If you want something done right.... Troy Bilt 26J Mini Rider 30 " no go

basshole

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  • / If you want something done right.... Troy Bilt 26J Mini Rider 30 " no go
Hey all, I am the 2nd owner of a 26J mini rider (manufactured 2/2013). Mower starts and runs great. I purchased in 2016. The mower always "jerks" when you let out on the clutch. Lowering the rpm's, and starting in different gears does not change the jerking. I am guessing flat spot on drive belt? But that is just a guess.

Last month, the mower would not move in forward or reverse. I do not have a lift, and could not figure out how to get to the drive belt, so I took it to a local shop after google search on reviews. Shop has had it for 4 weeks (busy). Received a call yesterday (Saturday) that it was fixed (clutch was out of adjustment), and it was running/moving fine now (they did not replace any parts). Went to pickup, they drove it out of their fenced in area, and I noticed it was in 6th gear. I jumped on, started, put in 1st, no go, tried all gears, none worked except for 6th with the whiplash jerk. They said it would be looked at tomorrow (Monday).

Question - Anyone have instructions on how to replace the drive belt, and adjust clutch? I have downloaded the parts and operator manuals from Troy-Bilt.

Model # 13BC26JD011
422486
Serial # 1B013B60200
DOM 02/2013

thanks in advance.

Robin
 
Last edited:

basshole

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  • / If you want something done right.... Troy Bilt 26J Mini Rider 30 " no go
Hey all, I am the 2nd owner of a 26J mini rider (manufactured 2/2013). Mower starts and runs great. I purchased in 2016. The mower always "jerks" when you let out on the clutch. Lowering the rpm's, and starting in different gears does not change the jerking. I am guessing flat spot on drive belt? But that is just a guess.

Last month, the mower would not move in forward or reverse. I do not have a lift, and could not figure out how to get to the drive belt, so I took it to a local shop after google search on reviews. Shop has had it for 4 weeks (busy). Received a call yesterday (Saturday) that it was fixed (clutch was out of adjustment), and it was running/moving fine now (they did not replace any parts). Went to pickup, they drove it out of their fenced in area, and I noticed it was in 6th gear. I jumped on, started, put in 1st, no go, tried all gears, none worked except for 6th with the whiplash jerk. They said it would be looked at tomorrow (Monday).

Question - Anyone have instructions on how to replace the drive belt, and adjust clutch? I have downloaded the parts and operator manuals from Troy-Bilt.

Model # 13BC26JD011
422486
Serial # 1B013B60200
DOM 02/2013

thanks in advance.

Robin

As you can tell, I am po'd at the shop. You are not allowed to speak with the mechanics, only the lady at the counter. I asked her to have them replace the drive belt, as it is 4 years old when I dropped it off. When I asked why there were no charges for the belt, only $ 42 for labor, she said the mechanic did not think it needed to be replaced.

Robin
 

bertsmobile1

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  • / If you want something done right.... Troy Bilt 26J Mini Rider 30 " no go
Actually you have found a good repair shop.
One that does not replace perfectly good parts for no reason.
Most just look at the maintanance schedule and swap out every part on the list regardless which can double the cost of a service.
They also stood behind their work and redid a job that you though was not done properly.

Get an owners manual for your mower and read it carefully.
I think it has a variable speed pulley system and if that is correct you must never change speeds unless the engine is running.
The "speeds" are just fixed positions on a variable diameter pulley but the pulleys need to be spinning, if not they both end up at their smallest diameters so no drive from the belt as it will be too loose.

OH & S insurance will not cover a customer in the workshop.
If the shop has a 4 week wait, it is because it is a good shop.
Allowing the mechanics to talk to customers costs money, around $ 50.00 / hour and of course extends the wait period as while talking to you for 20 minutes they are not fixing some one elses mower.
In an ideal world , the person behind the counter would be a retired tech with a vast knowledge covering every mower made in the past 30 years.
However his is not a ideal world.
And yes if you specifically asked for the belt to be replaced they should have done it regardless which is a fault in their booking system.

People come to me with old mowers with worn pulleys and I find a smaller belt that will work with their worn parts.
The brand name dealer OTOH is obliged to replace all the worn parts which in one case came out to $ 475 on a mower that is worth $ 500 retail.
 

cpurvis

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  • / If you want something done right.... Troy Bilt 26J Mini Rider 30 " no go
Question - Anyone have instructions on how to replace the drive belt, and adjust clutch? I have downloaded the parts and operator manuals from Troy-Bilt.
How could it be the belt or clutch when no other gear in the transmission works?
 

basshole

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  • / If you want something done right.... Troy Bilt 26J Mini Rider 30 " no go
Actually you have found a good repair shop.
One that does not replace perfectly good parts for no reason.
Most just look at the maintanance schedule and swap out every part on the list regardless which can double the cost of a service.
They also stood behind their work and redid a job that you though was not done properly.

