UPDATE!!!!
I figured out why it wasn't working! The more I deal with this mower the more I see design flaws in this early model which have probably been remedied since then. Here was the problem.
There is a "Brake Control Rod" that goes from the left to the right of the deck. Looking at the deck as if sitting on the mower's seat the rod connects to the "Deck Brake Assembly". The rod, when engaging the PTO, was sliding itself down the hole in the brake assembly causing the belt to not be completely tight. I put a cotter pin on the side of this to prevent this from happening.
Having figured this out I have 2 questions...
The brake control rod still seems very wobbly and loose when I would think it should be tight. Is there any way to change this?
Secondly.was this piece originally welded together to the brake assembly and has since come off, or was there a cotter pin here that has since been lost? There is a cotter pin connecting the rod to the other side (right side as if sitting on the mower). The picture in the manual shows the rod connected to the left brake assembly not being held on by anything.
Either way the mower works for now, I'm just trying to figure out if my cotter pin idea will work or if I will end up having to weld the pieces together, and if there's maybe a way to tighten that rod so that the cotter pin will not be needed at all.
Thanks all!
I figured out why it wasn't working! The more I deal with this mower the more I see design flaws in this early model which have probably been remedied since then. Here was the problem.
There is a "Brake Control Rod" that goes from the left to the right of the deck. Looking at the deck as if sitting on the mower's seat the rod connects to the "Deck Brake Assembly". The rod, when engaging the PTO, was sliding itself down the hole in the brake assembly causing the belt to not be completely tight. I put a cotter pin on the side of this to prevent this from happening.
Having figured this out I have 2 questions...
The brake control rod still seems very wobbly and loose when I would think it should be tight. Is there any way to change this?
Secondly.was this piece originally welded together to the brake assembly and has since come off, or was there a cotter pin here that has since been lost? There is a cotter pin connecting the rod to the other side (right side as if sitting on the mower). The picture in the manual shows the rod connected to the left brake assembly not being held on by anything.
Either way the mower works for now, I'm just trying to figure out if my cotter pin idea will work or if I will end up having to weld the pieces together, and if there's maybe a way to tighten that rod so that the cotter pin will not be needed at all.
Thanks all!