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Turbo Twister

Homemade mowers/brush hogs

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well, with one spindle ... my guess would be one blade unless theres a gear box under the deck ? and what's  with all the amber strobe light beacons ?? 

Edited by _Wilson_™

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10 hours ago, Fishfiles said:

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Turbo , my buddy at one of the flea markets just got this rig , didn't ask what he wants for it 

That's a scary looking belt setup, wouldn't want to put your fingers near that @Fishfiles!!

 

9 hours ago, _Wilson_™ said:

turbo, I'd be curious as to how a 10 horse will power 8 short blades .....  looking forward to end result! i believe the issue will be the speed of pulling the cutter... will be the judge , well, that, and how sharp the blades stay..... sure does look like you've got it all figured out! 

No more curious than myself! The hardest part seems to he getting an exact match for a timing belt, I may have to buy slightly larger diameter timing pulleys if the belt is no longer available but I'm still hopeful the one in the post is a match!

 

I reckon 2and gear for flat ground, but I'll have to try it out on different vegetation and compare results. I have 26 acres to test it out on😂 mainly hilly or sloping ground too so I'll probably go up and down rather than across the hills..

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4 hours ago, _Wilson_™ said:

well, with one spindle ... my guess would be one blade unless theres a gear box under the deck ? and what's  with all the amber strobe light beacons ?? 

He has about 100 amber lights , some have the hurricane cages around them , a few things new this week 

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15 hours ago, Turbo Twister said:

I may have to buy slightly larger diameter timing pulleys if the belt is no longer available but I'm still hopeful the one in the post is a match!

 

ive looked around for defrent diameter oem toothed pulleys ....  didnt have any luck like i did with that belt ..... i take it you might go after market on those over size pullies ??  or does the ome manufacture offer  over size ? 

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hm.... 1947 spinaway..... never heard of those ....looks heavy duty.... especially with that roller chain drive. I'd like to see the blade ... 

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I could get him to tilt  it up and snap a pic  , sure I will stop by there on the way to the store  , I am curious also ,  I think you are right , one blade --- 

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2 hours ago, _Wilson_™ said:

 

ive looked around for defrent diameter oem toothed pulleys ....  didnt have any luck like i did with that belt ..... i take it you might go after market on those over size pullies ??  or does the ome manufacture offer  over size ? 

I can get an inch diameter larger but I have to do both pulleys equally or the timing will be off. I'd also have to make sure I can source a belt that would suit the new length. I'll just have to wait and see I guess. The OEM manufacturer makes a varying amount of pulley diameters, you just have to make sure to get the right centre keys for them.

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To say I'm happy is an understatement!

I bought this belt thinking it might be the right size and to my surprise, it is! I still have to time the drums but I'm delighted the belt fits. I also got the driving V pulley belts that drive the engine to drum pulleys, so I'm gonna take an evening or 2 this week to try and finish it for the weekend.

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20200717_195100.jpgAll the items I need to finish the mower are finally here, the extra belts that were advertised for a 36 inch westwood mower are too short, but I can send them back. 

 

I started tidying up all the wires this evening and fit an aluminium frame for everything to bolt to, including an emergency stop button, which still needs connecting.

 

Next up is to finish the wiring and set out the tensioner pulley mechanism, I will probably go with my original plan and use a small hand winch that has a slow and quick release system for untentioning the drive belt.

 

I also need to shim the driving pulley on top with a steel tube I bought, it just needs cutting to length.

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Finally, I have gotten around to timing the two drums, the blades are freely spinning "clash free" and the runner bearings are all adjusted and tightened up to hopefully stop any jumping of the belt.

 

I had a lot of trouble lifting the engine back on the deck, it must weigh around 40kg on its own.

 

Next step is to wire the kill switch and service the engine, then I just need to remake the hitch and get bike and mower into a field.

 

** how loose / tight do you reckon the timing belt should be?

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looks fantastic! , I'd say the tension ... should be close to what an engine timing belt would be .... right off hand i would try and find a pdf file on that brand deck...  and the tensioner is that center roller ? and the 4 little rollers at each side of the gear pullies are none adjustable ?? 

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after looking over the thread again, plus the pics....  and like i said before I've never delt with this type of belt timed cutter ... but my guess would be these rollers (1st pic) keep the belt from skipping a tooth ?? my next question... is are those roller mounting brackets slotted for adjustment ? 

 

the center roller (2nd pic) twist the belt belt (as you've stated before)  to make the rotors turn in the opposing directions, so i wouldn't think  it would add, or take tension from the belt. 

 

(3rd pic) ... it looks as tho the belt has some slack, but .. it maybe just the twist of the belt I'm seeing, anyways ... it's looking super good! 

 

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On 7/29/2020 at 7:53 PM, LedFTed said:

Looking good

does it matter if the teeth, or the slick side of the belt, go over that center roller? 🙃

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yea.... if the belt was flipped to the smooth side....there at the center roller .. it would also be flipped to the smooth side when going around the toothed rotor pullies.... then it wouldn't stay timed.. 

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On 7/30/2020 at 4:01 AM, _Wilson_™ said:

after looking over the thread again, plus the pics....  and like i said before I've never delt with this type of belt timed cutter ... but my guess would be these rollers (1st pic) keep the belt from skipping a tooth ?? my next question... is are those roller mounting brackets slotted for adjustment ? 

 

the center roller (2nd pic) twist the belt belt (as you've stated before)  to make the rotors turn in the opposing directions, so i wouldn't think  it would add, or take tension from the belt. 

 

(3rd pic) ... it looks as tho the belt has some slack, but .. it maybe just the twist of the belt I'm seeing, anyways ... it's looking super good! 

