Archive through September 11, 2015

[jmacdonald]

I apologize if I am being a pest as I am still trying to get my 125, 48" mower deck running without any success. I have taken the deck, and under carriage off the 125 numerous times hoping to see something that might explain why the apparently correct IH-489397-R3 3/8" wide 75 1/2" long belt between the PTO, and the deck pulley is super tight. I took a few more photos of the deck with the mule drive propped up with wood hoping some eagle eye might see something I have not. The one thing I do not want to do is a hack job on the deck, so my only avenue seems to be trying to use a piece of clothesline to simulate a belt? Then measure the clothesline, and seek out a belt that length? I am leaning toward towards the 80" IH-490489-R2 or an 81" IH 473462-R4. The only difference I noticed was in the on line manual where a photo of the mule drive "idler wheels" indicated my "idler" wheel assembly was reversed. At last I thought I had found something, but it now appears that the assembly can be installed, and welded either way.

 

[rconnor]

Sean:

I am not using an automotive ignition coil, it's the coil that has, presumably, been on the tractor since 1974. I've never measured the resistance on a lawnmower coil before, so I was comparing it to what I am familiar with, automotive coils. A 3.4 Ohm resistance across the primary coil (The two outer connectors) is about double what I would expect in an automotive one. I'm not sure if this is normal for these tractors, however.

Does the 1450 have points? o.o I didn't think it had a distributor o.o

 

[lpalma]

James m.

what is the dia. of the mule drive pulleys? should be 3 1/2
The closest IH belt I can find is 3/8 x 78 59971c1

 

[jbaker]

James, I do not know narrow frames but can you get a picture of the adjusting bolt that comes out the front? I am wondering if that is original or home made, some of guys will comment, it appears that the mule drive has been repainted.

 

[kmcconaughey]

Richard, the coil used on a Kohler has a built in resistor, thus the higher resistance reading. There are points on the Kohler, they are located on the carb side down low and towards the front. Here is a photo (photo taken by Chris Bennett) of a partially disassembled 1450, I have outlined the points with a red oval.

Here is a wiring diagram that covers the 1450 that might be helpful:

 

[kmcconaughey]

James M., I can't spot anything wrong with that setup. The mule drive/deck hanger appears to be in exceptional condition, other than the swapped pulley brackets. But I agree, that should have no bearing on the belt length issue. I like your idea for using cloths line to measure the required length.

 

[nbextermueller]

James.

I like the clothesline idea also. I don't see anything wrong with your setup either. I personally wouldn't worry about have the right IH part # doesn't fit. Just get the right length and run it.

Are you sure the belt you have is a 3/8" belt and not a 1/2" belt? A 4 1/2" difference in length is alot. A 1/2" belt would run alot higher in the pulleys requiring a longer belt.

Run the clothesline through and see what ya get. If it's 80" sitting in the bottom of the pulleys. Just buy an 80" x 3/8" and be done with it.

 

[jpatchett]

James M.

The clothesline line will get you in the ball park but due to the fact it will rest farther in the pulleys the length it will give you will be short. If you question your belt length a local hardware store should have a belt measuring device, this is the best way to know the length. Keep in mind new belts are tight and stretch a little over time.

The tractor, mule drive and deck you have appear to be from the same era. This means there are usually no/few fit up issues.

It is hard to say but the tension spring appears larger than the OEM spring

The single most important aspect of the mower belt installation is the mule drive pulleys position relative to the PTO. The belt needs to travel straight down (red arrow) from the PTO to both mule drive pulleys. The belt adjustment is done to make both mule drive pulleys somewhat even fore and aft (blue arrow). Over time this will change a little. The spring sets the tension. If the spring has been replaced with one that has a larger wire gage, different length or diameter, than the spring will create belt tension greater that intended by IHCC. The tension should be enough to keep the belt from slipping, too much increases loading on the bearings

If both mule drive pulleys with the belt on are aft/toward the rear (their leading edge not under the PTO) and the tension spring is stretched to the point that the gap between the coils is too great (gap 2x > wire dia), then the belt is indeed too tight, short. Assuming the spring is the correct one.

Jim

 

[rgreenly]

James M. I have used 3/8 rope to get a belt length in the past. Seemed to work really well plus it's pretty close to the actual belt width. Just my 2 cents worth. Good luck

 

[jstertz]

Doug A--thanks for that number. I had no clue that they were that rare.

Does anyone have one set up for plowing that they could post pics of. Or some photos from the vast collection of our very own "Keeper of the photos"???

 

[aschumacher]

James and Louis, I went out and dug my old mule drive out of the vines and leaves and stuff. My pullys are 3" OD, not 3 1/2 as Louis noted. Also your pullies appear to be replacements, are they the correct diameter. (mine are 2 stamped halfs spot welded with a bearing inbetween). As far as the spring, mine looks like yours 11 turns 3 3/8" tip to tip. It doesn't look like the one in the line drawing picture! Yup, use a rope and see what fits.

 

[jmacdonald]

Allen S. Yes my Mule drive pulleys are 3".
My tension spring looks a little worse for wear, but here is a photo with the dimensions.

Nic yes it is a 3/8" belt.
Jeff here's a picture of the tension adjuster bolt.

The 3/8" rope just arrived so I'll reinstall the deck, and see what it measures.

 

[pfunk]

Joshua, these pictures aren't the greatest, but here's my 126 plow tractor. I added an auxiliary brake pedal that you may be able to make out. It brakes the "land" wheel which is the one that usually looses traction. The clutch/brake pedal still activates both brakes. The auxiliary just overrides the left wheel brake.

I don't recall exactly, but I think those wheel weights are 65 lbs each. It does a nice job.

 

[jpatchett]

James M.

The springs overall length is not as important as the wire gage size, number of coils and coil diameter. The length does change with wire gage size, so if your spring is longer and has 11 coils the wire gage might be too large. This means the spring is providing too much tension.

I looked at the mule drive I have that is the same as yours and the spring on it appears to be original or painted yellow at one time.

The wire size dia is = 0.137"
The coil ID is = 0.72"
The coil OD is = 1.0"
There are 11 coils with a length of 1.5" (only the coils are measured for length). The over all length is about 3.5 inches and not 4.0.

Jim

 

[jstertz]

Paul F---thanks for the photos. That is a very sweet looking little machine! I'm gonna send you an email and get more info about that extra brake. Did you add the hydraulic lift too? Do you have any engine or drive train upgrades? I sure like it!

 

[digger]

Seems like an awful lot of work for a 5.00 spring, LOL

 

[mgwin]

Richard Connor,

I believe Kraig has an instruction/pic on how to check an ignition coil. I was sure it was in the FAQ's, but I didn't see it there.

Has anyone looked at the five page belt chart in Charlie's FAQ's? This may or may not help.

 

[rconnor]

Thanks Kraig McConaughey, that seems a more likely suspect than that the ignition coil spontaneously failed. It's been a month or two since I had to run my tractor, the points could have corroded together. I'll take a look at that tomorrow!

 

[hsimon]

Jeff- my 582 is a very early production 582

Art- how can we forget the tire incident or you running a 59m with sandals

 

[pfunk]

Joshua, no engine or drive train upgrades. You'll learn to appreciate a spring assist or hydraulic lift if you want to do much plowing. If you drop me an email, I'll try to get some pictures. It's been so long ago I don't recall how I added the auxiliary brake.