17A -- Serial No. 14A 1701

I tried to adjust the lever throw on the cable unit by turning the big nut in the center on the end of the unit. Now nothing works. Upon further investigation, it looks like there is part of a band laying in the bottom of the unit. Not a good sign. How do I get the unit apart to check it out? I can't find any tag to identify the unit anywhere. Thanks in advance for any advice or help you can give me.

This cable unit is a double drum rear mount unit.

Farmer Fred

There's other guys that are better qualified here than I am, but here goes.

You refer to a nut in the center. I'm assuming this is a front end control, probably a #24. Late ones had a left-hand thread on the spindle nut. If you turned it in the normal direction, clockwise looking at it, you further loosened it if it is left hand.

On early units RH thread, when a spindle nut comes loose it tightens the clutch, lifts the blade without any controlability, and fries the clutch lining until you can get it shut down.

On late units, the LH thread nut comes loose and the clutch just quits working, which is what I'm guessing. Late is the better alternative here.

The brake band is to hold the blade up.

Adjust the spindle nut up until you have about 8" movement at the control handle between neutral and lift. ALWAYS ADJUST OR SERVICE WITH THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN. THESE THINGS CAN KILL YOU!

With the spindle nut adjusted you should have about 8" at the hanble between neutral and start of down. You adjust the spring for enough tension to make the brake hold the blade up.

If there is a piece of the lining out of the brake band, get it out and relined ASAP. You are running steel to steel and it will damage both band and drum.

BE CAREFUL. You are dealing with a big pile of iron, hanging on a cable full of whiskers that can tear a chunk out of you, running through open blocks that can eat a hand, run by a fast little winch that can wrap the whole mess around you and pull it tight in about a second!

Jack

First let's get it identified. The 17A is a D7, a 14A is a D8.
Assuming you are referring to a 17A D7 the double drum rear unit would normally be a 9D501-up series #25 ccu.

Here are the adjustment instructions:
Try adjustments before going in unless you know for sure somethings busted.

Oops. I missed that last line about it being a doublendrum. Never seen one out here in the woods, but probably there were some.

Jack