Help with a Mutt!

July 29, 2008

I re-joined today. I'd let things lapsed because I wasn't doing any restoration, just cutting grass and it continues to do that like nobody's business. The tractor, I've come to believe is a mutt of sorts. I think there are parts on it that don't match the original tractor. My nearest guess is that it's a mid 60's Landlord. The problem I'm having right now is with the drive belt and clutch. I think one of the pulleys in the photo below are not the correct size. The belt size that I've seen for these model Landlords is 42". There's no way a 42" belt works on this. The belt I had on it was 46" x 5/8". It worked fine. I seem to remember buying it at NAPA. I bought a replacement Gates belt, same size, and it's too "stiff". When I clutch it doesn't jam against the guard on the Bevel Gear Box pulley to stop the belt. So I thought I would get in touch with a Simplicity Dealer in a town near here and get a belt if they still make one. Before I do that I thought I'd better get things right on the pulley sizes and the belt size. Does anyone know the correct measurements on these pulleys? I suspect the one on the Bevel Gear Box is the wrong size. Mainly because it's not red. Although the belt guard seems to fit it. The measurements are across the outside of the pulleys.Any help is appreciated. I also saw in looking through some posts where someone was talking about the fact that they had seen a brake of sorts hooked onto the clutch that would brake the transmission drive pulley? Anyone seen anything like that? Thanks in advance for any answers here!

July 29, 2008

The brake your referring to is on a variable speed tranny only. The pulley you have on the bevel gear box is a deck pulley. The original (I'm not sure of the correct diameter) should be a split style pulley. This split style has the inner side driven with a key off the shaft and a couple of slip rings and a free spinning outer side. This setup allows for a smooth engagement of the clutch without the "jerk" of a stiff clutch. I would recommend getting the parts to replace this solid setup due to the stress on the rear end with the sharp clutch. You'll be much more pleased with the clutch action while changing gears and mowing with the OEM setup. With the OEM setup you can install the proper belt guides around the BGB pulley. This will stop the belt from free wheeling. Hence the lack of a need for a brake on the tranny pulley. On a side note for good belt engagement, make sure the clutch pedal isn't sticking. This will keep the belt from completely engaging.

July 29, 2008

Layton, There are three drive pulley sizes for the transmission. They are 6", 8" and 10". Not sure but think 8" is standard. The 10" is for low speed operations like tilling. The 6" must be for high speed but don't know what application(s) it is for. The PTO belt guard must be adjusted to within approximately 3/16" of the pulley. e.g. Minimum clearance without dragging when the clutch is not engaged. Check to see which hole the idler pulley is mounted in. The top hole is to accommodate "belt stretch". The bottom hole allows for a shorter belt. Suspect this may be part of the problem. I have heard of a "finger type" wire belt stop that mounts on the transmission but have never seen one. Not sure about your Landlord but my B-1 uses a Gates 6942 (42") belt and it works fine. Although, Gates belts do require a little "break-in" to work properly. Someone else may chime in and offer more assistance. Hope this has helped.

July 29, 2008

Dave et al, The early models like the 700 (and 725?) did not have the split pulley and used a solid cast iron pulley. The differance I see at the moment is the cast BGB pulley in the photo is probably not the correct pulley as the original style pulley was machined and cast to accept the rope starter cup which bolted to it. It may be that someone replaced the original split pulley becuase the nylon shims were worn out. I don't have a measurement on the OE pulley at the moment though. Another thing to note here is that the transmission pulley is an 8" pulley which is an optional pulley as opposed to the standard 6" pulley which means that the standard size belt will be to small. My tiller manual states that the 8" pulley is part # 105188 and it requires a 45" belt part #152017. So while the bgb pulley may still be in question I can say that the trans pulley is quite likley an optional part and that a 45" belt should be correct.

July 29, 2008

I believe the standard transmission pulley is 6 1/2" OD.

July 29, 2008

Wow, That was the best ten bucks I ever spent! No more wandering around by myself in the dark for me! Thanks so much folks! I'll have to figure out a plan of attack. It sounds like I'll need to get both pully's to get the original belt size, shifting, and speed. Any ideas where to pick up the correct BGB split pulley, or the part number? Same question I guess with the correct size (6 1/2")transmisssion pulley? I've always thought that the clutch action was awfully rough on it, now I know why. I have the manuals that I downloaded from the Simplicity site and didn't notice anything about that split pulley on the BGB. Smoother shifting and more speed would be a good thing. I have and extra transmission and BGB and some extra parts that came with it when I bought it. I don't recall any pulleys mounted on them, but I'll look through those tomorrow. Thanks again everyone for the help.

July 29, 2008

Reed/Greg, Thanks for jumping in and helping. :)

July 29, 2008

The split pulley and the standard transmission pulley are no longer available. You might find them on ebay at times or you could place a wanted ad in our Classifieds. You could also try one of our sponsors: http://www.sandylakeimp.com/ You may also be able to get the transmission pulley here: http://www.phoenix-mfg.com/