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Belt maintanace

#1

Carscw

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.


#2

S

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.


#3

Carscw

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.


#4

S

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.


#5

Bison

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.


#6

Carscw

Carscw

Bison said:
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.
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I am not even going to say anything.


#7

exotion

exotion

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


#8

S

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.


#9

Bob E

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:

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#10

Carscw

Carscw

Bob E said:
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:
Click to expand...

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.


#11

S

Shughes717

I know there are different opinions on just about everything. I can totally see carscw's point. I have seen belts get dry and cracked over time. They don't last much longer after that. Using belt dressing to prevent the belt from drying seems like a simple solution to me. Kinda like greasing bearings and cleaning the air filter on the engine.


#12

Nwatson99

Nwatson99

Dad use to apply that all the time and I applied it for him on his stuff as well, but I have not used it on my mowers and was thinking about doing that this winter on my ZT.
Now my zt sits in my garage and it does not freeze in there either so I am not too worried about extreme cold weathering it, but the thought has been on my mind about it using it and more than likely will pick some up.


#13

Bison

Bison

Carscw said:
I am not even going to say anything.
Click to expand...
You just did anyway:tongue:

Bob E said:
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:
Click to expand...
A good quality belt properly tensioned and running on good pulleys doesn't need no snake oil.
:thumbsup:


#14

Bob E

Bob E

The dressing causes belts to swell and delaminate. You have to figure these $20,000 engines at this track are probably working beyond the limit of the average fan/accessory belt. Too much slip will kill the belt quickly on the track. So, they hose it down with dressing and buy a new belt for each race.


#15

Carscw

Carscw

Bob E said:
The dressing causes belts to swell and delaminate. You have to figure these $20,000 engines at this track are probably working beyond the limit of the average fan/accessory belt. Too much slip will kill the belt quickly on the track. So, they hose it down with dressing and buy a new belt for each race.
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I go about 5 races on belts and hoses.

Change oil and both oil filters every race.

We all have ways we do things. I don't think any of us are wrong we are just different.

I know I guy bought a new mower this year and breaks a belt about every 100 hours. So every 3 weeks that's a $100


#16

Bison

Bison

Carscw said:
I go about 5 races on belts and hoses.

Change oil and both oil filters every race.

We all have ways we do things. I don't think any of us are wrong we are just different.

I know I guy bought a new mower this year and breaks a belt about every 100 hours. So every 3 weeks that's a $100
Click to expand...
There's got to be a cause for that.

Could be a misaligned and/or improperly tensioned belt(to much slip or to tight).
Or a cheap chinese belt.
Or a stiff bearing in a belt pulley or the belt is catching on something something sharp.
To much HP putting to much strain on the belt when cutting tall grass or cutting with a clogged deck.


#17

Carscw

Carscw

Bison said:
There's got to be a cause for that. Could be a misaligned and/or improperly tensioned belt(to much slip or to tight). Or a cheap chinese belt. Or a stiff bearing in a belt pulley or the belt is catching on something something sharp. To much HP putting to much strain on the belt when cutting tall grass or cutting with a clogged deck.
Click to expand...

I will save this thread and post next time his belt breaks using dressing on it.


It is a new $12.000 mower


#18

Bison

Bison

Carscw said:
I will save this thread and post next time his belt breaks using dressing on it.


It is a new $12.000 mower
Click to expand...
And????
New doesn't mean there can't be a problem from the get go
If Ye think factory quality control is laying every machine coming from the assembly line under the microscope,..think again.


#19

RobertBrown

RobertBrown

I have never used belt dressing. Can't imagine how it could extend the life of a belt. But I don't live in the cold climate some of you do. I suppose that sub zero temperatures could be real problem with materials that need to remain pliable. I still can't imagine what you could put on a belt that might help, even in those conditions. If I had problem with belts breaking, I might try it but, it's never been an issue for me and I have more belts than most, I suppose.

It occurs to me that I can't ever remember having a belt fail. I have replaced a bunch of them, but I don't think I have ever had one fail. I guess I'm changing them too often. The cost of most belts is fairly negligible compared to the cost of being "Inoperable", or the damage caused by the belt breaking.


#20

RobertBrown

RobertBrown

Carscw said:
I will save this thread and post next time his belt breaks using dressing on it.


It is a new $12.000 mower
Click to expand...
What kind of mower is it?


#21

Carscw

Carscw

RobertBrown said:
What kind of mower is it?
Click to expand...

Hustler super Z


#22

Bob E

Bob E

The belt in my picture was on the mower when I got it four years ago, it was old and cracking then. I'm not too worried about getting stranded in the backyard, and nothing high dollar is going to melt down when it lets go, so I decided to see how long it would last :laughing:
Cold temperature can give you an obnoxious heads up when the serpentine belt in your car is getting old, or when the spring on the belt tension pulley is wearing out, but I've never noticed much trouble beyond that with any belt. Even when the 5w30 gets so thick the starter can barely crank the engine. A good belt properly tensioned wont slip or break.
Belt dressing is for the mechanically inept who are embarrassed by the sound of a worn or improperly adjusted and now glazed accessory belt IMHO.


