Problem with a small tractor-mower

[Sergei Slovenija]

My Land Lord asked me to see why the tractor was not mowing? According to him, after replacing the knife drive belt, the machine stopped working.
brief inspection and photographs from the site. It looks like the mechanic installed the belt, flipping it over and bending it 180 degrees, pulling the belt onto the tensioner pulleys. Or a branch could turn the belt over. I believe that in this position, the belt cannot change the gear ratio in the variator. Is my reasoning correct or is this how it should be?

 

[Erie Fred]

W-O-W....MTD mowers are everywhere.....
I agree with your assesment.

 

[Sergei Slovenija]

W-O-W....MTD mowers are everywhere.....
I agree with your assesment.

I have never encountered this technique before. I go by the rule of thumb: if the device stops working after maintenance, it means it was assembled incorrectly. Or just a coincidence. Questioning witnesses closely about who did what usually helps to find the cause faster. I’ll rest and go put the belt straight.

 

[Erie Fred]

I have never encountered this technique before. I go by the rule of thumb: if the device stops working after maintenance, it means it was assembled incorrectly. Or just a coincidence. Questioning witnesses closely about who did what usually helps to find the cause faster. I’ll rest and go put the belt straight.

On these, there are rods that hang down to keep the belt in place when the tension is released (like the clutch pedal)
Changing a belt, many people just bend them out of the way or snap them off.

If these are missing, it could cause the belt to flip over when loosened.

 

[m_c]

As it's a deck with contra-rotating blades (each blade spins opposite direction), that belt is installed correctly.

What isn't working?

 

[Sergei Slovenija]

As it's a deck with contra-rotating blades (each blade spins opposite direction), that belt is installed correctly.

What isn't working?

After lying on the ground and generously feeding mosquitoes, I came to the same conclusion. I removed the belt, the tensioner roller bearings did not jam. I tried to start the engine, but it was a fiasco. Apparently the battery has lost capacity, I need to check it, although I charged it more than once. The fan barely twitches. The crankshaft cannot even make 1 revolution. The owner knows one thing: after replacing the belt and seemingly replacing the drive pulley (!?), the tractor drives, but the blade rotation drive does not work. You need to start the engine and see what doesn't want to work. There is no manual. I had difficulty finding a mention on the German forum that there were two versions of the V-belt for this model, it seems in length.

 

[Sergei Slovenija]

On these, there are rods that hang down to keep the belt in place when the tension is released (like the clutch pedal)
Changing a belt, many people just bend them out of the way or snap them off.

If these are missing, it could cause the belt to flip over when loosened.

Sticks to prevent the belt from jumping off the tension rollers, everything is in place. Lots of levers and wire rods, confusing. I will sort this out.

 

[Smallfry]

From what I remember of MTD, lowering the cutter tensions the drive belt and makes the drive. Lifting the deck loosens the belt. Effectively a clutch.

The right type of belt had to be used, usually light brown in colour and all surfaces looked like cloth. A same size normal belt would not last long. There were pins close to the engine that help the loose belt form a loop to clear the spinning engine pulley, or the belt would burn.

If that makes any sense ?

 

[Erie Fred]

From what I remember of MTD, lowering the cutter tensions the drive belt and makes the drive. Lifting the deck loosens the belt. Effectively a clutch.

The right type of belt had to be used, usually light brown in colour and all surfaces looked like cloth. A same size normal belt would not last long. There were pins close to the engine that help the loose belt form a loop to clear the spinning engine pulley, or the belt would burn.

If that makes any sense ?

Lawn & Garden clutching belt is the designation over here.

 

[Sergei Slovenija]

So, the tractor starts, the blades rotate. two inconvenient keys, one “parking” and the second “block movement”, move very slowly. they are connected by long vertical rods to a swing arm and a foot accelerator sector. When you try to press the gas pedal, a metallic impact noise occurs and the tractor stalls. I find it difficult to find terminology in English.

 

[Smallfry]

Trying to think what is happening. It is twenty years since I have worked on one.

From the beginning. Tractor when it was new, would have safety switches. To start the engine, you would have to be sitting on the seat ( one switch) Also brake pedal must be pressed down (another switch) and cutter deck must be raised (another switch) All these switches are wired in series.
Blades should NOT turn with engine running and cutter deck raised.

I do not remember any MTD with a foot gas (throttle) control, engine speed were all hand operated.

Brake pedal had a lock to keep it down (parking brake) which released when the pedal pressed harder.

As the cutter deck is lowered the blades will turn as this tensions the belt, when cutter is raised, blades will stop as the belt tension is released. Belt length is critical for it to work properly. I also remember that some machines had a hexagonal section belt to drive contra rotating cutters. I remember there was a lever on the deck that had friction material rivetted to it, which was applied to the cutter pulley. maybe the material has gone, and this is the metallic noise ?

The double pulley on the engine had two sizes. Top one (smaller) drives the machine along, the lower (larger) drives the cutter deck. Maybe try the machine with no cutter belt, to check it drives around properly ?

Difficult to understand what is happening, and difficult to help, but as you say, I think the belt is incorrectly fitted, not routed correctly, or is the wrong belt type OR length which allows something to touch.

Is there an I.D. plate on the machine ?

 

[Sergei Slovenija]

Trying to think what is happening. It is twenty years since I have worked on one.

From the beginning. Tractor when it was new, would have safety switches. To start the engine, you would have to be sitting on the seat ( one switch) Also brake pedal must be pressed down (another switch) and cutter deck must be raised (another switch) All these switches are wired in series.
Blades should NOT turn with engine running and cutter deck raised.

I do not remember any MTD with a foot gas (throttle) control, engine speed were all hand operated.

Brake pedal had a lock to keep it down (parking brake) which released when the pedal pressed harder.

As the cutter deck is lowered the blades will turn as this tensions the belt, when cutter is raised, blades will stop as the belt tension is released. Belt length is critical for it to work properly. I also remember that some machines had a hexagonal section belt to drive contra rotating cutters. I remember there was a lever on the deck that had friction material rivetted to it, which was applied to the cutter pulley. maybe the material has gone, and this is the metallic noise ?

The double pulley on the engine had two sizes. Top one (smaller) drives the machine along, the lower (larger) drives the cutter deck. Maybe try the machine with no cutter belt, to check it drives around properly ?

Difficult to understand what is happening, and difficult to help, but as you say, I think the belt is incorrectly fitted, not routed correctly, or is the wrong belt type OR length which allows something to touch.

Is there an I.D. plate on the machine ?

After work I will make a video on the controls. This is not an MTD brand, as far as I understand.

 

[Smallfry]

After work I will make a video on the controls. This is not an MTD brand, as far as I understand.

OK. It looks like an MTD Lawnflite, but I guess they all look similar.

 

[Erie Fred]

After work I will make a video on the controls. This is not an MTD brand, as far as I understand.

Show a pix of the nameplate with the model number.

 

[Dcal]

It sure looks like an MTD.
The model number is usually on the bottom of the seat.

I've a different model but there could be similarities.

What drive is it?
Mine has a varidrive (variable pulley belt drive) they give problems and aren't the easiest things to work on.

 

[Sergei Slovenija]

Show a pix of the nameplate with the model number.

These are all the signs that I found. There is no lock sensor under the seat when the seat is open.

 

[Sergei Slovenija]

It sure looks like an MTD.
The model number is usually on the bottom of the seat.

I've a different model but there could be similarities.

What drive is it?
Mine has a varidrive (variable pulley belt drive) they give problems and aren't the easiest things to work on.

The owner of the tractor came today and I questioned him. The old clutch allowed the tractor to move, albeit with problems. The new clutch allowed me to mow the grass twice and then the tractor stopped moving. The parking and unlocking keys for the mower, according to the owner, do not work.

 

[Sergei Slovenija]

Mod: GUTBROD GLX 105 RAT​

 

[minimutly]

No clutch on the engine shaft? On mine it's engaged by the lever next to the steering wheel, there is a seperate belt to the hydrodrive which spins constantly.

 

[m_c]

The cutter clutch should only affect the cutter. The cutter drive lever simply pulls the little lever on the side of the clutch to engage the belts/blades, and releases it to stop the belt/blades and apply a brake.

There will be another belt higher up, that provides power to the transmission.
There are numerous different setups for that belt and the transmission, but the first thing to check is that the belt is still there/on the pulleys, and that the pulley on the transmission itself is turning.

As for the parking brake and auto levers. For the brake, you need to press the brake pedal, then push the lever in/down while releasing the brake pedal.
I'd guess the auto-drive lever will have a similar operation, in that you'll need to press the go pedal before pushing the lever.