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Has anyone ever adjusted the hand brake on a Gravely ZX HD 52

#1

M

mx842

I bought this machine two summers ago and it has 53 hours on it. I've given up on why the deck is so noisy like something is about to fly out of there. It vibrates all the time when the PTO is engaged but every now and again it will start to vibrate more and is making a lot mor noise like a spindle is about to fly apart. My blades a good, there is no buildup of grass under the deck and when I feel the spindles they are warm but not too hot to put your hand on them. I called the dealer, and he said it was normal. I wish he had told me about that before I bought it.
Now if I get off the machine to pick up something that I don't want to run over I have to chase the dang thing down when I want to get back aboard. It wants to just go around in circles. It is the left side that is not holding. I've looked on the net but there is very little information on this accept there are a lot of people complaining about it.
There seems to be a cable that goes from one side of the mower to the other, but I don't see how that could be doing anything because there is about 4" of slack in the inner cable hanging out of both sides, just hanging there., and it don't seem to move when you engage the brake lever. I see there are several adjusting rods under there, but I don't see any way to get to them without taking the machine apart. It helps a little to take a wheel off but it's still a bear to see or get to anything. I haven't been able to get anyone to help move the lever so I can see what's going on and tell how to adjust anything.
I'm wondering if anyone here has one of these machines that has had this problem and what you did to correct it. I can't take it to the shop now and have it sat there for a month with the way my grass is growing now with all the rain we have been getting lately.


#2

woodstover

woodstover

mx842 said:
I bought this machine two summers ago and it has 53 hours on it. I've given up on why the deck is so noisy like something is about to fly out of there. It vibrates all the time when the PTO is engaged but every now and again it will start to vibrate more and is making a lot mor noise like a spindle is about to fly apart. My blades a good, there is no buildup of grass under the deck and when I feel the spindles they are warm but not too hot to put your hand on them. I called the dealer, and he said it was normal. I wish he had told me about that before I bought it.
Now if I get off the machine to pick up something that I don't want to run over I have to chase the dang thing down when I want to get back aboard. It wants to just go around in circles. It is the left side that is not holding. I've looked on the net but there is very little information on this accept there are a lot of people complaining about it.
There seems to be a cable that goes from one side of the mower to the other, but I don't see how that could be doing anything because there is about 4" of slack in the inner cable hanging out of both sides, just hanging there., and it don't seem to move when you engage the brake lever. I see there are several adjusting rods under there, but I don't see any way to get to them without taking the machine apart. It helps a little to take a wheel off but it's still a bear to see or get to anything. I haven't been able to get anyone to help move the lever so I can see what's going on and tell how to adjust anything.
I'm wondering if anyone here has one of these machines that has had this problem and what you did to correct it. I can't take it to the shop now and have it sat there for a month with the way my grass is growing now with all the rain we have been getting lately.
Click to expand...
Click on the "Google Search" button below. There are many videos to help you



#3

B

bullet bob

My ZT HD 60 did the same thing, down to the same side. I replaced the damper and that solved it. It had just grown weak.


#4

M

mx842

woodstover said:
Click on the "Google Search" button below. There are many videos to help you

Click to expand...
Thanks for the links. I have already watched the two gravely ones and the first one is hard to watch; it's something like watching grass grow. LOL In this video he basically referred back to the other Gravely video with most of it. He did show a little bit more detail on the one rod adjustment. The problem I have and one that neither of these videos addressed was the cable I'm looking at.
In looking at it I can't even tell what this cable does because when I move the brake lever nothing moves at all, and on both ends of the cable there is a good 4 inches of slake on the inner wire on both sides. There is not enough adjustment in all those adjustment points to take up that much slack in the cable. Like I said, I'm not even sure if that cable even has anything to do with the brake at all because it's really hard to see in there.
The brake system is a mystery to me because There is nothing written on just what the brake lever locks when it is activated. It doesn't seem to have actual brake linings like on that one Toro video shows.


#5

M

mx842

bullet bob said:
My ZT HD 60 did the same thing, down to the same side. I replaced the damper and that solved it. It had just grown weak.
Click to expand...
Thanks, dumb question but what is the damper?


#6

B

bullet bob

mx842 said:
Thanks, dumb question but what is the damper?
Click to expand...
Sorry, steering damper. https://www.gravely.com/en-us/part/gravely-zero-turn-mower-damper-00188700
But my gosh it looks like they have doubled in price. Thanks Donald.....


#7

M

mx842

Thanks, I looked at those, there is one on each side. I'm going to look at those to see if they may be the cause of all of the slack that is in that cable. I still can't see what that cable even does. I'm going on vacation next week and when I get back, I'm going to look at it more closely. Hopefully it will make it to cut the grass one final time before we go. It has rained every day this week and hopefully it will dry out enough to cut it before I go. If it doesn't, I'll have to use the bush hog to cut it when I get back.


#8

M

MParr



#9

M

mx842

MParr said:
Click to expand...
Thanks for that manual, this one goes into a little more detail than the one that came with my mower. My manual does mention the hand brake, but it says in a side note to see vehicle service manual. This manual mentioned that there is linkage that goes to the transmission could be the cause of the creeping, but it also says see dealer for adjustments.
I'm still hung up on this cable. I didn't see it mentioned anywhere in either manual. I see it in a parts diagram, but nothing says what it does.
I cut everything and that come and go noise is still there. When it starts making this noise the whole deck shakes and rattles then it calms down to a slightly less rattle then at times it will be quiet as a mouse for a short time before it starts over again. I've been trying to note what is going on when it does this but it's random, some time it will start when in a little taller grass and other times tall grass doesn't bother it. Sometimes where to ground is rough it will do it then other times you can run over a load of bricks, and it stays quiet. I'm going out of town for a week and when I get back I'm going to call my dealer again to see if he can point me in the right direction especially with the brake part.


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