 

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Yeah, the rollers are not adjustable in the middle, I have a feeling the belt is 15mm too long, but I reckon if I got a bigger diameter of middle bearings it might take off some of the slack.

 

A bit of bad news on the engine front though, we have had several electrical issues with trying to get it running again, a lot of parts seem too far gone to use and we added up the price of upgrading said parts, coming to the conclusion that a new Briggs and Stratton engine is a better call. 

 

I would love to keep the engine I have but I don't want to sink €200/300 into it and find that it still doesn't work efficiently, it's an old engine and to me, it would make more sense to fit a more powerful new engine with a warranty where a lot less can go wrong. I intend to investigate this engine down the line but I'm in a bit of panic to get the mower running as I need it in 2 weeks time. 

 

I have decided to purchase a B & S 17.5hp Intek vertical shaft mower engine, so at least it's a direct swap out of the driving pulley from the shaft.

 

It's coming in at €560 in Ireland, which is cheaper than anywhere else I've seen this engine. It also has a fuel pump and oil filter with pressure lubrication. It doesn't have a fuel tank but I can use the one that came with the other engine. It also has a 9ah alternator as stock so I shouldn't need to buy anything else, just swap over the ignition and battery and work away.

 

I have received some refunds on flights I paid for during the year so this will be put towards it aswell, bringing the cost down a good bit.

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i wasn't all that sure, but the belt did look a tad loose ... a bigger diameter center roller would be my choice too, the setup sure has room for one. i sure hate to hear the 1st choice engine has offered troubles .... but on the other hand ... you'll like the intek engine.... I've been running one (snapper mower) sence 03 but mines a 15 horse .. oil sling type (no oil pump / filter )   the only issue I've had to address was the carb float needle seat valve sealing ... and a valve adjustment .... for the decompression on start ups...  knock on wood she's been a rock! :-) 

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21 hours ago, Turbo Twister said:

Yeah, the rollers are not adjustable in the middle, I have a feeling the belt is 15mm too long, but I reckon if I got a bigger diameter of middle bearings it might take off some of the slack.

 

A bit of bad news on the engine front though, we have had several electrical issues with trying to get it running again, a lot of parts seem too far gone to use and we added up the price of upgrading said parts, coming to the conclusion that a new Briggs and Stratton engine is a better call. 

 

I would love to keep the engine I have but I don't want to sink €200/300 into it and find that it still doesn't work efficiently, it's an old engine and to me, it would make more sense to fit a more powerful new engine with a warranty where a lot less can go wrong. I intend to investigate this engine down the line but I'm in a bit of panic to get the mower running as I need it in 2 weeks time. 

 

I have decided to purchase a B & S 17.5hp Intek vertical shaft mower engine, so at least it's a direct swap out of the driving pulley from the shaft.

 

It's coming in at €560 in Ireland, which is cheaper than anywhere else I've seen this engine. It also has a fuel pump and oil filter with pressure lubrication. It doesn't have a fuel tank but I can use the one that came with the other engine. It also has a 9ah alternator as stock so I shouldn't need to buy anything else, just swap over the ignition and battery and work away.

 

I have received some refunds on flights I paid for during the year so this will be put towards it aswell, bringing the cost down a good bit.

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without teeth on the center roller, i just cant see how it keeps it in time. my bad, i guess.  those ford 2300cc engines. had a tension pulley, but it didnt have teeth, an rode on the slick side on the belt. guess that is where i get confused. there wasnt to much slack in the belt, but the engine did need the tension pulley. it had everything to do with timing. just didnt ride on the teeth side of the belt. just seems like extra wear on the teeth, the way its set up. i'll be glad to be wrong.

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Maybe make an idler /adjuster  , another pulley to apply pressure on the outside of the belt pushing inwards , right where the belt comes off of the toothed pulley 

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that's a good idea... but .... the twist in the belt ... would might be an issue .. thoughts ? 

 

Edited: for picture.

 

 

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Edited by _Wilson_™

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as far as tension on the belt, i think it would only be slightly more, if that, on the teeth side of the belt. i havent seen how it looks in the service manual.

looks like ya got a smaller belt.

[bigger diameter of middle bearings it might take off some of the slack], sounds like a good ideal, but it might lead to kicking off the belt.? wadda i know.

Edited by LedFTed
just because

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the belt route pic he posted is correct!! it IS what the what the manual shows! ... and, he said the belt might be 15 mm too long ... which would explain the slack in that last pic. and, if you look at the belt width ... it fits the rotor pulley width perfectly with no chance of rolling / jumping off, i imagine, the slack is probobly because the belt is a tad too long . 

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9 hours ago, _Wilson_™ said:

the belt route pic he posted is correct!! it IS what the what the manual shows! ... and, he said the belt might be 15 mm too long ... which would explain the slack in that last pic. and, if you look at the belt width ... it fits the rotor pulley width perfectly with no chance of rolling / jumping off, i imagine, the slack is probobly because the belt is a tad too long . 

Correct, its meant to be 1345mm long but the closest match I could get was 1360mm.

 

The engine arrived today, wow does it look big in comparison to the other engine! But it also seems more compact so I'll probably have to fabricate a new frame for it as the old frame was made to suit the old engine.

 

I'm on holidays after this Friday so that shouldn't be a problem.

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9 hours ago, LedFTed said:

as far as tension on the belt, i think it would only be slightly more, if that, on the teeth side of the belt. i havent seen how it looks in the service manual.

looks like ya got a smaller belt.

[bigger diameter of middle bearings it might take off some of the slack], sounds like a good ideal, but it might lead to kicking off the belt.? wadda i know.

The 4x adjustable bearings (2x opposite the pulley on either end of the deck), I reckon these would reduce/eliminate the belt jumping off the pulleys.

 

I haven't looked for bigger bearings as of yet but intend to purchase some very soon.

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