Suffolk Punch Lawn Mower Problems

[Tonyorourke7]

Hi,

Recently bought a Suffolk punch petrol cylinder mower and all was great
for 6-8 weeks.

However, I started using the mower last week and within a few minutes of
use, the cylinder and self propel roller suddenly stopped working.

The engine continues to run fine, starting at the first time of asking
and running as smoothly as I could hope, but nothing in terms of cutting
action.

I’ve taken the side panel off and checked the tension of the belts, but
they seem okay when compared to what they were previously (that’s not to
say they are correct). But i’ve also tried pulling the cables manually,
thus increasing the tension, but still nothing. Also think it’s quite a
coincidence that both the cylinder and the self propel stopped working
at the same time. Any ideas?

Kind regards,
Tony




--
Tonyorourke7

[John McGaw]

I've never seen that mower (that style seems to have virtually disappeared
in the US many decades back) but, looking at a diagram online, it seems
simple enough. The big question would be whether that rotation of the
engine is actually getting into the side compartment where the belts and
suchlike reside. Have you tried (carefully!) running the engine with the
side panel removed to see if the top shaft rotates? There is a coupling to
the side of the engine that transfers rotation from the engine shaft to the
drive pulleys in the side compartment. If the coupling was somehow
compromised that would give the symptoms you describe.

Watch out for the heat!

[penm...@aol.com]

Sometimes there's a pin securing a shaft to a gear/sheave that's
designed to shear in order to save other parts from suffering severe
damage... a shear pin acts in lieu of a much more expensive
slip-clutch assembly. A shear pin is typically tapered and costs
under a dollar... wise to keep a supply handy. They are usually
located in an easily accessible place, check your owner's manual. A
shear pin is of a softer steel than the parts in secures... in
mechanical assemblies it acts like a fuse in an electrical circuit.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shear_pin

[Stagger Lee]

Kathy keeps a sheer pin in her asshole, right Popeye?

[bob prohaska]

Tonyorourke7 <Tonyorourk...@gardenbanter.co.uk> wrote:
> Also think it?s quite a

> coincidence that both the cylinder and the self propel stopped working
> at the same time. Any ideas?
>

At least on USA-style "cylinder" (here called "reel") mowers the engine
usually drives a countershaft through a clutch, the countershaft drives
a chain driving the reel and the reel drives the wheels through pawls
pinions and ring gears at the ends of the reel shaft. At least that's
the norm on traditional consumer reel mowers circa 1960.

Fancier greenskeeping mowers sometimes have separate drive for the
reel and wheels, but I suspect you'd see the difference easily.

The clutch is rarely a disk type, much more often it's some kind of
belt tensioning arrangement, either an adjustable idler pulley or
split sheaves that can be tightened up to drive the belt.

What you're describing sounds like a loose belt or belt tensioner.

Just out of curiosity, can to post a link to a photo or diagram?

HTH,

bob prohaska

[John McGaw]

The diagrams for that particular mower are readily available online with a
Google search. That is what I based my S.W.A.G. upon.

Example:

https://www.ransomspares.co.uk/diagram/suffolk-punch/lawnmowers/468559/petrol%20cylinder%2014sk%20(3616c03a72)/

[bob prohaska]

That's _much_ more complicated than I imagined it would be. I can't even
_find_ the clutch....

bob prohaska

[John McGaw]

As best I can tell it uses belt tensioning to provide the clutch action. It
would be much easier to tell what is going on if one had the mower with the
side cover removed.