OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions On Ride On Mowers Questions on Rover Ride On Mower Rover Rancher 28166 - Cutter Drive help

Hello!
I have recently become the proud owner of a Rover Rancher 28166.
It is pretty rough and is requiring quite a bit of work to get it going I think.
I have a question.
The first thing I have found is that the pulley that engages the big belt that drives the mower blades is not attached to anything and therefore has no chance of getting the blades going. Does anyone out there have any diagrams or pictures of what the cutting deck layout is and what should be attached to what and how? I have scoured the internet and have only been able to find an owners manual which is not helpful.
Anyone with any knowledge of this machine or similar would be most helpful.
I am a pretty handy guy and have a fairly good workshop and basic mechanical skills.

I have looked at the Illustrated Parts List for the 18166, which may or may not be the same as yours. Are you talking about a problem with the dual pulley, with an upper part which is driven by a belt from the engine, and the lower part which drives both cutters through a serpentine arrangement? Here is the parts diagram:


I think we are going to need some pictures of your machine, so we can both speak the same language on this.

Thanks Grumpy.

Here is a picture. Its a rover Rancher 12.5hp model # 28166 according to the mfg plate on it.

Can you show us pictures of the cutter drive belt please, and especially the part of it that you are unclear about?

These are what i have...let me know if you need more and I will do my best....

It's not real clear from the pictures but that could just be missing a spring. It may be a tensioner for the idler wheel. That post with the shiny section in the foreground may be where the other end of the spring goes.

I think that pulley is mounted on the Arm - Jockey (that is, the bellcrank, Item 10 in the diagram I posted). The Spring-Jockey Pulley, Item 34, seems to be supposed to be pulling that bellcrank to tension the belt. I haven't figured out whether that is an automatic tensioner mechanism, or the left-hand end of the missing spring is connected to the blade clutch.

Thank you guys.
I am still not much closer to figuring out this jigsaw with a couple pieces missing. I am going at the mower again tomorrow. I will attempt to remove the mowing deck from the tractor and therefore get a better look at it. What I REALLY need is a workshop or repair manual or some pictures of the mower deck on a fully functioning one of these mowers so I can compare what i have with what a fully functioning model has....and how it all should look like.

Look at this parts list illustration again:



On Item 10, the Arm - Jockey, I've circled in red the place where the spring, Item 34, attaches. I've circled Item 34 in green: it is called Spring, Jockey Pulley. The spring's Rover part number is A07974. I don't know whether they still stock the part, but considering how many models that deck has been used on, I expect they do. This should be considerably easier than trying to invent an equivalent spring.

There's a zoomable parts diagram for the very similar 28168 deck on a UK parts site HERE.

It shows the relation of the jockey arm [No. 11] to the spring [No. 12 in this diagram], and that double-nutted bolt the spring hooks on to, a fair bit better by showing the spring twice. Same spring part number as grumpy has stated.

This will likely be a fairly hefty spring, so I would also recommend trying to find the Rover part.

Fantastic!
Thanks a bunch...now to stop the bloody drive belt from coming off.

I've answered that in your other thread, riptus. I'll close this one.