OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions On Ride On Mowers Questions on Rover Ride On Mower The muffler on my Rancher burns my leg ?

Hi guys
I'm wondering if there is something I could fit over the muffler on the Rancher ? You end up with your drive foot right out on the edge of the peddle and still a burnt leg .
I made up a second plate and fitted that over it so that it sits about 2cm out from the muffler but really the plate heats up just as badly after 15 mins .

Cheers
Mark

What you have tried is a single heat-shield, and it is a part of the best available solution other than moving the muffler. You do need, however, to make sure that the brackets that support the heat shield are not connected to the muffler or anything else that gets hot, or they will conduct heat to the heat shield. 2 cm is adequate separation between the muffler and the shield, but make sure the space between is open top and bottom so that air can flow easily in a vertical direction between the two. The shield should just be vertical: it must not wrap over the top of the muffler, or it will pick up heat from hot air rising from the muffler. If you do that it should provide an 80% solution. To go further than that without moving the muffler you would need a double heat shield.

Ah hu I see, right idea wrong design. I've made it completely opposite to the way it needs to be then.
Mine is sealed along the bottom as it folds back in, to mount on chassis just below muffler and just to round things off, it's also folded in again to run up vertically along the rear edge closest steering wheel. Plus, to avoid ripping my leg open on the top edge, I folded top edge in 5 ml, the perfect heat trapper.
Great stuff anyway because I can easily take it off again now and reshape it for plenty of air flow.

Cheers and thanks again

You can fold your top flange the rest of the way, so it is running vertically downward. That converts it into what my old metalwork teacher called a 'safe edge' - it shouldn't injure your leg. Remember to brace the heat shield so it doesn't vibrate, or it will fatigue and crack before long.

This is great thanks Grumpy, will do. Even with the shield last mow I still wound up with a 250ml deep red patch and I was at a loss.
But there's plenty of solid mounting points so now that I know I can easily create good air flow.

Cheers

blaster you should be able to rotate the motor so the exhaust is in a different position. It appears that someone has installed the engine incorrectly or has the wrong exhaust fitted.

Depending on the model of the ride on it could even have the wrong exhaust system. Below is a picture if an exhaust from a Rancher which shows the exhaust going to the front of the ride on. This is from one of the parts list manuals in the parts list and manuals area of the forum.

Hi Bruce, well mate, that is a lateral approach to the problem; So simple when you think of it, a vertical shaft engine could be mounted in any direction and possibly only dictated by the chassis design....
Well thought out Bruce, mate!!

I seem to recall blaster told us that the mower has had the engine replaced with a slightly different one. That is why I mentioned relocating the muffler as one way to solve the heat problem: if it is a cobbled arrangement anyway, there is no need to preserve originality.

Hi grumpy, yes mate, I have just re-read blasters posts' and I had not connected his previous posts("Rancher coughs and splutters") re: the engine replacement with a brand new 12.5HP by the previous owner, rather than a 12HP original engine....this larger engine may have dictated in which position it was placed, by the design of the original engine mounting deck, thus causing the muffler problem.
This case goes to show how handy it would be when members could post pics of the project and problem, and how much easier it would be for us to help diagnose, and, hopefully fix the prob.

Grumpy, you were spot on with your advice as you saw it.

Hi Bruce , thanks for the pic.
That muffler is longer and more rectangle that mine. Mine's pretty well square and sits just beside drive pedal.
I notice the muffler outlet is also different , mine face straight ahead.
I don't think I'd like to rotate motor , it's all so nice, new and pretty just where it is, I've grown very fond of it. Hu , imagine if I stuffed something up , wifey would kill me !
Will post on my new heat shield below.

Cheers

Thanks guys.
Grumpy your heat shield design worked , I'm indebted to you believe me.
I think Deejay might be right about the bigger motor, it is a solid little bugger and might be jotting out a bit further, around a different way, muffler in a different spot or maybe it needs a wider muffler.
Sorry Bruce to by the way , it's the 1866 model.

Anyway Grumpy I put the plate in the vice and got to work opening up air flow and folds.
Apart from mounting points, it now has 2 x 8cm flow gaps front to rear and bottom to top .
Your right it does literally cut out 80% of heat. Although I've only mowed one acre with it since, 1 1/2hrs running but it stayed almost touchable right through,with shorts on, no way before.

Thanks guys , whatever's going on with the motor, we've fixed the problem .

Cheers
Mark