Go BottomBig RC54-B mower problems Now what do I do
 | jschauml
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 38 Ohio 
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2004-10-31 99579
I have a B-1550 with a RC54-B belly mower with about 600 hours on them. Today the gear-box along with the center spindle of the mower tore right from the deck of the mower! I did not hit anything. It appears that the deck was rusted a little and was weak at the mounting. I sure that the deck can't be welded do to alignment reasons. I've seen the cost of new belly mowers!!!! I have to many things to mow around to get a rear finish mower. Any advice out there? It seems that if I were to spend several grand for a new belly mower, I should be ahead to trade everything in and go new!
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 | grinder
Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 677 central Maine 
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2004-11-01 99597
I don't see why that can't be repaired with a piece of plate
steel ? Is this a shaft drive? If so the u-joints will make up for any MINOR misalignment.
But, it is a good reason to go get a new set up. Honey,look at this thing, it's junk! ....
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| jschauml
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 38 Ohio
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2004-11-01 99599
Well I thought about that and if I add plate to the top I don't know if the gear box shaft will still reach through the belt pulley and to the center blade spindle it drives. And if I add it to the bottom...same as above however the center blade will cut however thick the plate is closer than the other two blades causing a striped yard. Yes the deck is shaft driven but the alignment problem is between the gearbox and the center pulley and blade it sits on top of. ....
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 | DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998 Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ 
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2004-11-01 99602
Just wondering if you know if the gear box and spindle were properly lubricated at the time of the failure in addition to the rusting problem you had with the deck. ....
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 | Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2004-11-01 99605
The center gearbox is the most neglected of all. When people clean many just use a hose which helps to pack wet grass in and around the gearbox everytime. We have replaced steel on decks in the area that you are refering to although we have not done that deck. This could be a good time to trade but yet still cheaper to fix and you do have a tractor that can last many more hours. ....
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| DennisCTB
Join Date: Nov 1998 Posts: 2707 NorthWest NJ
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2004-11-01 99610
When I clean my deck I remove the spindle covers first then blow it with a backpack blower than hose it and than do the blower again, then run it before putting it away. ....
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| Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2004-11-01 99613
Dennis, air hose, or blower, that is the way to do it as the decks don't get wet and hold the moisture in the grass that gets blown into the spindle areas as well as under the belt idlers which often get fixed from the debris and canuses premature belt failure if not the deck failing also as possibly in this case. ....
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| grinder
Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 677 central Maine
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2004-11-01 99644
A good fab shop should be able to set that to the original
specs. using the same thickness plate cutting out the rust
back to good steel. It does not need any additional thickness added. Remember even a 6011 rod has 60000 psi per sq. inch,
and the deck is somewhere around 40000. In other words a proper bead of weld is stronger than the subject in this case.
I might suggest taking a couple of pics of another deck and bring them to a shop with you. ....
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| jschauml
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 38 Ohio
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2004-11-01 99658
I am very strict with the maintenance and cleaning of this tractor. Everything was well lubricated when it broke. I just finished taking the gearbox off and pulling off the blade and spindle and retrieved the piece of deck off the back of the spindle mount. Oddly enough the metal did not look rusted but fatigued as it was a clean break matching the outline of the spindle housing. ....
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| jschauml
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 38 Ohio
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2004-11-01 99659
BTW, Grinder...I'm going to run the deck into a local fab guy that has done some welding for me in the past on my trailer. I'll let you know what happens. ....
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| grinder
Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 677 central Maine
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2004-11-02 99691
If it's not rusted,perhaps something was out of balance?
Worth a check?
Good luck. ....
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| Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2004-11-02 99698
Grinder is right something is vibrating from being out of balance or had put stress on it somehow. Glad to hear it wasn't rust. ....
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| jschauml
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 38 Ohio
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2004-11-02 99702
Everything "sounded" okay before the deck broke so I'm not sure about anything out of balance. If the welder can fix it, I'm planning to get new blades since the ones on there have been sharpened many times...but still balance okay. FYI a new RC-54B is $2000.00 and a new RC-60B is $2200.00. I can get a Woods RD6000, a rear mount-rear discharge used twice for $1300.00. The tractor itself is in excellent shape, however I really don't want to put several grand in a ten year old tractor. See what I'm up against? ....
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 | jeff r
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 428 burton. michigan
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2004-11-04 99806
Had the same thing happen to my shaft drive Ariens deck last year. Got some of the same thickness metal as the deck and carefully ground out the edges of where the old deck rusted out. I then took the new same thickness metal and matched up an exact fit LEVEL replacement and MIG welded it in to place and ground it level to the surrounding existing deck metal. I then drilled new mounting hole for the gear box and repainted it and PRESTO.....You couldn't even tell the difference where the new metal ended and the old metal started. Just the new deck 14 gauge shell without the parts runs 1100.00 for my Ariens. Fixed it good as new for just my time (an entire Saturday) and some MIG Wire and gas. ....
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