Hi peeps, I need some info about a Viking T6 MT6112 ride on mower, 2008 vintage. The problem is it has snapped 2 transaxle drive belts. All pullys and tensioner are good, but I have noticed a fair bit of free movement in the drive unit pully when turned by hand, could this backlash cause the belt to snap ? If this is the problem can it be repaired ? If not where can I get a replacement unit, what drive unit is in this mower, and is it possible to replace it with a better unit without to much modification ? Many Thanks for any info you can give.
There are a whole load of machines that are the same but seem to have different badges, such as Alco etc.
These things are ok for home use but they are not as robust as they appear - they are more delicate than a self propelled machine.
Two belts in 9 years isn’t so bad anyway
These things are very fussy about the length of grass, how wet it is - you end up having to go very slow, and at a high level cut setting.
One of the issues is that grass collector chute, it becomes clogged very easily and this in turn means that the grass does not go into the box, instead it gets turned into a mulch, and this creates a lot more work - belts get very hot.
If you lift the grass box up and use a litter picker to reach inside and then reach around underneath (you have to lay on the floor) then you will clear it.
Grass also gets dragged into the top pulley and it is very difficult to get out.
I’m afraid that using toothed belts and converting all the sprockets is a bad idea, you stand a good chance of bending a drive shaft - its better to have the belt slip when it hits something instead of putting more torque through it. There is quire a lot of play, you’ll also find a lot of play in the steering too - you need to tighten it up or it will damage the steering wheel - the slot where the steering wheel keys into the shaft.
I guess I’m a bit fortunate having other options such as a Ransomes triple - but that little Alco is ok for the small infill areas
http://www.hughiewillett.co.uk/ransomes-2130-2wd-triple-cylinder-ride-on-mower.html
Or a triple PTO driven topper if the fields get a bit unruly