OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Collectors Corner Ride On Rover Rancher Drive System

hi everyone.
its been getting around now that i have a passion for old mowers ,which led to one of my wifes' friends donating there sad rover rancher to me. yippee for me.
it now runs great and i used it to load a skip with concrete last weekend after making a tipper trailer for it.
i had to fix the rear end this weekend as it had a broken bearing etc.
my question is that it is an automatic type with a double pulley clutch type setup to drive.

What is this system called???
Searched the internet for all the relevant drive systems for ride on's and am still in the dark.
the only reference to it was on this site.

looks similar to this: https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=33166
here's some pics:-

Love the trailer. Can't help with the drive. I have a Rancher but it is completely different drive set up, although the cork disc clutches look the same.

The system is called a friction disk drive. It is unique to australian mowers, originally invented by the man who created greenfield mowers which still use the exact same system today. In the mid 80's rover copied the drive and later AMC copied it as well but they made the disks smaller and they diddnt handle heat and werent as smooth as the original. It is extremely simple and very efficient

Hello nath

Welcome to these forums! WE need all the help we can get on Rover Ranchers.

My understanding is that this particular version of the friction disc drive
is unique to Australian mowers. I did not know AMC copied it. I understand Greenfield
invented - and patented - this particular version of the friction disc.

Greenfield sued Rover for infringement.
Rover challenged the original Greenfield design in court.

This has become an important precedent case in understanding what legally
constitutes 'infringement of copyright'. Rover won.

The case makes for some soporific reading (attached below).

All very litigious.
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JACK

This is a Greenfield mini tractor 8 1975..
Same friction plate set up, the Cox use a cone friction drive set up... both use cork as the friction material.

........And yet not soporific enough, it seems.

2:30 am, wide awake!. Just browsed that judgement and still not sleepy.

Thanks gizmo, i will try and help as much as i can, i have grown up around these machines a d fixed them for 6 years!
I did hear about that lawsuit, and greenfield were absolutely right in doing so. Having fixed many of both the greenfield setup is just simpler and better. The cox drive is a similar concept but i never liked them, they just arent as smooth and tend to heat up a lot more.

I will speak with my doctor prd.
We both thought this would be a sufficient dose.
You present as quite a tolerant patient.

This post is about the drive system on the later Rover Ranchers.
It is established it was a Greenfield copy.

Nath's observation that the Greenfield was 'simpler and better' is significant.
I guess it was all about the use of alloys, surface area, and cooling.

Great photos from Gizmo and SD.
This highlights a passing mechanical age.

---------------------
JACK

This is interesting, my Victa pro 12 has the same drive system. Hope it still works after sitting in a barn for 25 odd years. I'm thinking it will be best to clean all the dirt, dust and crap out the pulleys and such before I take it on its maiden voyage after being brought back to life. The Victa has a foot pedal drive selector. Does anyone know any info on these things in the pro 12's? Have not really found any.

Old Mr Greenfield must have spent many sleepless nights staring at the ceiling trying to work out how to get this design to work. I have never pulled one apart but it sure is an interesting design, 2 pulleys on a single shaft spinning in opposite directions. It is on my bucket list

Thought I’d dig up this old thread and see if anyone has any input on changing the friction disks?

It needs to be done but i don’t know where to start.

The rover rancher auto-drive is the closest I’ve seen to yours Gizmo,

https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/102899/rover-rancher-auto-drive-help.html

is where I found some clues and the rancher auto-drive manual for service instructions.

My only problem now is I’m looking for some info on setup. I’ve changed the corks, got the clutch plates machined flat and true again, changed the drive belt and rebuilt everything. I get forward and reverse on concrete but reverse seems to slip a bit so the clutch isn’t engaging fully, so mine just needs adjusting. If there’s anyone out there that can help with setup of a Rover Rancher Auto-drive 28166 I’m interested please!

The rover drive is a bit of a pain to get right in my experience. i actually fixed one up not long ago. Being that you have had the plates machined (not common to go that far) what is the gap between forward and reverse like? I'm talking the distance the plates move from forward to reverse. Greenfield had a tool that was about 2mm thick you put between the plates to check but from memory rover put a retainer spring in there. should only be a couple of mm between forward engaged and reverse though.

Secondly where is you're pedal adjusted to? unlike greenfield rover decided they needed a spring return to neutral on the pedal. This can get out of adjustment to the drive neutral position limiting the pedal travel and therefore the pressure it can put on the clutch.

As for Lucero's problem, to do the drive in the late model ranchers the entire rear sub frame needs to be dropped out. There are no manuals on this, apart from parts lists. If you are not comfortable with just ripping in and pulling it all apart I would suggest taking it to a shop.