Troy-Bilt 12065 - Manual (Page 28)

Checking and Adjusting
Belt Tension
After the initial two hours of
tiller operation, check the belt ten­
sion. After this initial check,
check the belt tension every 10 op­
erating hours. The same schedule
should be followed after installing
a new belt. If the belt is slipping
(the tines and wheels don’t rotate
as fast as when new, or they may
even stop turning when the engine
is running at full speed), perform
the belt tension check to see if the
belt needs to be tightened. If you
find you can not bring the Forward
Clutch Bail all the way up to the
bottom of the upper handlebars,
you will need to loosen the belt
tension.
WARNING
stop the engine, allow it to
cool down, disconnect the
spark plug wire and prevent it
from touching the spark plug
before checking the belt ten­
sion.
Failure to comply could result
in personal injury or property
damage.
1. Lift the Forward Clutch Bail up
and hold it to the bottom of the
handlebars.
2. Measure the length of the clutch
bail spring with a ruler. Refer to
Figure 5-14.
3. If the belt tension is correct, the
length of the spring should be ap­
proximately 1-7/8".
4. If the spring is too short, the
belt tension will be too loose. If
the spring is too long, the belt ten­
sion will be too tight.
5. To adjust the length of the
spring, release the Forward Clutch
Bail. Screw the threaded adjuster
counterclockwise (as viewed from
the operator’s position) to increase
the length of the spring or clock­
Figure 5-14: Measure the length of
the Clutch Bait Spring to check for
correct belt tension (1-7/8").
wise (as viewed from the opera­
tor’s position) to decrease the
length of the spring.
NOTE: If you have difficulty turn­
ing the adjuster by hand, have an
assistant hold the Forward Clutch
Bail to the handlebars while you
insert a flat-tipped screwdriver into
the clutch bail spring. Engage the
tip of the screwdriver with the slot
in the screw head that is inside the
clutch bail spring. While you turn
the screw, keep the Forward Clutch
Cable from turning by gripping the
adjuster on its upper end with a
pliers. See Photo 5-14A.
ADJUST SPRING
TENSION BY
TURNING THE
SCREW
Belt Removal and Replacement
^ WARNING
stop the engine, let it cool
down, disconnect the spark
plug wire and prevent it from
touching the spark plug be­
fore changing the belt.
Failure to comply could result
in personal injury or property
damage.
To Remove the Belt:
1. Use a 3/8" wrench to remove
the bolt that attaches the belt cover
to the tiller. Slide the belt cover up
the cable slightly so it is out of the
way. See Photo 5-15.
Photo 5-14A: Adjusting the length
of the Clutch Bail Spring.
Photo 5-15: Remove belt cover.
2. Push down on the upper section
of the belt to create some belt slack
when you move the belt off the
transmission pulley. Reach under­
neath the tiller and move the belt
forward, off the transmission pul­
ley. Refer to Photo 5-16.
3. From above, lift the belt up and
off the engine pulley. You need to
guide the lower portion of the belt
as you’re removing it so that it
doesn’t hang up on anything.
To Install the Belt:
1. Insert the new belt down, in
back of the engine pulley and in
front of the transmission.
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