AAAHH! Got my shed w/Ramp, Can't get Tractor in!
andrelaplume2
16 years ago
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machiem
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agomownie
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Steering play on Craftsman Lawn Tractor
Comments (13)***"The half moon sector gear slip pass the teeth when you hear that rip sound. this caused the sector gear to not be center and you will have less or very little right or left steering wheel travel in the direction that the gear is short in."*** NO, the "rip" sound is when the PINION TEETH are "jumping over the teeth on the sector gear, not the other way around. Look at it this way. If you removed the sector gear from the tractor and left the steering wheel, steering column, and pinion gear in place......you would be able to sit there and spin the steering wheel in whichever direction you chose (CW or CCW), to the end of time (or til the economy turns around), without ever reaching a stopping point. It is the SECTOR GEAR that limits the number of revolutions you can turn the steering wheel from "lock to lock". What is happening with the "worn out" steering gears (and wear in the shaft bushing and wear in the sector gear pivot) where "you can turn more in a certain direction than the opposite direction" is because when you turn the steering in one direction.....the sector gear is PULLING on the drag link, and this increases the "separation space" or, "clearance between the pinion gear and the sector gear. With the extra clearance caused by turning in that direction, the pinion teeth will begin "jumping over" the teeth on the sector gear BEFORE the sector gear is able to rotate far enough for the front wheels to reach the limit of travel. BUT, when you turn the steering wheel in the opposite direction, the sector gear is PUSHING on the drag link. This has the effect of forcing the sector gear tighter against the pinion gear and thus, the pinion and sector gears remain in good mesh, and you can move the front wheels to the limit of travel when turing that direction ONLY. Trying to "center" or "index" the steering wheel does not help you make equally effective turns in either direction once the wear and slop reach the point of "jumping teeth". "Indexing" the steering wheel really only means that you have equal spacing of the spokes of the steering wheel on both sides of the clock (imagine the steering wheel is an analog clock face) when the front wheels are oriented "straight ahead". Indexing is not critical for operation of the steering system in executing turns. Indexing only becomes an issue where the position of a spoke might hide or conceal a dash gauge, indicator light or other important feature of the dash or instrument panel. If none of those details apply, it matters not the least where the steering wheel (and pinon gear are oriented). Driving a tractor typically involves so much turning of the steering wheel that you hardly roll more than a few feet before you need to turn the steering wheel one way or the other, so having the steering wheel properly indexed to the dash is not something that will keep the wheel positioned "in use", as you indexed it "while parked". Highway vehicles are almost the opposite (in regard to "centering the steering wheel") for a couple of reasons. First, the sector gears in the steering gearbox of those vehicles are made with "uneven size gear teeth". The teeth in the exact center of those sector gears, (or the center teeth of the "rack gear" in Rack & Pinion designs) are "slightly bigger" than the gear teeth on the rest of the sector gear (or rack gear in those types). The larger teeth in the center actually "bind mesh", or create an "interference fit" with the teeth of the pinion gear which reduces the clearance between pinion and sector (or rack) gears to ZERO. This "interference mesh" removes all slack or "free play" between the two gears and that means that you can "feel the road" with the steering wheel and the vehicle has a minimum amount of "hunting" caused by cumulative clearance in all the other components of the steering system. Why do they only make the center teeth "fit this tight" and not the entire sector (or rack) gear? Because, when you execute a "low speed turn" (like turning into a parking space etc.) it is desirable that the mesh be "looser" to make steering easier. Secondly, because of the greater "array" of instruments on the dash of highway vehicles, and the recent trend of having "steering wheel mounted functions or controls" (cruise control, entertainment sound systems, horn, to name just a few), it is "vital" that the steering wheel be indexed properly, so the steering wheel mounted features can be seen, and operated easily and accurately. The same constraints do not apply to your typical yard/garden tractor....See Morenew rider can't go uphill. whats wrong?
Comments (26)Thanks Fisher, I'm going to try that right after the suggestion you made about the disengage switch. It sounds to me like a slipping belt is the most likely problem. So if someone could give me some specifics on what I'm looking for here, that'd be awsome. How much play should be in the belt? Obviously, I can tell if its damaged cracked or contaminated, but I need someone to help me figure out how much tension should be there and how to adjust it if its not the right tension. V-belts on cars typically call for 1" to 1.5" of play in the center of the belt. Is this true of a mower drive belt also? This thing has got to be a big belt, running from the center of the motor back to the center of the transaxle, I'm guessing its nearly 6 feet in diameter...so 1" of play would be incredibly tight over such a large diameter...I don't want to try tightening it to that point if its not supposed to be that snug and I'll destroy something with too much tension. I'm mechanically inclined & all, and if this were an old Chevy or a VW I could have it running like a champ overnight, but I have ZERO experience with these things, which is why I need y'alls help getting my feet wet. I need some specs if I'm ever to diagnose this thing properly. Just gotta learn what I'm supposed to be looking at......See MoreSnowblowing: Tractor vs Walk Behind
Comments (48)I have about 150' of moderately sloped asphalt drive in Wisconsin. Been here for 35 years, During that time I have had four tractors, one with a blade and two with blowers. For two years I had a high end Toro walk behind. I regard the blade as a bad call for me. One 15" snowstorm with drifting and I had to pay to have the drive cleared. Just not enough oomph even going downhill (tractor was a big wheeled heavy Case).. The negative about the tractors with snow blowers is that they are a bit clumsy and the season switchover. Other than that they are fast and comfortable (I wear mad bomber hat and ski goggles). That two years with a walk behind left me wanting a tractor mounted snowblower again. Currently I have a JD GX345 with a 42 blower. I love it. First the swapover takes me about 45 minutes including hosing, greasing, and putting away the deck or blower. Working out wheels to move the deck and blower for swapping was a burst of genius for some engineer. Makes what used to be a pain easy, and takes away a big advantage of the walk behind. I have liquid filled tires and 3 - iron suitcase weights. With that and the, ahem, substantial weight of the operator I don't need the chains anymore.. We just had a 5" snowfall here. Some neighbors couldn't do their drives for various reasons--heart surgery, broken equipment, etc.. A neighbor with a walk behind and I did a total of 5 drives , most about the size of mine. I could do three in the time it took him to do one, so we quickly ended up with me doing the drives and him doing the tighter places. Good combo. With my new found ease of equipment changeover, I don't have any doubts anymore as to what works best for me....See MorePressure Treated w/moisture at 20%
Comments (2)1] Go ahead and paint. Your choice of primer was a good one. 2] Don't worry about that. Some will tell you NOT to back coat, even if you could. 3] make sure it's their solid decking and not just solid acrylic, which would be too soft....See Morejohntommybob
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