1211 pto belt adjustment
 

I have a 1985 1211. I was wondering how to correctly adjust my pto belt going to the deck. The illustration on the front of the mule drive makes no sense to me. I think I might have mine to tight.

Look it up in manual. If you don't have I am sure there is a copy of it on this site. It's a pretty easy adjustment though.

Pto adj
 

Thanks Coop. The manual refers going back to the illustration on the mule drive cover. There's 3 cut out notches, I believe. Not sure which the head of the adjustment bolt needs to be inline with. Or if the end of the bolt needs to be inline with the end of the lever.

This pic is from a 1210 I used to own. Same setup as your 1211. I normally try to get the belt running straight up and down on the PTO pulley with the idler pulley's even with each other.

Yup, same on my 1211. When belt is tight both pulleys are equal distance back from the front plate

Reply pto adjustment
 

Thanks a bunch gentleman. A picture is worth a thousand words. My 1211 has about 10 hours on a recent rebuild on the Kohler M12, and is quitting after 45 minutes of cutting grass. Starts back up, after a couple minutes, but I don't want to use it after it quits, so I just park it. Hoping against hope that the belt adjustment might be causing it to overwork. I've searched the engine shut down situation, but sounds like it can be a bunch of different problems. Thanks again.

It's not a belt adjustment problem. My guess is that it's running out of gas. Pull the fuel tank, flush out the tank, remove the fuel shutoff, clean or replace the fuel shutoff, replace the tank bushing, replace ALL of the fuel lines and install a new fuel filter. All easy to do on a 1210/1211. You could also have a bad fuel pump but on a 1211 it should run OK as long as the tank is close to full.

I know 10 hours does not sound like much but it seems like most of this 10 hours would have been done last fall unless you plow snow with it. So many things can go wrong over a winter storage. Fuel can gum up tank, lines, filters, pump and carb as Sam was eluding to. Is it getting overly hot just before it shuts down? A rodent could have easily made a nice little home in your tins over the winter that wold cause overheating and all kinds of problems. I agree it most likely is a fuel problem but just wanted to make you aware that a 10 hour old rebuild does not keep problems like this from happening. Belts would not make this happen. If a pulley was stuck or a belt was causing that much friction the belt would burn up before it would stop the engine in most cases.

Pto
 

When I performed the rebuild, last fall, I replaced the fuel lines and cleaned out the tank. Installed New piston, rings, connecting rod, cylinder cut 10 over, New valves(Kohler), trued up head, lapped valves, all New gaskets, couldn't get my crankshaft endplay with supplied spacers so added my own thicker gasket. Cleaned and rebuilt carb with new throttle shaft and bushings. Adjusted valves. Sure don't want to pull the motor. Super vigilant about rodents on my property. I only purchase ethanol free fuel also. Just hoping some tolerances aren't to tight and that I can solve the problem without pulling engine. I know the faster the ground speed with deck engaged, the engine drags down a solid 300 rpm's. New hydro filter and Hyguard oil this spring. Starts right up when cold. 1800 hours on machine. Thanks for looking at my posts. Much appreciated.

What size deck are you running? How tall is the grass your trying to cut? Does it only bog down while mowing?

That's a pretty detailed description you gave there...... but is that all you did? Because you left out some major things that you do during an overhaul, and some major checks you must do on the parts.

*Did you grind the crank and install a new rod?
*Did you check the piston skirt to bore clearance?
*Did you check and adjust the ring end gap?
*Lapping new valves to an old seat without grinding does not make for a good seal. Doesn't work.
*Did you grind off (with a valve stem grinder), the top of the bolt on the lifts so it didn't have a dimple in it? They almost always have a dimple worn in them from the valve.
*I have never seen a motor that the crank endplay was so tight that I needed more shims for the cover plate. Never. Doesn't mean it couldn't happen..... but you should have ordered more shim gaskets.

I'm betting you have an engine issue. Only way to fix it is tear it down..... and likely do the overhaul again. FWIW, I would have put a K301 back in instead of that Mag12. The K301 runs better. Same engine exactly, just different ignition system. Gotta change some wiring.

Before you go taking anything apart you should run it until it shuts off and check for spark, not uncommon for the ignition module to stop working when it gets hot.

Very true.
And another good reason to get away from a Mag motor.

Pto adj
 

The deck is a 44". I cut the grass relatively high, probably 4+", and it's not overly lush. When I acquired the machine, I cleaned up the deck and greased, and sharpened the blades. Everything seemed good to go on that part. I ran her for 2 hours in the spring pulling a aerator, without the deck engaged. It was cooler out. She never shut down at that time. I purchased the machine off the original owner last summer. The elderly gentleman lost the oil drain plug and didn't realize it. Broke the connecting rod. I carefully removed the aluminum off the journal and polished it myself. It seemed to mike out within specs. The block was honed at a reputable machine shop and they had the new piston for measurement purposes. Sorry for the short story long. I also installed new Kohler governor gear. I did so much, parts of it allude me now. I also left out those balance gears.
I have a Ferris zero turn, so the Cub is just my hobby machine. But I like it.

