Broke the 1200 yesterday
 

Title says it all! Put the new driver and clutch in, mowed awhile. Then started rattling, then louder next a big you know what'n BOOM! Guess I had the clutch adj up too tight. It destroyed one pin on the driver, the new clutch, throw out bearing, teaser spring, the clutch arm and who knows what else. Was all my fault. I should have triple checked the clutch adj. Now I have an expensive mistake/lesson learned!

Here is another picture

Ouch. That hurts.

Ouch.

So you think the clutch arm was riding on the throwout bearing and not enough play in the pedal?

I want to make sure i avoid this happening to me...

Wow, sorry to hear that.

Yes the throw out bearing was riding the clutch arm. I was thinking of replacing the arm and hanger. Now I don't have a choice! I just hope that the driveshaft is ok. Have to make a new pin for the driver. All it is, is a grade 5 bolt with the head cut off. And ground smooth.

Man, that's a bad set back.

Well that sucks. This clutch has been fighting you. Hope you get it figured out.

could have been worse,with the gas tank right above those spinning parts

With a plastic tank at that.

I don't understand how riding the clutch with a tight adjustment could cause this. I can see the disc wearing because of slipping but not a catastrophic failure like this. Can someone explain why this happened?

I don't understand how adjusting a clutch too much could cause that failure without some other issue.

The adjustment is just at what point the pedal actuates the clutch--tighten the adjustment nut too much and the clutch will slip without touching the pedal. Not enough adjustment and the pedal won't fully disengage the clutch.

Neither extreme should cause the clutch to self destruct. Or am I missing some other factor? Perhaps a driver pin failed, caused the clutch to go off balance and vibrate apart?

Those pins look kinda long,maybe they were rubbing up on the clutch lever when it was engaged

Yea, that's a bummer. Perhaps the throw out bearing locked into the backside of the release lever? Or, the release lever mount/location flexed causing other drive shaft issues?

The pins are kinda long. I think the bearing locked onto the arm. The arm has a ring worn around it. I was mowing when this happened. I would have never expected anything like this happening from the clutch being improperly adj. I really have no 100% explanation for it. I started tearing it down this afternoon, after staining the deck floor. Going down now to work on disassembly. Late weekends are about the only time I have to work on it. It's a truckn mess is all I know for sure!

throw out arm
 

I can't really see it well in the photo, but does that break look fresh. almost looks like that may have been cracked for some time. It looks to be rusted across that break line.

Good look.

That stinks! Could've been a lot worse though. Hopefully you have a back up so you can do the repairs when they fit in the schedule, good luck

My brother had my 1000 for a few years. He is pretty much a threat to all things mechanical. When I got it back the throw out bearing was completely locked up. There was a nasty groove cut in the lever from the locked T/O bearing grinding away as the shaft spun. I cringe when I think what it must have sounded like when he put the clutch in. Mercifully the clutch linkage to the lever broke and he stopped using it. He must have gone a long time looking at how torn up the lever was. The lever didn't break and there was no damage to the original disc due to the T/O bearing failure.

I did a band-aid repair to get the tractor going so I could mow the lawn. I put a new disc, T/O bearing and a lever from a WF I had laying around. I replaced the disc because it was delaminating. The clutch rattled like crazy and slipped but it didn't slip all the time.

I decided to completely rebuild the clutch this winter. I put a lot of cash into it but the original was in there 38+ years (Aug 1977 to March 2016) so I figured it was money well spent. The shaft had steps in it from the locked up T/O bearing wearing it so I replaced it. I replaced the shaft, T/O bearing (once again-not taking any chances), lever, lever bracket, pin, teaser spring, teaser spring cup, grease bushing, shaft pins, driver pins and pilot bushing. The clutch now sounds and operates like new. It is really smooth.

I guess I still don't understand why you had such a nasty failure due to tight clutch adjustment. If the bearing was ok it should have spun with the engine if the clutch was adjusted too tight. That bend pin leads me to believe that it somehow contacted the lever which caused the failure. If I were you I would definitively determine what caused the failure so you don't buy patrs twice because it failed a second time.

Bob

Sorry to see that, Brian.

I got it all torn apart last night. I am going to shorten the pins. The teaser spring, clutch spring, driveshaft and plates are fine. Going to replace the release lever, hangar, clutch and throw out bearing.

Another picture

How much free play did you have in the pedal after you adjusted it the 1st time.
You should be able to reach up in there with the pedal released and be able to spin the T/O bearing freely and then as you press the pedal down (not much) through the free play area you will feel it engage the T/O bearing. A little further down an you will engage the braking area of travel as the clutch disengages,

It's all in the manual, step by step.

I've got an extra hanger if you need it. My replacement driveline came with an extra one. Shoot me a PM if you want it and we can work out the details.

Yes I know this

Hey Brian, was wondering if you ever got this all figured out...:bigthink: