Grasshopper blade clutch

[Four Seasons Lawn]

As I was cutting yesturday the bearings went out on the blade clutch on my 721d . Called the dealer and his price was out of the world. Does anyone know of a reputable online dealer that sells these things that wont cost an arm and a leg? Thanks in advance.

[blake101]

Just wondering how much it is, use the same mower, its a front runner. no problems yet, 1250 hours.

[Four Seasons Lawn]

Have 1750 hrs on mine. Was quoted $269.00 for the clutch. Theres got to be some lower priced than that.

[JB1]

try http://www.j-thomas.com/Catalog/192_clutch_ogura_warner_exmark.html

[bob]

I think I payed $220 for my last clutch at the dealer.

[Mowingman]

The dealers price is right about where I would expect it to be. Those clutches are not cheap for any brand of mower.

[Four Seasons Lawn]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm going to look at J thomas and also continue to search over the weekend online. Depending on what the shipping is I may be better off to go ahead and splurge at my local dealer.

[hornet506]

Remember... Clutch needs a constant 12V. Sometimes a relay going bad will allow only 5 or 6volts to the clutch. The clutch plate will slip while mowing, generating heat. This is enough heat to melt the seals out of the bearings within the clutch. Then it fries. Also on your Grasshopper make sure you don't lose the little spacer that goes between the nut and the inner race of the clutch bearing. If you don't have that on there your replacement clutch will vibrate and come apart. also make sure the anti rotation bracket is not bent and bolted against the clutch. Improper installation can waste you another $300.

[pugs]

Not sure if yours is this way but some of the grasshoppers use a double belt back there down to the drive shaft...so the clutch has a double pulley on it. Not many out there use something like that so less of them are made and in turn the cost goes up.

I would expect any electric clutch to be in the 180-300 neighborhood though.

[Four Seasons Lawn]

Thanks for the replies today. Heres what i've done so far. I havent bought a new clutch but still using the old. The only way I can get it to engage is to have the rpms up and it'll start. The relay might be the prob and I never thought of that. Think I have another one lying around and will try it. Thanks. Yes I do have the double belt set up which most grasshoppers i've seen does and I guess that explains why they are so much.

[Jason Rose]

Too bad they don't just use an adjustable clutch... I may be wrong, but a clutch wears over time, and the gap between the magnetic plates widens, eventally to where they won't pull together easily. If you could just readjust the air gap between them you would not have to replace the clutch...

Dixon mowers use an adjustable clutch like that. I NEVER had to replace one that wore out, thousands of hours. Only had one get trashed, and it was because of a bad engine ground that allowed current to pass thru the bearings, seizing them up.

[zimmatic]

I have employee's run my grasshoppers, and some of them think that you can engage the clutch with the engine wide open. This places alot of electrical draw on the clutch to engage, and in my experince it will melt the plastic clip that holds the leads into the clutch. I have had to replace one this summer, the machine has 1200hours on it and not one problem. Then got a new employee and he burnt the clutch out. He was fired soon after. I paid $280 from my dealer. I just dont have time for downtime.

[Jason Rose]

I engage my clutch at WOT most of the time. My machine just dosn't have the power to engage it at half throttle with the blower on the deck. If it's cold in the least it will kill it. 800 hours so far, no problems.

[DUSTYCEDAR]

They aint cheep i had to buy one when it spun on the shaft and ripped out the wires

[4.3mudder]

If there is a part number on it try ebay. I save a guy almost 200 bucks on a clutch. He had a husquvarna, the dealer around here wanted almost 300 for it! with shipping on top of that. Did a little research on the computer, got it for 110 shipped to my door.