Get an owners manual for your mower and read it carefully.
I think it has a variable speed pulley system and if that is correct you must never change speeds unless the engine is running.
The "speeds" are just fixed positions on a variable diameter pulley but the pulleys need to be spinning, if not they both end up at their smallest diameters so no drive from the belt as it will be too loose.

OH & S insurance will not cover a customer in the workshop.
If the shop has a 4 week wait, it is because it is a good shop.
Allowing the mechanics to talk to customers costs money, around $ 50.00 / hour and of course extends the wait period as while talking to you for 20 minutes they are not fixing some one elses mower.
In an ideal world , the person behind the counter would be a retired tech with a vast knowledge covering every mower made in the past 30 years.
However his is not a ideal world.
And yes if you specifically asked for the belt to be replaced they should have done it regardless which is a fault in their booking system.

People come to me with old mowers with worn pulleys and I find a smaller belt that will work with their worn parts.
The brand name dealer OTOH is obliged to replace all the worn parts which in one case came out to $ 475 on a mower that is worth $ 500 retail.

I picked up the Mower today. It does move forward and reverse, but you better have your spurs dug in, as it bucks like a wild horse. The mechanic came out and said they all jerk when letting out the clutch. Hmm, well, at least he only charged me $45.00. After I brought it home, I figured out how to access the drive belt area, and as I suspected, the belts do need to be replaced. The lower belt has flat spots in several areas. New belts are on their way! I will take photos comparing the new replacement belts with the old ones.
I grew up on a farm, drove a 1965 open cab gleaner combine, it had belts all over the thing. They were good for flat spotting a belt, where the pulley just cut a grove into the belt, and then it would not spin up correctly. We did our own repairs.

Oh well lessons learned.
In my spare time, I will do a write up on the repair with photos, in case someone else out there has the same issues.
bertsmobile1, you are correct in that there is one variable diameter pulley that adjusts with the speed selector.
 

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basshole

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  • / If you want something done right.... Troy Bilt 26J Mini Rider 30 " no go
Still looking for a service manual if anyone has one.
 

BlazNT

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  • / If you want something done right.... Troy Bilt 26J Mini Rider 30 " no go
MTD does not release service manuals to the public.
 

bertsmobile1

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  • / If you want something done right.... Troy Bilt 26J Mini Rider 30 " no go
I don't think there is one.
However MTD put out a series of books called "The Must Have Guides" which cover most of the legacy models of brands they took over.
They are available as a PDF all over the the place. You are looking for book 2 " RER & Lawn Tractors "
More of a they all work this way type of book rather than fold tab B in slot C but a reasonably astute person such as ourself should have no problems.

As for variable drive systems.
We got the biggest pile of puss masquerading as a mower, the STIGA Compact down here and because they were he absolute cheapest ride on available hundreds were sold to unsuspecting home owners.
The 5Hp engine sits on the deck and drives the blades directly with another pulley to power the transaxle which has a F & R + variable pulleys, 2 of them.
I got one having never seen this arrangement, pulled it apart , could not find anything really wrong except both variable drive pulleys wee sprung in the same direction.
Rebuilding it and it worked.
Dropped it off customer was happy then a month latter, it came back in with the same no drive problem.
Did the same pulled it down worked the pulleys a couple of times then reassembled and took it back.
Customer happy so he put all his idiot mates who also had these junk piles .
Now he was a pensioner so got it fixed for $ 120 ( 2 hours ) as against the actual 10 hours it took to do the job.

Now to cut things short, these kept coming back till eventually some one here posted the "fix" for variable speed pulley systems where the operator changes speeds with the engine turned off, which causes a total loss of drive as both pulleys spring to the smallest diameter so the belt runs loose.
 

Boobala

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  • / If you want something done right.... Troy Bilt 26J Mini Rider 30 " no go
MTD does not release service manuals to the public.

Hey Chuck, Just went to the MTD website where I USED to get a listing of their manuals ( Parts AND SHOP Service Manuals) gettin a new page from Force.com ...???? tried all my other little bag of back-doors and its the same Schitt !! got any idea whats going on ..??? I have several service manuals BUT they're in PDF format, only way to send is by email , and I'm not sure which he needs , never heard of this MTD "mini-rider" ...???
 
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