I have had this mower for almost two years. It has 84 hours on it and has been great. I mow about 1/2 acre of perfectly flat yard. It suddenly has lost speed when mowing, in fact the longer you mow the slower it gets. I removed the deck and inspected the drive belt, couldn't really see anything wrong but I went ahead and replaced the belt thinking it may have stretched. When compared to the new one, I didn't really see any noticeable difference. I installed the new one anyway and still moves slow. The idler pulleys are fine. It's almost like the belt is too long. The engine doesn't miss a beat. It's either a belt slippage issue or the hydro unit. Any thoughts?
D110 loses speed while mowing
- Thread starter jerryotis
- Start date
The tensioner isn't adjustable but is spring loaded as most tensioners are. I can't see any issue with it, moves freely by hand and both pulleys are free. The longer I mow, the slower it goes, to the point that I had to literally help it move forward. I'm really starting to suspect the hydro unit but I may just try a shorter belt to see what happens. If a tighter belt doesn't change anything then I guess I have a hydro unit and will be VERY disappointed. My yard is dead flat and the mower has only 84 hours on it. Anybody have any suggestions?
bertsmobile1
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Two usual suspect for a mower that starts out good then travels slower as it gets hotter.
1) overheating of tranny,
Too much grass & dirt blocking the cooling fins &/or damaged fan.
2) oil level too low
Left field problems.
brake full of crud & not releasig fully
build up under mower preventing the clutch fully disengaging
broken key in one of the wheels
oil / grease on belt allowing it to slip
This is assuming you have checked the pulleys & belt properly.
1) overheating of tranny,
Too much grass & dirt blocking the cooling fins &/or damaged fan.
2) oil level too low
Left field problems.
brake full of crud & not releasig fully
build up under mower preventing the clutch fully disengaging
broken key in one of the wheels
oil / grease on belt allowing it to slip
This is assuming you have checked the pulleys & belt properly.
I don't know about the overheating, don't smell or feel anything unusual from the transmission. I spray the unit off after about every third mowing. The fan is fine.
Is there a way to check the fluid level? I understand it's non-serviceable. There are no leaks so if it is low, it came from the factory that way.
Brake assy is clean and functioning fine.
mower deck is clean
Can't say about the broken wheel key, but last night while trying to finish mowing I literally had to reach down and give an assist by pushing on the drive wheels to get moving and it didn't matter which one I rotated. As I said, it slows more and more the longer you mow.
I replaced the drive belt and there is no issue with the pulleys or belt.
I'm going to run it tonight as if I were mowing but without engaging the blades, may even take the deck off to see if it acts the same.
bertsmobile1
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Pull the plastic axel covers off the back wheels.
remove the E clip & washers.
You should now be able to see the two 1/2 square slots that make up the square hole for the drive key.
If one has broken they will not be in alignment.
Because there is a diff in the rear axel, if one key is busted, neither wheel will do much driving.
Or
Put the tranny on a pair of axel stands bypass the seat switch ( use a jump wire ) or have some one sit on the mower .
Start it and work the motion pedal while watching the axel.
If the axel is moving faster than the wheel then the drive key has sheared.
Don't agonise about why, just replace them about $ 2.50 each.
Don't forget to grease or apply anti sieze to the axel before you replace the wheel as they tend to rust solid together which makes fixing punctures a real pain.
bertsmobile1
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Also , do not wash the mower, tranny or deck with water.
Use air.
Compressor and log dust gun is best.
Leaf blower can work but it is a bit harder to get into the nooks & crannies.
Water has a bad habit of just damping down clippings & dust to make nice mud bricks.
High pressure water gets into every where and rusts everything in no time flat and causes early spindle bearing failure.
If your mower has the washout port and you use it , do the washing over grass then drive the mower over a solid dry surface like a concrete drive and leave the blades spinnig for a good 10 minutes to allow the water to dry off.
If not the action of the hor spindles cooling down will draw water into the spindle housing which kills bearings in no time flat.
Use air.
Compressor and log dust gun is best.
Leaf blower can work but it is a bit harder to get into the nooks & crannies.
Water has a bad habit of just damping down clippings & dust to make nice mud bricks.
High pressure water gets into every where and rusts everything in no time flat and causes early spindle bearing failure.
If your mower has the washout port and you use it , do the washing over grass then drive the mower over a solid dry surface like a concrete drive and leave the blades spinnig for a good 10 minutes to allow the water to dry off.
If not the action of the hor spindles cooling down will draw water into the spindle housing which kills bearings in no time flat.