OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions On Ride On Mowers Questions on Greenfield Ride On Mower Frames Greenfield Ride-on - Drive Belt Problem

Hi guys im a forum newbie, I was given a greenfield mower yesterday that looks ancient after getting it running I went for a test drive and noticed the forward reverse foot control seemed to be back to front when I pushed forward the mower went backwards and when I pushed pedal backwards the mower went forwards I cant see how to solve it. ive seen pics on here of the drive belts going under the rear clutch pulleys and onto tensioner at top but this 1 the belts go over the clutch pulleys and tensioner is under clutch pulleys. any help would be appreciated.

Hi mudrock74, and a warm welcome to the forum.
It's nice to have you aboard, as we all like to learn new things and tinker here!
Grumpy is our resident guru on Greenfield ride-ons and will chime in here to give you some advice.
Could you please post any model numbers on your machine and also engine details. This will help identify your model.
Once again mudrock74, to Outdoorking.

thanks I cant find any numbers at all ive added some more pics to maybe help identify it the engine isn't original it has a Honda gx240 on it

That one is completely new to me, mudrock. I've never seen a Greenfield remotely like that before. The old HD8 model had a horizontal crankshaft like that, but did not have the upside-down drive clutch setup that yours has. Here is a thread on the HD8 which you might find interesting:
https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=39950&page=1

It is conceivable that your machine is an even earlier model than the HD8 - the architecture rather looks as if it were made with only the simplest fixtures rather than with normal production tooling. It will be very interesting to find out what it is.

Some of our members repair Greenfields or work with them a lot, and may be able to identify it, which would be a very useful forward step. If they have never seen anything similar either, it will be necessary to contact Greenfield's service department and see what they can make of it. I think you will have to make any such contact yourself - I doubt they will be responsive to questions from anyone but the owner, or one of their dealers.

The first question that should be answered is whether the clutch pedal worked that way when it was new, or somebody has "improved" it along the way. Essentially, the clutch works backwards because the belt is running around the drive pulleys backwards, compared with what is now regarded as the conventional setup. I doubt it would be difficult to make the clutch pedal work the opposite way, but if this is as collectible a mower as I suspect, any modification would be highly undesirable.

The machine looks rather clean and professionally made - I don't see signs of modifications or amateur repairs, or even of much use of the machine. It would be a great pity to modify it if it is a rare model in good condition. At this point I can't guess whether it is a very well-built prototype of some kind that an amateur comedian has put a Greenfield decal on for a joke, or it is actually the ancestor of the earliest Greenfield I've ever seen or heard of. A very interesting piece of equipment, either way.

My suggestion is that we wait a bit to see if we get some information from Outdoorking members. If we don't, I think you should send pictures to Greenfield's service department and ask for their help.

thanks grumpy the guy that gave it to me said it used to run in the right direction but couldn't remember what he changed on it many years ago. ive just had a closer look at the one in the link I think it has showed me whats different/missing on mine where the tensioner pulley bolts underneath on mine the brackets line up perfectly to install 2 idler pulleys vertically same as pic in link so the belts clear the deck and that will make the drive discs run in the right direction to solve forward/reverse issue and the bracket is there at the top of clutch discs to bolt on the tensioner where it is on all other models. is there a way I can find out what size tensioners I need to buy as they are missing? I will look into trying to find out more about its age/model etc it does look similar to the hd8. many thanks for your help much appreciated

mudrock, if it is the predecessor of the HD8, it may or may not use some HD8 parts. One possible solution is to get the corresponding parts from a defunct HD8 and see if they fit. As long as they are a simple bolt-on, using existing holes, no harm would be done by trying this. Then you would move your existing tensioner by bolting it in the existing holes in the upper position above the clutches; fit a pair of HD8 idlers by bolting them in the existing holes; and check what belt length is then required by running a piece of rope around the circuit in the same way as for an HD8. The other possible solution that comes to mind is contacting Greenfield, as Rong did in the other thread, and seeing what you can learn from them.

Note that Rodeobob has several HD8s, and he may be able to provide some details, or perhaps even some parts. He has not visited Outdoorking since last May and is unlikely to see a Private Message, but he has a phone number in his personal details in the User Information. If that does not work send me a PM and I will try to put you in touch with him.

thanks im looking into the idlers of a hd8 and have contacted greenfield as u suggested and sent them pics to help identify model/year will post details when I hear back from them. if they cant help il contact rodeobob

Well done, I'm looking forward to finding out exactly what you have there. I'm already half-convinced it is the granddaddy of all Greenfields, and belongs in a collection.

no new news on its identity. after contacting a few people and speaking with greenfield and sending pics the only info they can give me is its a 70's hd8.

It may be a very early Greenfield, and they may have called it the HD8, then kept using the same model name when they began to make them with production tools later on.

I suggest you get the HD8 parts that are needed, put it together correctly, and begin making whatever other repairs are required once you've got it going well enough to see what else needs attention. It doesn't seem as if it will be a difficult project to get it working, and I think it will be a real show-stopper anywhere Greenfield enthusiasts can be found. It seems to be in really solid shape - you can have a lot of fun with it.

Very interesting machine indeed. I may be wrong, but to me the engine looks newer than 1970s so possibly a replacement? B&S engines are usually easy to date from the third part of the engine numbering, known as the "Code".

From previous threads, I gather the earliest HD8 mowers had a rather inglorious Fuji (Subaru) Robin engine, which was followed after a year or two by a side valve Honda - which may or may not initially have been optional. Possibly this machine started out with a Fuji and it was ditched in the interests of improved behaviour and less overheating, or it may have had a G65 Honda to start with. The GX240 currently in it, should be an improvement on either. However for such a rare old machine, the original engine is to be preferred, or at least kept locked away and shown to people who stop by to admire the machine.

For some information on early HD8s, check this thread:
https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=40749&page=1

I have just bought one of these machines with the more common upper belt tensioner. I had no idea it was so old but it was mechanically not bad condition. It needed a replacement drive belt and chain, and clutch bearings replaced, it had a worn sinter bearing, not needle bearing which I replaced. It has a 5hp Mitsubishi motor, probably not original, that needed the carburettor jets cleaned. The rear right alloy wheel, opposite to the chain drive has been welded at the keyway and has worn the axle keyway and key a bit and needs replacement along with the wheel. The deck has been home made from 3mm steel plate, reasonably well done, but makes a lot of noise when mowing from sticks and stones. I reduced the engine revving to minimise the need for drive clutch slipping. I adjusted the governing and eliminated dwell to ensure more response. The motor maybe under powered but seems Okay. Looking at the mower listed by Mudrock74 it looks in great condition, the lower belt tension design looks original, I just wonder if the person repairing it has put the foot linkage lever on the wrong side at the drive clutch. It looks a nice design variation of a classic machine. It would be nice to have a parts list. I found a Greenfield company website that listed all models of their ride on mowers and these models were not listed, however I assumed they just stopped supporting them. The basic design has remained perhaps unique to Greenfield even after the vertical engines became common.

Hi Arthur, welcome to Outdoorking.

The Greenfield wheel-drive system, and its layout using the separate forward and reverse clutches with a very long belt, can be found on several US-built machines, including the Rover Autodrive system. I haven't studied the dates but I think Greenfield adopted it after the Americans introduced it.

mudrock had established that his very early HD8 originally had the standard wheel-drive layout as on other Greenfields, and the original owner had modified it to work backwards for unknown reasons. It can be put back to its original condition provided he can obtain some HD8 parts - aside from a small number of holes having been drilled to mount brackets, hopefully no other damage has been done by the temporary modifications.