Crunchynut
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- Apr 14, 2022
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Posting this in case it helps someone with the same problem.
Travelling in reverse, my Ariens Apex zero turn was going at different speeds between axles. Although you can adjust the problem with the controls by slowing the quicker side, it means the overall reversing speed is less.
So I stripped things down to inspect. With the big control arm disconnected I could see that the control lever on the slow transaxle would move full throw if pushed manually, so the fault appeared to be the mechanism between the big control arm and the control lever on the transaxle. Both of the big control arms (each side) bottom-out on the chassis when pulled into reverse, so nothing wrong there. So next I looked at the couplings between the base of the big control arms and the transaxle control lever to try and find out where I was losing movement. I noticed that the bolt connecting the problem big control arm to the vertical coupling wasn’t perpendicular. It was only a few degrees out, but it was ‘robbing’ the mechanism of a millimetre or two. Given that the neutral to full speed travel of the transaxle control lever is only 5 or 6 mm this is significant. The ‘out of plumb’ was being caused by the end plate on the big control arm being slightly bent, hence sending the attached bolt off at an angle. I straightened this out and it was enough to return full reverse travel. It did have the effect of slowing forward speed on this side, but this is easily adjusted by an adjustable stop bolt on the Apex model.
By the way, the mower only has 13 hrs on it in domestic use so I’m guessing it came from the factory like that. But the thing that attracted me to this mower is how easy to maintain it appeared, as has been proved.
Travelling in reverse, my Ariens Apex zero turn was going at different speeds between axles. Although you can adjust the problem with the controls by slowing the quicker side, it means the overall reversing speed is less.
So I stripped things down to inspect. With the big control arm disconnected I could see that the control lever on the slow transaxle would move full throw if pushed manually, so the fault appeared to be the mechanism between the big control arm and the control lever on the transaxle. Both of the big control arms (each side) bottom-out on the chassis when pulled into reverse, so nothing wrong there. So next I looked at the couplings between the base of the big control arms and the transaxle control lever to try and find out where I was losing movement. I noticed that the bolt connecting the problem big control arm to the vertical coupling wasn’t perpendicular. It was only a few degrees out, but it was ‘robbing’ the mechanism of a millimetre or two. Given that the neutral to full speed travel of the transaxle control lever is only 5 or 6 mm this is significant. The ‘out of plumb’ was being caused by the end plate on the big control arm being slightly bent, hence sending the attached bolt off at an angle. I straightened this out and it was enough to return full reverse travel. It did have the effect of slowing forward speed on this side, but this is easily adjusted by an adjustable stop bolt on the Apex model.
By the way, the mower only has 13 hrs on it in domestic use so I’m guessing it came from the factory like that. But the thing that attracted me to this mower is how easy to maintain it appeared, as has been proved.
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