Pulley problem - RCK54-23BX

[axbxnx]

My deck was making a lot of noise so I had a look - what could have happened to the bolts? Do I just replace them or must anything else be done

 

[85Hokie]

I have never seen that on a Kubota deck - and that seems to be a fairly new deck too ( xx80 series)

I would think those bolts or lack of would have made some noise earlier while mowing.

I am not sure replacing bolts is the answer just yet - you might have a bearing shot too! I would remove the belt and start removing those pulleys and see what else is damaged.

 

[Henro]

I have never seen that on a Kubota deck - and that seems to be a fairly new deck too ( xx80 series)

I would think those bolts or lack of would have made some noise earlier while mowing.

I am not sure replacing bolts is the answer just yet - you might have a bearing shot too! I would remove the belt and start removing those pulleys and see what else is damaged.

^^^^ This.

Also, pay attention to the orientation of the pulley hub when you remove it. Not sure about your deck, but with my deck, the pulley hub has a slot in the bottom which aligns with a hole in the spindle, from which grease exits into the top bearing. There is a one-in-three chance of getting things aligned properly if you just put the hub back on the spindle without thinking about it.

Towards the end of the following thread there are a couple pictures that will make sense of what I just mentioned above. Again not sure if this applies to your deck or not:

Need help with RCK60B-22BX MMM repair

I have a 2004 Kubota BX23 that came with a 60" MMM. I've had this since 2020 with no issues. Yesterday, when I engaged the mower, I heard all kinds of racket so of course I quickly turned everything off to figure out what in the world was happening. The mower blade, pulley and parts on the...

www.orangetractortalks.com

 

[axbxnx]

Thanks for this. I am trying to get the nut off this pulley and it is stuck as is the one on the other side. Any ideas on how I can get these off?

 

[armylifer]

My deck was making a lot of noise so I had a look - what could have happened to the bolts? Do I just replace them or must anything else be done

I have the same mower deck that you have and I had a similar problem this year. My pulley nuts did not come loose but the left side pulley spindle nut came completely off.

I was mowing at the time when I started to hear noise like the blade was hitting the mower deck. I stopped the tractor and raised the mower deck to inspect and the whole spindle fell out to the ground. The nut, and washer was on the mower deck so I just reassembled and tightened the nut. When I tightened the nut I used a block of wood to stop the mower blade from turning as I tightened the nut. Since I already was st it I greased all the zerks and resumed mowing. After that there were no more problems.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

I use air impact to remove the big spindle nuts, a quick 'burp' does it. In no air...block of wood and johnson bar..just be careful if nut loosens fast, you'll be on the floor, looking for the box of bandaids.....

 

[JimDeL]

You can replace the one missing bolt on the right pulley, but it looks like the holes in the left one are worn and ovalized. You'll need to replace that one.
Be sure to check the middle pulley, too, as well as all the bearings.