Snapper Pro 200xt 61" vibration with blades on

KYfarmer

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I was mowing a rough area when I heard a grind noise, some sparks fly out the discharge... assumed I hit a rock. Shut the blades down... drove up to a flat clear area... looked under the deck and around the deck... nothing obvious. Turned the blades back on... much rougher then before. Took it over the barn. Lifted it up. Pulled the blades. Checked balance and bend (all 3 looked good, sharpened them while they were off). Noticed the belt was loose... a lot looser then I remember it. Pulled the belt, checked the spindles. They look an feel fine. Greased the spindles while I was in there. Put it back together... notice something has definitely changed. I don't have enough room on the eyebolt to get the tension I need on the belt. I'm maxed out (it definitely was not before, I had to move the jam nut over 2"). At this point I've been looking and trying to understand what moved. With the tension I have now (the max) I ran the blades and the belt is definitely flopping. Still looking and inspecting, trying to figure this out, but thought I would reach out while I'm at it.

The other thing I noted... by the manual, my idler arm spring should be 7 1/4... I'm assuming I have a different version, or someone replaced it with one for a 72" deck at some point because I'm at 6 5/8 (although I'm not as tight as I should be... there's no way I'm getting another 3/4 inch out of it)
 

KYfarmer

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I've been all through this thing. Getting late so Monday I'm going to try the obvious... a new belt. I can't figure what would make a belt stretch by hitting something, but right now I think it's the only thing that makes sense...

Belt goes from deck to the clutch on the motor... the motor is secure, it hasn't moved... clutch shaft looks straight... can't see how possibly the deck moved (way too many components would have to have failed for that (its connected to the mower in 6 places))... so for now, that's my plan
 

bertsmobile1

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Pull the deck off and flip it up or over .
Grab the ends of each blade and try to move them see-saw fashion in a 1/2 dozen different positions.
The mounting points on the spindles can break.
When there is load on them the crack opens up which causes the blade and the pulleys to be in the wrong positions.

Fan belts stretch, mower belts do not stretch much more than 0.5% because of the kevlar fibres being so strong.
Eyeball the deck pulleys as a good whack can bend a deck a lot easier than most would believe.
 

Homer1

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I don't know if your tensioner is like the majority of mine, but mine bolts through the deck and tightens down to hold its position. Possible maybe that if you hit something that hard it jerked you tensioner setting out of place, and now it won't let you get what you need. If that makes sense. I am just thinking out loud.
 
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