spicedreams
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- Jan 29, 2021
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Hi,
I have bought one of these large self-propelled walk-behind mowers to help tame a lot of rank Kikuyu grass in New Zealand.
The Briggs & Stratton 11.5HP starts well and gives plenty of power both for the blade and the wheels BUT
I think someone has put it back together wrong so that the drive belt mechanism to transfer power to the wheels does not work well.
Power transfer works like this: the pulley wheel at the back is driven direct by the engine and always turns as the engine spins. But the drive belt is loose enough that it doesn't always get turned by the turning pulley wheel. To put power on to the main wheels, you have to pull up on a control rod (one rod each side for separate transfer to the two main wheels) which moves a lever which pushes a running wheel against the outside of the drive belt, tightening its grip on the pulley wheels either end and transferring power from the driving pulley to the driven pulley, and through a gear to the main wheel.
The control rods are attached to a cam on a handle like the brake handle of a bike. As I received the mower, the brake handles hung below the handlebar grip and the only way to get power to the main wheels was to pull the brake handle up past the handlebar until almost upright. This transferred power to the main wheel and the whole mower moves- it's just almost impossible to control. You need two hands on the handlebars and separate hands to manage the "brake handles".
In the photo of the right handlebar, the "brake handle" is where I have moved it, above the handlebar grip. The control rod is above the handlebar throughout. Oriented like this, the "brake handle" pulls the control rod, which works the whole mechanism and looks like it should transfer power well to the right main wheel.
The same layout does not work for the left side, though. It _looks like_ the control rod is identical to the right control rod, where it should be a mirror image. It does not seem able to go above the handlebar all the way along, or connect well to the left "brake handle", and doesn't pull the lever to engage the left side drive.
Does anyone know how this is meant to be connected up? Photos, or a manual, would be great.. Or some experience of a similar arrangement?
I have bought one of these large self-propelled walk-behind mowers to help tame a lot of rank Kikuyu grass in New Zealand.
The Briggs & Stratton 11.5HP starts well and gives plenty of power both for the blade and the wheels BUT
I think someone has put it back together wrong so that the drive belt mechanism to transfer power to the wheels does not work well.
Power transfer works like this: the pulley wheel at the back is driven direct by the engine and always turns as the engine spins. But the drive belt is loose enough that it doesn't always get turned by the turning pulley wheel. To put power on to the main wheels, you have to pull up on a control rod (one rod each side for separate transfer to the two main wheels) which moves a lever which pushes a running wheel against the outside of the drive belt, tightening its grip on the pulley wheels either end and transferring power from the driving pulley to the driven pulley, and through a gear to the main wheel.
The control rods are attached to a cam on a handle like the brake handle of a bike. As I received the mower, the brake handles hung below the handlebar grip and the only way to get power to the main wheels was to pull the brake handle up past the handlebar until almost upright. This transferred power to the main wheel and the whole mower moves- it's just almost impossible to control. You need two hands on the handlebars and separate hands to manage the "brake handles".
In the photo of the right handlebar, the "brake handle" is where I have moved it, above the handlebar grip. The control rod is above the handlebar throughout. Oriented like this, the "brake handle" pulls the control rod, which works the whole mechanism and looks like it should transfer power well to the right main wheel.
The same layout does not work for the left side, though. It _looks like_ the control rod is identical to the right control rod, where it should be a mirror image. It does not seem able to go above the handlebar all the way along, or connect well to the left "brake handle", and doesn't pull the lever to engage the left side drive.
Does anyone know how this is meant to be connected up? Photos, or a manual, would be great.. Or some experience of a similar arrangement?
