b6200 mower deck belt replacement

[Tobers]

First time owner. b6200 HST. I've had it a month. The belt just broke while I was mowing. Requesting some basic advice: i. Is it worth it to spring for a kubota belt versus an aftermarket? ii. Is there a resource on this forum/online showing/describing how this is done? I have the manual, but it would be nice to see it done. iii) while I have the deck down what else should I do in terms of maintenance? iv) is there anything I should check to be sure that the belt failure wasn't caused by anything else? the deck is rc48-62h. thank you! rick

 

[BruceP]

Over the years, I have worked on MANY mowdecks on a lot of machines.

Any quality KEVLAR belt of the proper length and width will work fine. There is often a routing diagram sticker on the mowdeck showing how it goes on. All mowdecks are different. Some require unbolting stuff to put a belt on.

Basically, you route the belt where it should go... pull back on the spring-loaded tensioner as you work the belt over the last pulley.

When I remove mowdeck, I flip it over and spend an hour or so scraping the buildup off of it. A stiff putty knife or wide crowbar works for me. Scrape it outside cuz it makes a mess. A 'clean' deck really makes a difference how it mows, distributes the clippings better, and uses less engine-power (saves fuel)

While the belt is removed, inspect the blade pinions (spindles). Spin them, listen for bearing noise. Wiggle them checking for endplay and rounout. Also check any idler-pullies and their bearings.

You should ALWAYS have 2 sets of blades. In this way, the sharpened ones can be bolted right on. The dull ones can be sharpened at your leisure without having the mower 'down'.

When putting deck on machine, park it on LEVEL surface (concrete is preferred) and measure from ground to deck in several locations. The goal is to have it LEVEL side-to-side and the front of the deck should be about 1/4 inch LOWER than the rear. In this way, the blades only cut the grass ONE TIME at the front.

Having the rear of the mowdeck level or below the front means the engine has to cut the grass TWICE which simply wastes your fuel and dulls the blades twice as fast.

Remember that the anti-scalp wheels are NOT supposed to normally touch the ground. They are only there to prevent the blades from touching the ground on uneven ground.

Again, all mowdecks are different... Some are intended to only 'hang' from the machine while none of the wheels touch... Others have wheels which ride on the ground to follow the contours.

You also asked about checking to see what may have caused belt-braking. After the new belt is installed, make CERTAIN that all the pullies are on the same plane. (using a LONG straightedge helps) None of the pullies should be twisted or pushing the belt out of alignment.

 

[Tobers]

thanks BruceP,. Much wisdom here. I learned a lot. I'll order a belt. Anyone aware of a video or step by step instructions for removing a mid mount mower deck on a b6200? thanks.

 

[Donystoy]

thanks BruceP,. Much wisdom here. I learned a lot. I'll order a belt. Anyone aware of a video or step by step instructions for removing a mid mount mower deck on a b6200? thanks.

After trying other belts I also agree that Kevlor is the only belt to install.
I would think that your mower deck is similar to the mower that goes on my B7200. Its wheels ride on the lawn as you are mowing and also has a wide roller in the center of the back for anti-scalping.
To remove I would first remove the drive shaft by removing the cotter pin on the pin that goes through the spline and yoke (your means off attachment may be different). You need long arms and nimble fingers for this. Then raise the mower and turn the wheels 90 degrees to make it easier to slide sideways. Now after lowering mower, remove all the retainers and pins that attach the mower to the tractor. Now slide sideways to remove. Sometimes I jack up the front axle to allow more clearance.
This certainly is not the easiest MMM to remove and re-install and is the reason I bought a dedicated mower.
I only occasionally remove the blades from my mowers and generally touch up with an angle grinder. I have a chain fall where I can raise the mower up to regularly remove the grass build up and touch up the blades if required. Always scrape off the grass build up before sharpening the blades with an angle grinder unless you want to get cut. If removing the blades an impact gun works the best.
Besides keeping the blades sharp the most important thing to do is keeping the build up of grass off of the sheet metal as this will rapidly rust holes through the shell.

 

[Tobers]

Thanks so much BruceP and Donystoy. I just finished, and your help was huge. First: it was a miserable experience. I live in NC, and it was 95 degrees. And I have a gravel driveway, which is brutal on knees and elbows. And, impatiently, I managed to break off the cotter pin that held the pin in the driveshaft, so it took me the better part of an hour, in pain and sweat, just to get the shaft off. BUT, these things happen. I learned a lot. Got a bunch of maintenance done, and a new kevlar belt. I'm pretty sure the old belt failed due to age, as the spindles and pulleys seem great, and the belt failed in many places. I hit all the grease spots, check fluids, etc. The one thing that still troubles me is that i can't get the deck to cut at the height I'd like. I set everything for 3 1/2" like the label on the deck says, but it seems to scalp the yard. It's certainly not 3.5" I'll have to try to tune it once it cools or I can get it on a flat surface. Anyone else struggle with this with a b6200? Thank you!

 

[whitetiger]

Thanks so much BruceP and Donystoy. I just finished, and your help was huge. First: it was a miserable experience. I live in NC, and it was 95 degrees. And I have a gravel driveway, which is brutal on knees and elbows. And, impatiently, I managed to break off the cotter pin that held the pin in the driveshaft, so it took me the better part of an hour, in pain and sweat, just to get the shaft off. BUT, these things happen. I learned a lot. Got a bunch of maintenance done, and a new kevlar belt. I'm pretty sure the old belt failed due to age, as the spindles and pulleys seem great, and the belt failed in many places. I hit all the grease spots, check fluids, etc. The one thing that still troubles me is that i can't get the deck to cut at the height I'd like. I set everything for 3 1/2" like the label on the deck says, but it seems to scalp the yard. It's certainly not 3.5" I'll have to try to tune it once it cools or I can get it on a flat surface. Anyone else struggle with this with a b6200? Thank you!

The numbers on the deck height adjustment are not inches, they are just a reference number. A few manufactures have changed to labeling them with alphabetical letters to end the confusion.