RM48 deck belt routing improvement

[thebuildist]

Just a quick update:

With the new high lift blades and a belt that is not slipping, this deck now puts out A LOT of air!

It is precisely the improvement that I was hoping for. When I run down the leaf filled street now, It leaves a perfect clean sweep behind and throws the leaves five and six feet off the road out into the underbrush. Just exactly what I was hoping for.

Meanwhile hooked up to the leaf vacuum, I did four loads in big heavy oak leaves including some sticks and twigs and debris, and never got a clogged discharge chute a single time. That is a first.

Woo hoo!

[Jancoe]

Great improvements I'd say. I feel the same way as you. The oem tensioner pulley is in the wrong spot. At any given time I can grab and easily spin one of the outer blades with just a finger or two. This is definitely on my list of deck upgrades. I always felt that my pullies were slipping on the belt. My rm48 needs some service as there is quite a bit of slop in the mule assembly and hope to fix it up in time for spring. Thanks for the idea.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

[MattA]

Finally got around to modifying my RM48 belt drive. Just didn't get there last year with the little kids. Anyways it's a work in progress. Since I don't own a welder, I made my own bracket and made it adjustable. I intended the bracket to be flipped around 180 degrees but since there wasn't enough room, I flipped the bracket around. The bracket is not tapped which allows me to use a gear wrench to tighten the belt. I'm using an A96 98" belt. The tensioner bracket is mounted 4 7/16" from the main drive pulley, 2 1/8" from the front wall behind the belt. Guess I drilled the hole a little off from the intended 4.5" and 2". I plan to trim a small amount off the tensioner bracket where you would put in your 1/2" socket wrench. The spring coil also touches the bracket. I may trim the bracket to fit. TBD. Work in progress

[propane1]

That looks real good Matt.

Noel

[Harry]

Looks like a perfect solution Matt. Harry

[MattA]

Bob the original thread starter mentioned he used a square file to create the square holes for the carriage bolts. Having created a 3/8" square hole with a needle file in the past (only file I had small enough to fit in a 3/8" hole), I took the 20min trip to harbor freight and bought a square tapered file:
https://www.harborfreight.com/8-inch-sq ... 96630.html
Well worth the trip. 3/8" round hole converted to 3/8" square hole in minutes. The two 5/16" holes I converted into square holes were more if a PITA since the square file linked is too big to fit in a 5/16" round hole. I ended up using a small round file to open up the 5/16" round hole to start the square corners. Eventually the square file will fit but the strokes are short due to the files taper.

The eye bolt is 3/8-16. Roughly 2" threaded length, roughly 4" long.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/produ ... 8-16x3-7-8

The bracket is held down by two 5/16-18 carriage bolts, 3/4"? in length.

I'll post dimensions of the bracket soon.

[MattA]

Limited progress today due to work/kids. I trimmed the bracket where the 1/2" socket wrench is inserted. Also trimmed where the spring was contacting the bracket. I may trump this spot a little more.

[DavidBarkey]

That will make a major improvement . Well done . Weather keep up and you will be able test it out soon.

[MattA]

Dimensions on the bracket. In most photos the caliper is just showing approximate dimensions.

[thebuildist]

Looking great, Matt, and very well written up.

Easy to follow, even with limited tools.

Bob