12 Volt Solenoid

Perhaps your belts need to be changed? To use a DC solenoid is not a good idea because they operate well in 2 positions and become hot as fire in between.

Diesel engines on heavy equipment have these to open/close the fuel pump supply.

The range is about what you need.

It seems to me that you need some adjustments in your handles' courses.

G'day GVMDSC, thank you for the input but the belt is new. I may rethink the solenoid holding voltage, when it operates, I will put in a latch (mechanical) that will hold it in the operated position, that should overcome that particular problem (touch wood). But thanks again for pointing out one of the flaws in my earlier post.

Rod

"G'day GVMDSC, thank you for the input but the belt is new."

Did the salesman sell you the correct belt? And if it is the correct belt for the mower, is it a good belt or is it a defective item?

I hate to disparage people I have not met, but I know not all Australians are completely honest. Someone over there keeps shipping Fosters to the States and claiming that this is the pinnacle of Australian beer, when it's actually the cheap beer you pull out when your mates have gotten too drunk to notice the switch.

G'day Adrealser, the belt is the correct one, the problem is to get the adjustment right. It seems there is no adjustment between go and stop. By this I mean if I loosen the adjuster too much, then the belt will slip and squeal instead of driving. If I tighten the belt just to the point where it will drive, then it just keeps on driving. There is no spot where it will start and stop. What I am going to do is have the belt too loose, then with the actuator or whatever I use, it will have the travel required to take the belt from too loose to really tight.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#electric-actuators/=yj7tyi

I had the same issue,and if the clutch lever has an over-center action that tensions the idler pulley spring for engagement, then your solution will work.

BINGO!

Don't over-engineer a crutch for the clutch, when it might be other parts of the 'clutch train' that need replacing.

I've looked at a lot of specs, but I haven't been able to find amount of grunt!

I think I might just alter the components for a longer adjustment length with smaller incremental movement possibly with stops....

....but probably I would just give it away and get a new one....

What - no joy from a popular internet auction site that is in everyday parlance (name withheld)? That would be very surprising!

Thank you all for the great suggestions, this has given me a new way to look at the problem. I will look at a stronger spring for starters, cheapest first, then take a further look at actuators, these seem to give more travel to work with. I almost took "solar eagle's" advice and gave it away, but I really hate to quit on a repair until I have given it everything both I, and others, have suggested.

Regarding the "auction" site on line, I tried there first, but that took me into the territory of extremely high shipping rates.

Again, thank you all for your great suggestions, much appreciated. If I get lucky and get this working properly, I will post the 'fix' back here.

Make sure the belt is correct and designed for Lawn and garden. In the US, those belts are green.

There are several (dozen?) ways to do this.

A motor driven threaded rod would be quite simple. Using a large diameter thread, it would simply stop where the motor would leave it, no brakes required....

Once calibrated, the current through the motor could even be monitored, to allow stopping at a preset torque for example.....

Even a stepper motor could be used.....simply designed electronics to drive it forwards and backwards....gears or threaded rod.....

G'day to KISS, Jimrat, and Andy. The belt is the correct one, supplied by the Rover Mower company, also great news to find there is an Australian company for the actuators. I sent an email to the American supplier as suggested earlier, unfortunately they only deal with their account holders and have no outlet in Oz. (bother).

Andy suggested the motor and threaded rod, this gave me a stack of new options to consider. Since I have no design on paper yet it is becoming a heck of a lot simpler in my mind. (Simple mind too) Thanks again for the extra ways of doing things.

What about a communications dish positioner? It is a threaded mechanism that can be adjusted/positioned very accurately?

I think your belt size could could be the problem, or adjustment of the travel of the tension mechanism, or both. They must coincide. Change the belt if necessary and adjust accordingly.

If you think an electric actuator is the answer, then pick up a cheap windscreen wiper mechanism. Cut the 'arms' to suit the movement required. Fit limit switches and connect the wires to 'stop-start' exactly at the right place.

I need to add a PS to my earlier reply #17.

On my mower the electric clutch is on the engine shaft and it drives the cutter when the clutch is energised. The drive belt is permanently tight at all times during grass cutting, and is only slackened for servicing when the cutter box is released for removal (blade sharpening, blockage removal etc).

A switch operates the clutch to drive the cutters during grass cutting - and nothing to do with belt tension control.

If my cutters are still turning when the clutch is 'off' then there is something seriously wrong with the clutch mechanism.

The engine drives the gearbox via a belt with a foot operated belt tensioning device that slackens the belt to stop driving the gearbox when the brake peal is pressed down to stop the mower during grass cutting. My mower also stops in neutral between forward and reverse - but will roll on a slope if the brake pedal is not pressed - which incidently locks the gearbox rather than the wheels.

The electric clutch control has nothing to do with belt tension and the gearbox.

KISS......

How about a simple vernier throttle cable? Adjust the cable so the clutch locks up with the cable in. Then screw out the cable till the clutch is freewheeling. These cables are cheap, available, and easy to work with.

http://www.primelinecontrols.com/prime-line-vernier-control/

G'day Annon, this is yet another good idea. Seems like yet another idea to contemplate. Thank you for the suggestion.

Rod

I'm not sure why this came up as anonymous poster, but it's me.

Thanks Bob

Rod

G'day all, well I tried the spring. It was part of the solution as the old one did not have much tension left in it. So I added a new spring along with the old one, this certainly got the clutch to fully retract when released, but the problem remained. I have ordered an actuator from the firm that was suggested here, so it is a matter of wait and see what happens. Thanks again to all who made great suggestions here.

Rod