I was given, yes given, a weatherbeaten LTX1045 with 27 hours on it. Flat tires, bent blades, and a number of other issues were just the start. It apparently tipped over on top of the previous owner and tried to kill him. I believe it is after me as well.
I started by adding some canned tire inflation products so seal up some of the dry rot. They hold air for a couple weeks now. I replaced the blades and greased the deck real nice. Cuts great after I finally found a belt the right length. It ate two of them. Quickly. The proper part number was not even close. I believe it has to do with the bent engagement lever for the deck. I can't get full throw so I have to use a shorter belt. Eh.
It get better. I used it around the house a bit. Still hadn't cut the grass with it. Always some sort of problem. So the day comes. It's been weeks and weeks of tinkering and adjusting and cleaning. I go to cut the grass. It's going to take me maybe 30 minutes with this thing. Yes! I'm 20 minutes in when my girlfriend shows up. I stop the mower, say hello, and go to get back on. I start the mower, the governor sticks, it over revs, and blows a hole through the block of that junk Kohler.
Now it has a 25hp Briggs V-twin out of a Crafstman with it's own set of issues but that's another post. This one is about the deck.
I have a 46" deck. I'd like to convert the tractor to the electric pto that came off of the Craftsman. If the pulleys are the same size (bear with me here), I should be able to engage the deck belt with the lever, then engage the electric pto to turn the blades on....right? Ergo, if I tension the deck belt properly with the electric pto on there I shouldn't need to change much. The Briggs already has the charging system in it for the electric pto so some basic wiring should be easy.
So, If I switch the pto, since I know it fits the crank, I can create my own tensioner on the deck and use the electric pto to drive it.
Help?
Thanks.
#2
BlazNT
You are thinking correctly. It can be converted but you will need to make a spring loaded tensioner
A lot of the low end lawn tractors do exactly that as they use the same deck for both electric PTO manual PTO.
Most just the PTO cable short and fit the shortened cable complete with spring to the deck.
If you have some repair workshops run by hoarders like me in the area, they probably have a box full of broken cables, just im case they have to make one in the future
