Toro TimeCutter Loses Blade Power As I raise the deck

jeditig

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  • / Toro TimeCutter Loses Blade Power As I raise the deck
Okay, here is a new one. I have owned a toro zero turn since 2008. Do maintenance every year and it has run like a gem. Just did total cleaning and maintenace, oil/filter change, air, fuel filter and took off blades and sharpened. Like I do every year. The only difference is this year I used a pressure washer to clean it, instead of a hose.

HERE IS THE ISSUE: I turn it on, everything is fine. I engage the blades at 2" height, everything is fine. Then as I raise the deck height, the blades lose power. At 4" they barely turn. I am at a total loss on how the deck height forces motor to slow the blades.

I will be taking the deck back off and double checking everything, tightness of blades, belt pulley, etc and will give it a try again. Just thought I would throw this out there. Very weird.

Jason
 

bertsmobile1

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  • / Toro TimeCutter Loses Blade Power As I raise the deck
Sounds like new belt time or at least time to double check the tensoning arm is moving freely.
AS for why the blades slow down, simple geometry.
The deck moves strait up & down
but to maintain a constant distance between the drck pulley & the drive pulley the deck should move in an arc.
Way way back when mowers could be sold at a good profit, this was compensated for or decks did move in an arc
Now days they expect the spring on the pulley arm to do all the work.
 

jeditig

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  • / Toro TimeCutter Loses Blade Power As I raise the deck
Thanks, its weird because i have already cut for two months with no issues. NOw when I took it apart and cleaned it, suddenly i lose tension. Its a V belt, so maybe I will flip it and see or even tighten the from screw bolt that holds the front of the deck by a kotter pin. That should add some tension. Blades are tight and everything looks fine. else will just go and get a new, slightly tighter belt.

As for your deck height comment, so the idle/tension arm, as you raise the deck height, the distance the belt has to cover shrinks a little?
 

jeditig

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  • / Toro TimeCutter Loses Blade Power As I raise the deck
I figured it out, and after almost a decade with this mower you learn new things. Its all about the sequence I install the deck and tension arm. i did the hook and belt first then lifted up front to hook to tension arm. What I didnt realize is that there are two holes for the kotter/pin. When I did it this way a simply put it in the easy one (which is for larger decks). but when I install correct way, i put it in the far one first, then hook up deck, then move idle pulley and hook in belt. Which seats much much tighter.

Thanks
 

bertsmobile1

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  • / Toro TimeCutter Loses Blade Power As I raise the deck
Thanks, its weird because i have already cut for two months with no issues. NOw when I took it apart and cleaned it, suddenly i lose tension. Its a V belt, so maybe I will flip it and see or even tighten the from screw bolt that holds the front of the deck by a kotter pin. That should add some tension. Blades are tight and everything looks fine. else will just go and get a new, slightly tighter belt.

As for your deck height comment, so the idle/tension arm, as you raise the deck height, the distance the belt has to cover shrinks a little?

Glad to hear you sorted things out
As for the belt run. there will only be one setting where the deck pulley & the engine pulley are in alignment and this will be the shortest run.
From there on in the distance will increase.
On most mowers the in alignment is at the middle of the height adjustments but not all.
One mower I work on has the pulleys in alignment at the lowest setting thus the higher the cut the tighter the belt.
The logic behind this was higer cuts generally mean a lot higher grass thus a greater load on the deck
 
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