Mountfield ride on issue

[NickChand]

Hi, we have a Mountfield 2-blade ride-on and it was going fine today but then after stopping and re-starting, it made a noise like it was over a stone. There was nothing there but when mowing was resumed, it now only cuts on one side. We have a mulch plug fitted and it's been fine for the 2 years we've had it (from new). Any suggestions? The belts all look tight and in place.
Thanks in anticipation!

 

[lostinthelight]

Is the blade still there or loose? If the belt is in place and driving one blade the problem could be under the deck because one belt will drive both blade pulleys unless the one pully has sheared a key and is slipping

 

[NickChand]

Hi, thanks for the speedy reply. The blade is still there, just doesn't seem to be moving (when we stop the cutters, it's always in the same place). When operating, it's clear to see that only one side is cutting. It certainly looks as if it's an issue between the blade and the belt, so maybe the pulley is the culprit. The noise was certainly scary! I'll try to get the protective covers off later to have a closer inspection.

 

[lostinthelight]

See if the blade will turn by hand ,make sure key is out of ignition.

 

[NickChand]

Yes, it will turn by hand - seems to suggest some kind of detachment from the drive? The centre bolt seems tight enough, although I haven't got it dismantled yet. Lots of protective covers on this one, unlike the older version we had.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I had a similar problem and it turned out that either the pulley for the cutter was turning, but not turning the blade spindle, or the spindle wasn't turning the blade - I cannot recall which, but which ever .....

it was keyed (not a woodruf type key) into place with a nut to secure it, but the soft alloy key had worn away. Rather than buy a new spindle I cleaned up the spindle, greased the inside of the pulley and applied Araldite to the shaft. It has been good for several years since then.

The centre bolt seems tight enough, although I haven't got it dismantled yet.

Those centre bolts can be very tight - find a well fitting ring spanner and use a hammer on the spanner to free it. Some undo clock and some anti-clockwise.

 

[lostinthelight]

Theres a key on the blade boss/hub and looks like a spring friction washer under the blade nut..check its tight

 

[NickChand]

Thanks Harry & lostinthelight. I'll let you know what I find. Just as a final question, if it's something simple I can fix, will I have to align the blade that's currently not turning, to avoid them hitting each other, or will that just happen naturally?

 

[lostinthelight]

Im not sure on that one if the blades require timing, is it a toothed belt between the pulleys?
if its not you can double check by pulling the two blades tip to tip and see if they hit .
Edit: Thinking about it though, the noise could have been the blades hitting as they they came out of sync in which case they would timing

 

[Burnerman]

On the two blade contra- rotating Mountfields one of the blade bolts is a left hand thread.....something to look out for!
John

 

[lostinthelight]

On the two blade contra- rotating Mountfields one of the blade bolts is a left hand thread.....something to look out for!
John

That'll be the right hand blade as your sat in the seat, thats if it ejects the cuttings through the centre

 

[NickChand]

It's not a toothed belt and yes, the sound could have been the blades clashing if the right hand blade has become free of the pulley. The general issue seems to be getting clearer, thanks, it's just the specifics now!

 

[Burnerman]

If you find the blades are flapping around in their bearing turret (not unheard of) then complete turrets are available but you can just renew the bearings if you want.
The turrets are fixed to the deck with 4 bolts each - I have had them tear out with corrosion
Do check out the pulley braking system on the top of the deck too.
Which model do you have?
John

 

[NickChand]

Yes, John, I've had to put new turrets on the last mower. I don't think it'll be the issue here as it's only just over 2 years old - the 2240H. Something's just given way I think. I'll post the full report in here once I've found what it is. Thanks.