GT2550 deck issue

[ArkCadet]

Ok so I put the spring on with the loop on the peg as its supposed to be. Here is what it looks like in place...



I could not find any pulleys that were either bent or crushed. They all apear in line and spin smoothly when moving the belt by hand.

I re-installed the deck and went out onto the drive way to engage the blades (at a lower RMP ) and took a short video of it running. Do you guys consider this smooth or bouncing? And I tried to get the video as smooth as possible, but I was sitting on the mower and holding my phone out to the side.

https://youtu.be/GklgFNhVi4Y

And here is a picture of the spring and pulley arm after mowing a couple of hours.



It looks as though the spring tip is about to come out of the hole on the pulley arm. I have a feeling the pulley arm should be down closer to the 90 degree section of the spring. And being up so high on the spring is causing the added tenstion on the 90 degree area and that is where it always breaks. ANY ideas now? THANKS everyone!

[sbauerz28]

Everything seems to run smooth in the video. I agree with you that the spring should be deeper in the hole. I'm sure somebody will have a better idea, but the first thing that comes to mind is a hose clamp around the idler arm and spring to pull the spring into the hole.

[ArkCadet]

Originally Posted by sbauerz28

Everything seems to run smooth in the video. I agree with you that the spring should be deeper in the hole. I'm sure somebody will have a better idea, but the first thing that comes to mind is a hose clamp around the idler arm and spring to pull the spring into the hole.

Yeah that's a good idea. I also just noticed one of the first replies about the belt length. I need to check that. Maybe the PO bought too short of a belt and its pulling the pulley too far around and therefore putting added tension on the spring and as the deck vibrates, it slowly bends the end of that spring and slids up to the top of it. If that all makes sense. It wouldn't be the first time th PO bought something wrong. He told me he had brand new blades for it in a box so earlier this spring I went to put them on and they were completely the wrong blades. Anyway, I'll check the belt tonight and verify with the OM I have for the mower.

[ol'George]

Breaking a spring in not a common problem, as far as been my experience.
I had one to break the other coiled end off, I just welded it back as a temp fix.
The new $15 spring is has been awaiting my temp fix to break, for 3 years now Ha,LOL!
Possibly they had a heat treat problem with a run of replacement springs???

[Berwil]

In the first pic it looks like the belt is rubbing the rear deck bracket, that can't be right. In the second pic after mowing the idler pulley is leaning, how floppy is the pulley and bracket with the belt off? Maybe the belt is climbing the edge of the pulley which pulls the arm tighter to compensate for the larger diameter and the bouncing of the arm as the belt catches the edge of the pulley is taking out the spring.

I replaced the pulley bolt on my tensioner this year, different deck, but similar tensioner. I had no idea it was like that, only removed it because the tensioner pulley bearings were shot. Someone had already sleeved the shoulder bolt hole that mounts it to the deck. I think you may want to inspect the tensioner.

image.jpg

Bill

[ol'George]

I would like to see that spring up closer to the arm it inserts in.
Might give it less leverage to break off.
See if you can get it up there.
Maybe spread it a bit to make the coils farther apart??
I seen that too Mr Berwel, the belt is deflected, not right.

[ArkCadet]

Originally Posted by Berwil

In the first pic it looks like the belt is rubbing the rear deck bracket, that can't be right. In the second pic after mowing the idler pulley is leaning, how floppy is the pulley and bracket with the belt off? Maybe the belt is climbing the edge of the pulley which pulls the arm tighter to compensate for the larger diameter and the bouncing of the arm as the belt catches the edge of the pulley is taking out the spring.

I replaced the pulley bolt on my tensioner this year, different deck, but similar tensioner. I had no idea it was like that, only removed it because the tensioner pulley bearings were shot. Someone had already sleeved the shoulder bolt hole that mounts it to the deck. I think you may want to inspect the tensioner.

Attachment 64778

Bill

Thanks Bill. The belt is against the rear deck bracket because the tensioner arm (yellow lever on opposite side of deck, not exactly sure of correct name ) is in the relaxed position. When its not, the belt is not even close to the deck bracket (see video attached in my last reply and the last picture in my last reply and you can see it does not touch once the tensioner arm is back in the locked position).

Also, I took the pulley assembly off last night and checked it all out and its all good and tight and greased. But I will check it again and pay more attention to what you mentioned. The only movement I could find was parallel with the top of the deck, the way it is supposed to move. It has no up and down movement or wiggle at all, just side to side as it pivots with the tension of the spring. Thanks for your reply!

[sbauerz28]

I think Sam is on to something with the belt being too short. I would check it and see if you can see any numbers on it.

[Sam Mac]

I see a couple things that bother me.
1: It looks like the arm that the pulley bolts to is bent slightly upwards

2: If it was my mower I would shorten the tube that the pivot bolt fits through about 1 coil of the spring and shim it at the top the amount that you cut off so that it can't just move up on the bolt. You should be able to find some machine shims at TSC.

3: Your missing a grease fitting in the pivot bolt. Item#21 that should be pressed into #22

Edit: One other possibility is they gave you the wrong spring, if you look at the wear marks it looks like it should have one more coil and that would bring it up higher.

[ArkCadet]

Originally Posted by Sam Mac

I see a couple things that bother me.
1: It looks like the arm that the pulley bolts to is bent slightly upwards

2: If it was my mower I would shorten the tube that the pivot bolt fits through about 1 coil of the spring and shim it at the top the amount that you cut off so that it can't just move up on the bolt. You should be able to find some machine shims at TSC.

3: Your missing a grease fitting in the pivot bolt. Item#21 that should be pressed into #22

Edit: One other possibility is they gave you the wrong spring, if you look at the wear marks it looks like it should have one more coil and that would bring it up higher.

It looks perfectly straight to me in the picture...but my eyes could be playing tricks on me. I'll check it tonight to see if its bent in any way. Edit: I see what you are saying after looking again. The arm itself looks straight, but the whole assembly may be SLIGHTLY bent upwards. Which it woudn't take much to cause my issue.

Yeah I had thought about that as well. I told a frient of mine it looked like the spring needed one more coil.

And I took the pivot bolt out to grease it yesterday so its good and greased up now.

Yeah that is true. I'll compar it to the other 2 I have in my shop (the two that have broken) to see if they are all the same. If so, I doubt 3 different places have given the same, but wrong, spring 3 times.

Thanks!