HDS 2185 - PTO Clutch Stop Stud

[Dave Masicotte]

Good morning- new member here. I have a 200X HDS 2185 that has suddenly started chewing up drive belts. The clutch runs freely with no belt on it, and the mule pulleys look good (aligned and spin freely). I did notice that when the clutch engages, it shifts just a 1/8 or 1/4 inch or so until the one Clutch Stop Stud in the notch of the outer edge of the clutch makes contact and limits rotation. I also see that there is another notch and a corresponding tapped hole in the mounting area that looks like another clutch stop stud would thread in there. However, in looking at the exploded diagram, I only see one stud. Trying to figure out if the play caused by a potentially missing stop stud is my issue here. Any thoughts much appreciated. Thank you!

 

[mgonitzke]

One stud only.

What are you using for belts? OEM or aftermarket? Is the belt also aligning properly with the drive pulley on the deck?

 

[Dave Masicotte]

One stud only.

What are you using for belts? OEM or aftermarket? Is the belt also aligning properly with the drive pulley on the deck?

Thanks for the clarification on the stud. The belt is a 1/2" by 110.5" kevlar belt from V-Belt Guys. I had one of the exact same ones on there for two years, tons of hours, with no issue until it died this summer. I've now gone through three in the space of a few hours operating time. I've gone through all the usual suspects- nicks, bearings, alignment, etc. No obvious issues. What seems to happen is that after an hour of use or so, the belt will twist/roll as it comes over the PTO pully. You can hear the rpms of the engine change when that happens so I quickly shut down the machine, but what has generally happened is the belt is then distorted from having made however many circuits in the twisted orientation. If you reorient the belt, it will quickly happen again and will shred/self-destruct if run that way for a minute or two. Frustrating! This is a working farm and I'm used to working on all kinds of belt driven equipment, but I'm at a loss here!

 

[kharvey]

Try reversing the belt, sometimes they run better on direction than the other.