T2290KWT with RCK48P Mower Deck Issues

[Starcat]

This Mower Deck is noisy. It has an intermittent rattle that is bothersome and may be related to the belt tensioning system.
The last time I ran a garden tractor of this type was in the 1970s. The 2290 PTO drive system is MUCH more complicated than the John Deere 140 I ran in the 70s.
I am wondering why this is the case, and what exactly all of those extra pulleys are supposed to solve. It comes off as Over Engineered, and also the fact that its only supposed ot be run at " full Throttle " when mowing is also not quite right. Any advice on quick checkpoints for the deck drive system are helpful.
The unit is brand new. I will likely just take it in for a check over, which is of course very inconvenient with the rig being totally new.
I am an HVACR Mechanic [retired] , and have worked on ALL kinds of large belt driven systems over the years. I am no stranger to dealing with that kind of thing.

 

[85Hokie]

Star,

Welcome to the forum!

Remember - we cannot see what you see - pictures really help us understand what a potential problem could be.

My first impression is that an idle arm or pulley could be vibrating.

As for the throttle being being high when cutting - think about your work with Heating and Cooling units....
you want the motor to run at "X" rpm to provide the correct flow and volume to the system - too fast and it does not help, too slow it is not efficient.

The tip speed of the mower is what an engineer has designed the PTO to spin at a certain rpm, thus the sweet spot on the engine matches that RPM.

Grass will cut at idle - but it will cut more efficiently at a higher RPM - and with a diesel the fuel is sometimes less at the sweet spot than at idle! I do understand yours is a gas engine.

IF you can - take your cell phone, take a short video of the rattle, upload it to YouTube and then post that video here.


Here is diagram of your mower - check 080 and see if it is tight, 020 ?

The reason for the routing of the belt is to insure zero slipping when getting into thick grass.

 

[Starcat]

Thank you for this response. Variable Air Volume and Variable speed Technology was designed in HVAC for lower loads. I think my point was, is that the tension system will not operate correctly except at full throttle. While most cutting would be done there, some jobs could be done with 85% as an example.This was the point I was trying to make. I'll see about getting a VID. This noise is intermittent, not constant and just moreso than anything I experienced in ths distant past.
Thanks

 

[Starcat]

Ok, I see what is going on. The Spring thats visible to the left of the driver is installed at low clearance to the deck and there is a harmonic that comes and goes which makes it slap against the deck. I really do not think its any cause for concern and its not loose. A small piece of EPDM or similar could be secured under it possibly.