Frustrated with busted springs

[carter 0]

Do you mean the spring (1666786) from the handle/rod to the idler bracket near the center PTO..?

[SimpleMan 8]

Yes, it is the spring that goes form the handle/rod to the idler bracket.

[grandpawrichard 0]

I'll measure mine tomorrow and post again. You say the springs are breaking in different places, so I assume they're just snapping with no indication that they are rubbing somewhere. Did you ask your dealer what he meant, "... that the problem is with the setup on the tractor"? Did he mean your Sovereign or all Sovereigns..?

[SimpleMan 8]

Hi to all. I'm hoping someone can give me a suggestion to the following. On my Sovereign, the mower drive belt tension spring (from tractor to mower), has bust on me too many times. I replaced it twice last year, and it just broke again a few minutes ago. I already filed some of the edges of the brackets that rubbed against the spring to round off any edges.I consistantly make sure that my belt tension is set according to the owners manual. The springs do not seem to break in the same places. Is the material being used for these springs defective? I have tried alternative sources, but have not had any luck. My dealer insists that the problem is with the setup on the tractor, but I am very doubtfull about that. Oh well,l suppose I'll go buy another spring, again! Any suggestions, comments are very welcome as I am getting frustrated with this problem. Thanks to all. GordU Ps. On my Dad's 917H, which he bought in 83, the original spring is still in use. Obviously, there is a difference.

[SimpleMan 8]

Thanks for the reply...here's the deal. The first two times the spring broke, it broke at the spot where it rubs up against the stationary idler bracket, so I rounded off those edges to prevent that. This time, it broke right at the hook end of the spring. It was a clean break, with no signs of rubbing/wear. Unfortunatly, I did not see which end it was. As far as the dealer issue is concerned. I am giving him the benefit of doubt as this is his first year dealing with Simplicity, he was'nt very specific with his reasoning, although he did suggest that I was the only one coming to him with this trouble. I did not buy the tractor from this dealer. He retired, and sold the dealership to the individual I am now dealing with. Let me know what your spring size is...I compared mine to my dad's, and they match in length, but the thickness of the springs has changed over the years.

[SimpleMan 8]

The spring on my '78 7012 is 6" overall when relaxed and stretches to 7" when tensioned. The spring on my '96 Sovereign is 6" overall when relaxed and stretches to 9" when tensioned.

[SimpleMan 8]

I have a theory (and only that). Even though I make sure that my mower/pto belt is tensioned properly (according to the owners manual) I do have a lot of small hills/mogels on my lawn. My theory is, that with all the up/down movement of the mower that the spring is being stretched beyond it's limit. My question is, should I consider setting my belt tension a little looser? Or, does this not sound like it could be the answer to my problem? I have a Simplicity belt installed (still the one that came with the tractor when I bought it in 98).