Mystery lever on my M371

[chesterspal]

Was watching a short video on Youtube. Guy had an M371 like mine for sale. Was tooling around his driveway with it.

I noticed he moved this lever once when he turned the engine over and again after he shut it down. I have yet to actually drive mine as I'm still working on the engine issues.

This lever is almost impossible to move what with the heavy spring it has attached and the way it sits now it is behind the black grill, as you can see.

Can someone enlighten me as to how to use it and what it does, please?

Thanks

 

[laurencen]

looks like the belt tensioner, it allows you to chang pulleys to alter the speed on the step pulleys

 

[chesterspal]

The prior owner said there were two drive belts. One low speed, one for high. He said he
"removed" the high speed because it made it run too fast.

Does this make sense?

You seem to suggest only a single belt that you move from one drive to the other.

Please explain.

Also, in the video (taken far away so hard to see) it appears he lowers the "tensioner" onto the belt after powering up and raises it prior to shutting down.

Again, is this what is done?

Thanks!

 

[Chris 8603]

A friend of mine had 1 of those older machines. It is the drive belt tensioner lever. It takes it out of gear basically. You release the belt to crank it, and then put the tension back on it to operate. He says it also helps to start it by taking some pressure of the drive off the starter. It does have 2 belt positions, a high and low. His will out push my 743b in low gear and out run it in high. That's how much difference in speed it is. But it my out push it in low, but it is slower than mine pushing anything.

 

[chesterspal]

Two belt positions but uses only a single belt, correct?

Does the lever lock up when releasing the pressure? Seems to in that video I saw.

Thanks

 

[Chris 8603]

Yes his only had the one belt. I don't remember if it locked up or down. It was locked in or belt released position I think. That way the spring put pressure on the belt. Just don't hold me to that, it's been awhile. Seems like it went forward and locked in that position???

 

[chesterspal]

Ok thanks.

I find no way to lock mine up unless something is missing. I'll do some more research. Maybe a parts diagram will show something.

Ordered a belt off Amazon based on the specs I found on this forum in another post.

It should be B57, 60"

 

[Chris 8603]

I can't help you there, I never ran it. All I know he would use it to disengage the belt when he started it or got off when it was running and it stayed off when he did. I will ask him if he knows the belt size by any chance and post if he does

 

[chesterspal]

I can't help you there, I never ran it. All I know he would use it to disengage the belt when he started it or got off when it was running and it stayed off when he did. I will ask him if he knows the belt size by any chance and post if he does

Ask him if that lever locked up somehow when he disengaged the tension on the belt, please.

 

[Chris 8603]

I will sir

 

[chesterspal]

Thanks

 

[chesterspal]

By the way you mentioned how your friend would get it out of his skid steer with the engine running.

That's probably the worst thing you could do. In fact bobcat recommends the skid steer be shut down before getting in or getting out.

I personally know of two cases where people have had their heads cut off because they accidentally touched the petals and caused the bucket to move up or down while either leaning out or getting in or out of the skid steer.

I don't believe disengaging the drive belt removes the hydraulic pressure. I believe the pedals would still operate.

 

[Chris 8603]

Your absolutely right about that!!!
All manufacturers recommend that for any machine. That's why you see all the safety decals on EVERYTHING anymore. People do stupid stuff all the time. My newer 743 locks the pedals when you raise the safety lap bar, but doesn't do anything with the drive levers?? I've seen some stupid stuff done in my 30yrs in construction

 

[cm2ncfsu2]

Yes, that lever is a belt tensioner. You push forward to release tension in order to move the belt from the high ratio/gear to low. As an added bonus, you can release tension to free the motor of friction/load when starting the motor.

Correct, only one belt. Having a separate belt on each set of pulleys (being different ratios would pretty much lock everything up due to the differing ratios.

Since these older, clutch drive machine have no parking brake and no way to "lock" the drive levers in neutral, getting out of the machine while it's running has a very good chance of it moving while you are getting out. Bad idea.

 

[cm2ncfsu2]

The good thing about the clutch drive system is that the machine can be towed along if need be.

 

[Paul christenson]

Yes his only had the one belt. I don't remember if it locked up or down. It was locked in or belt released position I think. That way the spring put pressure on the belt. Just don't hold me to that, it's been awhile. Seems like it went forward and locked in that position???

 

[chesterspal]

Anyone know the correct size (length) of the drive belt. It had a 59" on it that was way too tight. I replaced it with a 60" still way too tight.

I have the service and the parts manuals but neither even mention the drive belt for some reason.

Seems, in order for there to be enough slack for the engine to turn and not move the drive when you pull up on that tentioner, the belt needs to be at least a 62" or more.

Thanks

 

[chesterspal]

Hah!

Now I see what this fellow was doing. I enlarged the video. He has a strap on the tensioner that he releases to lower it onto the belt. Clever.

 

[cm2ncfsu2]

On mine, she me one had added a piece of rectangular tubing (1" by"1/2") to that lever that angled forward. The extension had a pin going through it that was spring loaded to push in towards the operator.

You'd push the lever forward the push this pin out through a hole in the cage and it would hold up on that.

Sorry, that probably makes no sense but I don't have a picture b

 

[chesterspal]

Found the Bobcat part # for the drive belt. It is 6500720.

That works out to be a 60" belt. Same as what I just installed but with no slack.

So, either this engine is not in the original position relative to the rest of the mechanism (there is an adjustable arm to "push" between the engine and the drives) or I'm not sure what is going on.

Anyone with the M371 who can shed some light??