Excellent point! And If I remember correctly one of the first issues I ever had with my 1211 M12.

Pto adj
 

Thanks Jonathan. I did file the rings for a proper gap. New connecting rod, purchased aftermarket kit. Didn't check skirt to piston clearance, and other things you had mentioned. I agree with getting more spacers, but nobody local had correct ones. I installed all that came with the kit, and that wasn't enough. I couldn't figure it out, so I did what I could. I wasn't planning on purchasing a replacement engine. Didn't think there is much of a difference with k301 besides points. Engine doesn't smoke seems to have good compression. I'll set up a spark tester to confirm spark when it dies. If things don't turn out, it was a fun and little pricey learning experience. Thanks again.

Good luck with that. Few years ago, I rebuilt a motor that the owner did that with, he didn't even get 20 hours run time before it ate another rod. Maybe you will be one of the "lucky" ones who gets 50 hours out of it. I grind any crank that spun a rod. They can't spin a rod and be "in spec". Even if they are, they will be scratched. Once you use emry cloth to polish it up, now it isn't round. So..... you're done. At the very least, let a crank shop polish the journal. At least it will be polished round. I'm not sure I've ever seen a crank that spun a rod that didn't need ground.


You just honed the cylinder, but needed to file the rings? That's odd. The gap should have been too wide, even with aftermarket rings. I've had several rings that didn't need filed right out of the package and installed in a new bore. I'm starting to really question some of this info. :bigthink:
I don't understand the comment about not planning to purchasing a replacement engine....??
The only difference between a late K301 and an M12 IS that one has points and the other is a Magneto. But if a coil fails on a 301, you don't have to pull the engine to fix it, and you can actually adjust the timing on the 301. Because of the differences in the machined parts, like the cam, you can tune the 301 to run better. I'm just pointing out why I don't like the Magneto "K" motors.

Pto adj
 

You're more knowledgeable than myself on K series Kohler engines. If I had known I could have just converted it to points , and there was a benefit, I would have. It was my first build, and as I stated, I had the block bored "10" over. The kit I ordered was "10" over. The rings that came with my kit, had too tight of a gap. I did all my measuring using videos and articles for guidance. I took a gamble on the crank journal. For a mildly used tractor, I didn't think it was that critical. Thanks for the reply.

I could be completely wrong here but I don't think I am. I do not think you can convert a M motor to points. I think what Jon was saying is, if he were going to replace the M12 he would buy a K301 as the replacement for the reasons he stated like tuning. You can convert a k301 to electronic ignition but points are so much easier to work on and you can almost always get them going with a little cleaning and gap setting. This is why they are still used in many modern boat engines over electronics that will get corroded and can't be cleaned up.

That's correct. The Mag engines don't have the mount and push pin hole machined in the block. You have to get a K block. Well.... I suppose if you are a good machinist you could convert it... but a block is cheap and easy to get. :beerchug:

All of my mag engines have proven to be very reliable and run great. Points may have more adjustability but unless the person adjusting them is an ace mechanic I doubt they will have the skill to fine tune them to the point of any noticable difference.

Pto adj
 

Oh, ok Coop. I misunderstood. I'll probably just turn it into a fall project. I don't want to "beat a dead horse" on the forum. I've got what I've got. Obtained some different points of view. I have a k301 on a 1967 Wheelhorse, and I like the way it runs. I also have a K321 from a old John Deere sitting on the ground, that runs. I don't know what all would be necessary to use that in the 1211. The crankshaft pto end might be a different diameter. Thanks again for the input.

I only have 1 Mag single at present. I can make any K run better than it. But I get to play my "ace mechanic" card for that one. :biggrin2: Timing isn't the only thing I change.....:BlahBlah:

1211 follow up
 

Follow up on question about Kohler engine shutting down on my 1211. Disassembled the engine and sent it to another machine shop. He rehoned the cylinder and cut the crank journal. Used original rebuild piston, ordered new rings and a new connecting rod because the journal on the crank wasn't in spec. He thinks I was originally sent the wrong rings from the eBay rebuild kit. I had the machinist reassemble the lower end. It's back together and ran fine for the break in. Time will tell. On another note, this member "jmech", pretty much implied I was making up stories about my rebuild. I know we're not supposed to squabble on these forums, but, there are a Lot of Friendly forums out there. I am a novice just looking for help. I wasn't looking for a dressing down, by a self described "ace Kohler mechanic". The exchange pretty much turned me off to this site. I know there are a bunch of truly helpful, kind people here, but as the saying goes "one bad apple". The moderators can pull this post if they consider it unacceptable.

Well you don't have to worry anymore because I am pretty sure my posts made him leave.

Mudrig150 don't flatter yourself. Jon leaving had nothing to do with your ridiculousness. :bash2::bash2: You sure as hell don't have what it takes to get under Jon's skin. LMFAO