[jjg1026r]

Ifinally got feed up hearing my deck rattle, it was driving me nuts!!
I traced the noise to be coming from the belt pulley. The movement of the pulley was consistentwith the rattle I was hearing. What I did to fix it, was add more tension tothe pulley by adding a second spring (See Pictures).I purchased the same springused on the deck locking pivot. (P/N M118949). I have cut the lawn twice since adding this spring and the deck rattleis gone!!!!!!

 

[gimmo]

hope it's not so much tension to cause excessive stretch on the belt leading to early replacement.

 

[dtg1026r]

Annoying noise

I may have to try something similar to my 60" MMM. I just got mine back from dealer to replace/repair spindle that was loose or bearings worn. I just used again and it makes rattling noise. I wonder if anyone else is experiencing similar noises.

 

[romcjr]

I may have to try something similar to my 60" MMM. I just got mine back from dealer to replace/repair spindle that was loose or bearings worn. I just used again and it makes rattling noise. I wonder if anyone else is experiencing similar noises.

I agree ! I mowed my entire property today and deck was O.K. during level cutting , but if I got a little sideways or up a small incline I would hear a rattling noise that was pretty loud . I am going to try the spring and see if that resolves the issue .:thumbup1gif:

 

[jimfrits]

I may have to try something similar to my 60" MMM. I just got mine back from dealer to replace/repair spindle that was loose or bearings worn. I just used again and it makes rattling noise. I wonder if anyone else is experiencing similar noises.

Funny you should mention this. Just today, I was mowing and noticing the deck rattling more than I remembered. I stopped and got down and looked and the belt and the idler pulley were really vibrating. I don't remember them vibrating so much in the past.

 

[ecowarrior71]

I tried this today. I picked up the spring from my local JD dealer on Friday for less than $5 and had to wait until the rain moved out to try it. The deck is much quieter than before. Thanks for the tip!

 

[jpmst3]

My 54" HC started this last year with less than 100 hours on it. I just mowed yesterday and can barely hear the blades of the chatter. GRRRR!

I replaced the sheave/idler. I am about to replace one spindle that has a minute amount of play in it. I have also ordered the sheave bushing and extra spring. Hopefully, with all of those parts replaced it will put and end to it. The only variable left is the gear box. Parts should all arrive by Thu.

 

[machineryman]

I believe your attaching bracket at the idler is positioned backward and you're not getting the correct pull to the idler.

 

[machineryman]

Also it looks like your loop is bent open and there is an adjustment on the spring....the idler may be correct...check another mower or parts diagram....you can take the tension up by adjusting loops....

 

[KTManiac]

@ machineryman,
The pictures at the top of this thread are from 2014, and the latest poster(jpmst3}
is not the OP

 

[jpmst3]

Correct, not my photos. But, yes, I looked at that and wondered why the spring crosses over the idler arm??

 

[machineryman]

That's exactly what's happening the spring is banging on the bracket....no assembled correctly...

 

[machineryman]

Looked at my manual and it is correct.....I'm also puzzled...

 

[jpmst3]

I have a 54" HC, it is slightly different than the 54D. But, my spring does not cross the idler arm.
Regardless, I don't think it would matter much either way...I doubt the spring which has so little mass would cause noises loud enough to drown out the trio of 10,000 RPM blades. I think it takes the entire idler assembly vibrating to produce that level of noise.

Crossing over looks like more tension to me.

Someone mentioned the spring being adjustable. If that is true, I would like to try it as I have never heard of that.

 

[jpmst3]

This is what my deck assembly looks like:

John Deere Parts Catalog

Find parts & diagrams for your John Deere equipment. Search our parts catalog, order parts online or contact your John Deere dealer.

partscatalog.deere.com

As you can see part number 6 faces the front of the deck on the 54 HC.

 

[machineryman]

that's what I thought....someone installed the parts incorrectly...looks like the pivot arm can't move and is installed upside side....so this post is about having one mistake and making something to correct it....wish JD would still issue the standard parts books as it is much easier....maybe a photo of thing before disassembly?

 

[machineryman]

on another thought looks like the hook is the wrong piece...the hook is supposed to pivot and be under the arm...maybe someone got this from another unit installed....

 

[machineryman]

Looked at another photo and the diagram submitted may not be this model.....very confusing...may not be wrong piece after all....defer directly to the dealer with model and serial number to get this correct****

 

[jpmst3]

Definitely DO NOT go by what I posted. I was showing the HC model for comparative purposes. As I mentioned the HC is a DIFFERENT model.

Here is the 54D for the 1026/1025/1023:

John Deere Parts Catalog

Find parts & diagrams for your John Deere equipment. Search our parts catalog, order parts online or contact your John Deere dealer.

partscatalog.deere.com

 

[jpmst3]

Yours looks CORRECT.

I just thought the config was a bit odd that the spring would cross over the idler arm. But, it doesn't matter what i think! According to the parts blow up, your setup is correct and was designed that way for a reason.

I hope my extra spring arrives Thu so I can test.