Belt maintanace

[Carscw]

Belts seem to be the one thing people over look.

I look at my drive belt once a week and my deck belts maybe twice a day. I feel the deck belts after big yards just to make sure they are not hot. A hot belt means something is wrong.

I spray every belt once a week with belt dressing. Every day on my belt drive walk behinds.

If you put the mower up for the winter months belt dressing will prevent them from drying out and cracking.

Who else looks at the belts.

 

[Shughes717]

Great tip about using belt dressing over the winter. I check my deck belt occasionally, but not as often as I should. You are right ten to twelve dollars for a can of belt dressing is sure a lot better than $130 for a new deck belt. I will be using belt dressing on my belts this fall for sure.

 

[Carscw]

On the belt drive walk behinds the belts get wet and the mower just sits there.

A man told me to use the belt dressing.
It's like putting new belts on.

 

[Shughes717]

I listen to the tips that professionals such as you put on this site. You guys work in this field everyday and see issues that the normal home owner doesn't come across on a regular basis. I never thought of using belt dressing to protect my belts over the winter, but it is common sense once you think about it. A little preventive maintenance will save money.

 

[Bison]

How does one maintain a belt? they are either good or ready to break or break.IMO nutting one can do to extend their life span other than relieve the tension in the off season.(i never do)
Unless my eye catches a bad spot on a belt while i clean the deck I usually wait for the telltale sign of pieces of a belt flying across the lawn before replacing it.:laughing:
I always try to keep a spare on hand just in case.

 

[Carscw]

How does one maintain a belt? they are either good or ready to break or break.IMO nutting one can do to extend their life span other than relieve the tension in the off season.(i never do) Unless my eye catches a bad spot on a belt while i clean the deck I usually wait for the telltale sign of pieces of a belt flying across the lawn before replacing it.:laughing: I always try to keep a spare on hand just in case.

I am not even going to say anything.

 

[exotion]

I don't check belts often usually when it crosses my mind. I replace my belts anually regardless of wear

 

[Shughes717]

I will take the bait. As mentioned by carscw, belts can dry rot over the winter. If you coat the belt with belt dressing before parking it for the winter you can help prevent the belt from cracking. Makes sense to me. I am going to give it a shot.

 

[Bob E]

belt dressing? That is about like treating a cancer patient with narcotics. They might seem happy, but you create a sick junky, always in need of a fix and likely to die sooner...
Only use belt dressing on belts you're planning to replace anyway, and make sure you clean the dressing off the pulleys before putting on the new belt.
Its better to spend money on quality kevlar belts than cans of dressing in my opinion.
I check and adjust belts twice a season, and run them 'till they fall apart. I've been waiting for one of my drive belts to let go all season, but the kevlar is holding strong :laughing:

 

[Carscw]

belt dressing? That is about like treating a cancer patient with narcotics. They might seem happy, but you create a sick junky, always in need of a fix and likely to die sooner... Only use belt dressing on belts you're planning to replace anyway, and make sure you clean the dressing off the pulleys before putting on the new belt. Its better to spend money on quality kevlar belts than cans of dressing in my opinion. I check and adjust belts twice a season, and run them 'till they fall apart. I've been waiting for one of my drive belts to let go all season, but the kevlar is holding strong :laughing:

I have been using belt dressing for years and it really does help the belts last longer.

My toro belt is $110 so I am not buying cheap belts.

The dressing keeps the belts soft and flexible.
You do not spray a whole can on one belt.
Never more then the belt can absorb.

I got this toro used put a $110 belt on it. It lasted around 150 hours. Second belt using dressing has over 300 hours on it. This is the mower I use for grass over a foot tall.

At the track everyone has a can in the tool box. If it's ok to use on a $20.000 engine then I guess it will be fine on a mower belt.