Grasshopper 616 left tire slower than right tire

mwtucker32

Forum Newbie
Joined
Jun 5, 2013
Threads
1
Messages
5
I recently got a grasshopper 616. I mowed twice with it and it ran fine. The third time I mowed about 30 minutes into mowing I was on a hill and the left tire lost most of it power. Also I noticed when this problem started the left hydro motor would whine loud. The right side runs fine. I changed the hydro fluid and filters and it made no difference. Ive search online and seen where some people say the belt can cause this, but it seems that if the belt was the problem then both tires would be weak. After changing the fluid does the system have to be bleed like brakes on a car? Any advice would be appreciated.
 

BWH

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2011
Threads
31
Messages
345
I would have to go with the belt as well especially the way it dropped power so fast, if the hydro was giving up it would slowly get weak. There are a few things on a 616 that could go wrong with the belt drive. First obviously the belt could be worn out but again the quickness of the failure would make me wonder. The next thing is pulley wear I have had that happen on a 612 but again it was major hours and it failed over a long period of time. I would check the belt tensioner, Grasshopper had a recall on 90's units in which they sent out retro kits that actually changed the angle of the tensioner spring and the spring itself this was a big improvement. If I remember right the position of the tensioner plus the direction of travel of the belt make it possible for one hydro to slip without the other side slipping, this was the reason for the repositioning of the tension spring.

With out rambling on further I would first check how deep the belt is riding in the hydro pulley (should ride about 1/8 above the pulley) look the belt over for wear and talk to your Grasshopper dealer on the tension spring retro.

A belt would be the cheapest test and is not too bad to change.

P.S. Those hydro units self prime very well I have changed fluid in over a dozen of them and never had an issue.
 

BWH

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2011
Threads
31
Messages
345
I forgot to mention on the left hydro being louder, if you notice these hydro's are somewhat loud by themselves but if you run your machine at 1/4 throttle it really gets loud (squeals) when applying torque to the drive, they are quite a bit more quirt at full throttle. With that said it does lend itself to the theory that the left hydro is not turning at full speed.

Just a thought.
 

mwtucker32

Forum Newbie
Joined
Jun 5, 2013
Threads
1
Messages
5
Thanks man, Im going to replace the belt and have the spring checked and replaced if need be. I will let you know how it turns out.
 

mwtucker32

Forum Newbie
Joined
Jun 5, 2013
Threads
1
Messages
5
ok I replaced the belt and spring. At first I thought it made a difference, the left tire was moving alot better than before but I could still tell it was not moving same speed as right tire. You had to offset the handles by about a 1 inch to get the mower to drive straight. If I pushed both handles all the way forward it would pull to left instead of going in a straight line. I ran the mower for about 20 minutes and it begin to to get slower and slower on left tire until it got to were the left tire just stop turning altogether. I let mower sit for a bout an hour while I got my other mower and finished the yard. After it had cool off it begin to work like when I first cranked it up. Since it was getting late in the day I only ran it long enough to get it to the garage. Is it possible the hydro pump is shot. If shot how hard are they to rebuild or do you have any other suggestions.
 

BWH

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2011
Threads
31
Messages
345
Yikes! I don't like that at all especially the more it built heat the worse it become. What for fluid did you use when you changed the hydro oil? Kind of sounds like the hydro fluid changing properties when it warms up, it don't sound like a synthetic fluid product. I have heard of people changing seals and gaskets for bigger leaks but I really haven't heard of anyone rebuilding them. The problem is replacement hydro's are expensive and there are not too many used ones out there for sale. I hope you put in a lighter weight regular hydraulic oil and that is causing your problem.
 

mwtucker32

Forum Newbie
Joined
Jun 5, 2013
Threads
1
Messages
5
I did use a cheaper hydro fluid when I replaced the filters. I just don't understand why one side works fine and the other don't. I will replace with hydro max fluid. The mower was given to my wife and I for a wedding gift. It belonged to her Grand Parents, after her grandfather passed away it started giving her grandmother problems. She went and bought a new mower and the grasshopper sit in her garage for a couple years. When I got the mower it would not do nothing. The gas engine wouldn't turn over. After a lot of looking it over I found a short at the fuse box. I fixed that and it ran good the first two times I used it. So I don't mind spending a little bit of money getting it running right. I really like the front mowing deck. We have a lot of trees and bushes in our yard and the front deck is ideal if I could just get it working right. I appreciate all the help you had given me.
 

HarryHarley

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2012
Threads
0
Messages
113
Sorry I can't help with this specific issue, but I doubt very much it's the hydro fluid.
 
Top