OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions On Ride On Mowers Questions on Greenfield Ride On Mower Frames GREENFIELD E2000 MKII clutch - Is it Normal?

Hi
Here is the problem on Greenfield E2000 MKII clutch.

neutral position


Reverse


forward


the yoke who move the drive plate is traveling a couple of centimeter before been able to push the plates. resulting in reverse been between very slippery to not working at all as the pedal travel all the way back before pushing on the disk.

forward is fine as the yoke is pushing without delay on drive plate.
thank you

jerome

The yoke looks like it has been contacting the reverse clutch disc, which it should not do.
So I suspect that the clutch disc thrust bearing, which the yoke clamps around, is cactus.

That's part No. 7 [Greenfield P/No GT855] in the E2000MK216-32 Illustrated Parts List, which you can download from the 'Ride On Mower Information' section over at https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=75&page=1

The bad news is, that it's a major job to replace this bearing - the clutch shaft has to come out. If the bearing isn't intact enough to get the type number off it, you'll have to buy it as a genuine part. It won't be a standard radial ball bearing, due to the thrust loads imposed on it.

Plan to check the clutch disc cork facing thicknesses while it's apart too, and replace these if warranted. They are a relatively cheap component, but there's a lot of work in getting at them.

Thanks Gadge, this is the first time I've seen a case where there has been a problem with that bearing.

Jeromeo, there are several threads in the archives on removing and dismantling that clutch shaft. Note that your machine has a short shaft, not the long shaft found on the early Greenfields. That makes it a lot easier to dismantle, as well as making the shaft a lot less likely to break.

Alright Thank.

Here are some pics of clutch removed from mower.



you can see the bearing can slide freely on the drive plate.




the bearing doesn't look this bad but its really loose doesn't grab the drive plate at all.
Is it the wrong bearing??? 6007LU



How thick are the new lining?
This ones are around 2.5mm and 3mm.

6007LU is a 'deep groove' ball bearing type, with the ability to take axial [i.e. thrust] as well as radial load.

It's the centre bearing in the yoke that I think may be stuffed. The one in pics 1 and 2 of your above post. Is Pic 3 an end-on view of that bearing?

Its function is to press the appropriate clutch disc against the clutch pulleys, according to engagement of forward or reverse drive. It looks like it may be partially or fully seized, and to have chewed some metal off the reverse clutch disc centre spigot, thus allowing the yoke to contact the disc. This can be remedied by shimming, but there's a bit of trial-and-error involved in getting that right.

It would be good if you could check that bearing [which does look a bit rusty on the outer race] and report back.

Those linings are in good serviceable condition; I don't have an exact spec for new thickness for these, but would say 3-4mm should be in the ballpark.

yes it's a pic of that bearing. it's not seized but could definitely do with replacing i think.


Now the yoke has no way to come in contact with the disk not enough play maybe it was a previous problem or something has got stuck as some point.

It definitely chewed some metal away as a I have now the centre spigot measuring OD 34.80mm and the bearing In 35mm.(can this be fixed)?
I'm Happy to take more pics if needed.

Thanks again.

I wouldn't be too worried about the fit of the bearing bore to the spigot OD being a bit sloppy. It just locates the bearing's inner race with respect to the clutch discs, but it is not involved in the actual transmission of power.

The face of the shoulder on the spigot, against which the bearing's inner race bears, is the critical surface there.

What does concern me, is the excessive end play resulting from the axial wear of that reverse spigot shoulder face. This is the wear I reckon needs to be shimmed out, so that the pedal linkage/yoke can apply sufficient pressure to the reverse clutch disc to prevent slip. 35mm ID shim washers can be found, either through bearing suppliers, or from 'Precision Shims' in Vic.

The only other way to fix this is to replace the reverse clutch disc, or have the shoulder built up by TIG welding and re-machined.

Thanks for this Gadge that confirm what i was thinking this axial play is the problem.
I bought a new bearing today and actually the old one was rusty but still in good operation order but I'll still change it to be sure
I also order a spacer to compensate for the wear. So i will rebuild the clutch when i got it and let you know.
Cheers

I'm not sure that the Greenfield shims will do the trick here; they are intended to move the clutch discs outwards a bit, to compensate for wear of the linings and clutch pulley faces.

Something like THESE would do the trick.

It is not a greenfield shim I order a spacer made to measure to compensate for the wear. 45mm x 35mm x3mm form precision shim.

Righto, that sounds like a plan. But it was a point that needed clarification.

with the shim


new bearing. ready to go.

In that view, the central boss on the left disk does not protrude nearly as far as the one on the right disk. The thick washer is simply correcting that problem.

Exactly, grumpy. That was the intention!

It's apparent that this clutch has had a fully or partially seized thrust bearing, in the hands of a 'previous tenant'.
And that this seized bearing has worn metal off the clutch disc surface that contacts its inner race. The previous repairer had only replaced the bearing, without attending to the disc damage.

The shim washer is the [perfectly valid, may I add] cheapskate way of remedying that damage, to restore full clutch function.

I can't say I admire it as a solution, Gadge. It is better than putting thin shims in that location, but it is still wheelbarrow engineering. It is a low-friction, low-pressure connection carrying whatever torque it takes to spin the thrust bearing inner ring, so there will be some slip between clutch disk and washer, and therefore some (probably slight) wear. A better solution would be to pin the spacer to the clutch disk. As it is, it would not do as a car repair, but admittedly lawnmowers don't run as many hours as cars do.

Agreed, that it's 'bush mechanic' level practice, from an engineering perspective.

It would indeed be better to fix it to the clutch disc boss, either with a dowel, or high-strength retaining compound.
But I really think that there's little to be gained from doing so, in this instance, in practical terms.

Satisfaction at the 'rightness' of the way a job is carried out is another issue entirely...

For the same token you could have bruised the inner edge of the washer to stake it to the hub as a force fit.

I don't really care for that method, Bob - it would be more difficult to get the thrust washer exactly square to the shaft axis, and to get it to sit right down against the clutch disc so it didn't shift around.

Just a quick update.
Since this mod, I used the mower a lot on a pretty hard yard (lot of hills and reverse needed). She is going very strong no sleeping issue what so ever. And it cost only $8.00 to fix it
Thanks again.

Thank you for reporting back Jeromeo. The successful conclusion makes this thread a lot more useful to people who read it in our archives.

I'll close the thread.