphy shows up.

Appreciate your responses, this forum is great for tons of guys with experience on so many things. Im holding off on asking about brain surgery just yet, at least till I sharpen some chisels to a finer polish.


w

Since the blade was hitting something, my first check would be the spindle casting. If part of it that bolts to the cutting deck gets broken, the tension of the belt will tilt that casting over, making the blade turn out of the proper plane, so most likely the problem. Those spindles are just cast aluminum, so it only takes one good lick of a blade hitting something to break one.

If the casting is broken, save the spindle, and bearings out of it for a future repair of those parts. The shaft should tap out easily from the top, and then the bearing that stays in the top is usually not too hard to get out.

The nut holding the pulley on is a lock nut, so the hardest part of the job is getting that nut off. Most likely it will take a 7/8" deep socket. I use a 1/2" drive impact wrench, and spin it right off.

Cutting grass is a full time job here.

thanks Tom appreciate the info. I was cutting my parents mine next door my cabinet teacher till his home was sold and the ladies next door, ones mom had cancer and she had not time, Those last two newer homes so lots sizes are postage stamps., Other homes from the 50, 60, and 70's when lots were real. My neighbour across the road her lot is 300 wide by 150 deep. She is 90 and cuts it all herself. Dont make people like her very often anymore.

I have one such lawn tractor that mostly only gets used for shredding horse manure in the pastures. I go fast, and cut low. Here is one pile of old spindle parts.

I just came in from doing that, and snapped this picture in the tractor shed.

wholly crap :)

That's just the pile on that side. I have someone that picks up scrap metal, but the prices have been so low for a couple of years, that they aren't bothering.

I run that mower hard until something breaks. It wasn't designed for what I do with it, but I don't want to use a good mower for that job. I never need to sharpen those blades. I keep spare spindles, and can change, or fix one in a few minutes. It only gets used for about 25 hours a year. They last for 600 hours.

Hi Tom

got a bit on it last night. First the cotter pin left side was missing so the cable that holds that side at choosen setting was off and left side riding on the wheels. That explains what happened when I turned in the field. So I had some high ground or build up of stuff below.

That was the start, I could not find my cotter pins and have tons so put a nail in for now

Second blades are hitting together. I went on you tube thinking mayube they moved and sure enoiugh they have to be aligned when the belt goes on the pulley. Mine are off. Huge clump of grass in there possibly got into the belt and pulled and it skipped some teeth. So second problem found

As I look at it I see two pulleys not sitting parrallel so maybe a bracket bent on one not sure

ILl drop the deck as you said as it needs to come off to look at it all. I didnt get the deck had dropped, all of thijs whatever it will be was a result of that. Will ask a question or two when I get back to it,. Hand cut yesterday with the lawn boy. New pull cord for the toro as well

Sounds like you have a broken spindle casting, which will let that casting lean into the tension of the belt.

Aligning blades doesn't make sense to me. On any that I've had, the blades are offset, so their paths overlap some.

Since posting here last, I used one of the spindle shafts in that picture. One I was running chewed the gear teeth up where it meshes in the pulley. Ruined the pulley too, but I was able to use spare parts from past broken spindles. Just took a few minutes to swap out the shaft. The spindle casting was fine.

I don't drop the deck. I pull the front of the mower up with a chain hoist, or pick the whole thing up by a couple of eye bolts I have mounted on the front sides of the frame. If I need to work on the middle spindle, I'll just disconnect the front of the deck, and let it hinge down from the back.

thanks for that all good info, feel like i need to take the deck off

the alingment there are two arrows, oe on each pulley one blade will be north to south, other blade east to west, several you tubes on timing the blades they call it. Mine the belt has moved arrows too close to the same so wrong

hope the casing you talk about is not broken but since i see tilted pulleys maybe so. Will get some time today finally got the home listed 7 day a week marathon home late each night. Grass side of my home highest 2 feet long, took care of my parents stuff first as it should be.

thanks appreciate your help,

w

deck came off simple and easy, dont understand al, timed the blades still hit so start with clean up as its insane think the tensioner is seized and one other thing or if not seized its jammed up over or close to a bolt. Clean to start.
Been to NC a number of times, it was about 950 miles otherwise id ask and stop by. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tom M King

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I run that mower hard until something breaks. It wasn't designed for what I do with it, but I don't want to use a good mower for that job. I never need to sharpen those blades. I keep spare spindles, and can change, or fix one in a few minutes. It only gets used for about 25 hours a year. They last for 600 hours.

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Gracious! My first thought in seeing the pile of parts was you could use a stronger machine!

But what lasts 600 hours? A spindle? The mower itself? At 25 hours a year isn't that 24 years between failures? At that rate it sounds like you don't need a heaver duty machine.

I have a somewhat similar situation in that I use a mower outside it's envelop of expectation. I have two Kubota 60" zero turns with 25hp diesel. I ran the first one hard with both mowing and for "bush hogging" in the woods, heavy brush, etc. Often hit stumps, branches, rocks. Mowing in the rough gets noisy sometimes but nothing has ever broken on the machine, I guess it's built strong. The biggest problem was slowly losing air in the front swiveling tires and replaced the serpentine belt once in 15 years.

I finally bought a new one and decided to keep the old one for the rough and save the new one for the grass.

Attachment 459395

But I never heard of using a mower on horse manure. I made a drag from a 12' length of chain link fencing and pull it around the pastures with a 4-wheeler.

JKJ

back up and running. So original cotter pin gone one side sagged then I bottomed out turning behind the home. to get it all working timed the blade to the marks and they still hit so pulleys must have been on wrong, left them and just did it flipped over and fine, sharpened the blades had hit something big at some point but other wise good

One blade h ad a bend, put it in a vise reffed on it so its out 1/8" in rotation other one is bang on. Tom one housing was cracked for say 3/4 of an inch, it was not causing blade tilt though as you said the blade was the same as other side only the 1/8" out so if lucky that will do the season.

The tension pulley wiht the cogged belt was sitting canted, either the bracket was bent that holds it and it was jammed over the stop or the deck was bent., I could see the deck had pulled up so hammered it down, deck has had a fair bit of rust and some amount gone but not rusted through anywhere. The Mcgiver body work set the pulley straight. Pulley above that was canted as well and just bent the bracket a bit. build up below was in insane and likely not cleaned well for years. Used a putty knife and cleaned all that. Two wheels on one side were way out of lined up so took them off brackets bent straight so easy it was dissapointing, must be 14" thick and still finishing hammer was easy to align them.

Likely did more I dont remember but had cleaned it and put it back together, took looking at it what am I forgetting and gave it a test drive. sounded a bit odd. The bar for the front that goes across from side to side was not on and I saw two broken wires. Got ahead of myself as that bar locks the clutch in place I guess it is and the two wires must be for the clutch, its electronic. Patched in some longer cables a bit annoying and then put those wire loom protectors over top and taped those wires to a few others so its all secure. Test drive showed it working as well as before the adventure or better as the blades are sharp now, big dent in them didnt seem to matter. Will just carry on and see how it does. The spindle crack you mentioned looks like its been there for a while so I should get another.

One adjustment im not sure of what it does and should download the photos to the computer and ask you on that, I see adjustments in a few places. Think I got a digital manual from the net but will check that.

So its good, came apart and together sensible. The two plastic covers for the pulleys one has the plastic broken off all three mounting points other one has one broken off so should figure a repair for that, easy enough to do and likely best not to leave them off.

Tom thanks for the info and Todd as well.