#23

Carscw

Carscw

Bob E said:
The belt in my picture was on the mower when I got it four years ago, it was old and cracking then. I'm not too worried about getting stranded in the backyard, and nothing high dollar is going to melt down when it lets go, so I decided to see how long it would last :laughing: Cold temperature can give you an obnoxious heads up when the serpentine belt in your car is getting old, or when the spring on the belt tension pulley is wearing out, but I've never noticed much trouble beyond that with any belt. Even when the 5w30 gets so thick the starter can barely crank the engine. A good belt properly tensioned wont slip or break. Belt dressing is for the mechanically inept who are embarrassed by the sound of a worn or improperly adjusted and now glazed accessory belt IMHO.
Click to expand...

I started using dressing on belt drive walk behind mowers because the belts do get glazed real fast when they get wet


#24

Bison

Bison

Wet from What??.....oil?

The only glazed belts i have seen were belts that were constantly slipping and riding in the bottom in worn pulleys.


#25

Carscw

Carscw

Bison said:
Wet from What??.....oil? The only glazed belts i have seen were belts that were constantly slipping and riding in the bottom in worn pulleys.
Click to expand...


Water mowing on the rain.

How does a belt drive walk behind Work.

Let's see to slow down and turn the belts must SLIP


#26

Bison

Bison

Carscw said:
Water mowing on the rain.

How does a belt drive walk behind Work.

Let's see to slow down and turn the belts must SLIP
Click to expand...
Normal people cut the lawn when it is dry.:rolleyes:

I don't know,..I use a riding lawn tractor,..if i had to walk behind a mower i would buy a goat :smile:

my JD 112 lawn tractor has a variable drive which uses a primary and a secondary belt.
When i slow down or speed up the center sheave between the belts moves left or right to change speed,..it does not cause much if any slippage of the belts.
I replaced these 2 belts only once and that was many years ago.
The tractor is 42 years old.


#27

Carscw

Carscw

Bison said:
Normal people cut the lawn when it is dry.:rolleyes: I don't know,..I use a riding lawn tractor,..if i had to walk behind a mower i would buy a goat :smile: my JD 112 lawn tractor has a variable drive which uses a primary and a secondary belt. When i slow down or speed up the center sheave between the belts moves left or right to change speed,..it does not cause much if any slippage of the belts. I replaced these 2 belts only once and that was many years ago. The tractor is 42 years old.
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I wish I could just cut dry grass.


#28

RobertBrown

RobertBrown

I try not to ever cut wet grass.....
Having said that, If I was in the mowing business, in Florida, I wouldn't start work until noon and I would be working in the hottest part of the day....Africa hot. Unless I wanted to work in the rain (which means wet grass) I would get about 3 hours a day of mowing time, as it's usually raining at some point in the afternoon. at least that has been the case this year/spring summer
The grass is wet every morning as we almost always meet the dew point, so I have to wait until 11 am or so to get on the tractor, less the grass will still be soaked.
You guys making a living at this, must cut wet grass to be competitive, at least here in the south.


#29

Carscw

Carscw

RobertBrown said:
I try not to ever cut wet grass..... Having said that, If I was in the mowing business, in Florida, I wouldn't start work until noon and I would be working in the hottest part of the day....Africa hot. Unless I wanted to work in the rain (which means wet grass) I would get about 3 hours a day of mowing time, as it's usually raining at some point in the afternoon. at least that has been the case this year/spring summer The grass is wet every morning as we almost always meet the dew point, so I have to wait until 11 am or so to get on the tractor, less the grass will still be soaked. You guys making a living at this, must cut wet grass to be competitive, at least here in the south.
Click to expand...

I am right on the Georgia and Tennessee line.
I try and start at 7am on my foreclosed yards. Around 1pm I start doing my residential yards. At 6pm I go back to doing foreclosed yards till dark.
It rains almost every day at some point.

On days that it rains all day I just do foreclosed yards.
I can not just stay home because the grass is wet. I HAVE to get between 75 and 100 yards cut every week.

To be honest I like cutting when the grass is wet.


#30

S

Shughes717

Carscw said:
I am right on the Georgia and Tennessee line.
I try and start at 7am on my foreclosed yards. Around 1pm I start doing my residential yards. At 6pm I go back to doing foreclosed yards till dark.
It rains almost every day at some point.

On days that it rains all day I just do foreclosed yards.
I can not just stay home because the grass is wet. I HAVE to get between 75 and 100 yards cut every week.

To be honest I like cutting when the grass is wet.
Click to expand...

I understand what you mean about having to mow in the rain. We have had an unusually wet summer this year. Have you ever mowed in a storm? When the wind is blowing the rain sideways. I assume you stop once you see lightning. The last thing I would want to be doing in a lightning storm is pushing a few hundred pounds of steel around a lawn.:smile:


#31

Carscw

Carscw

Shughes717 said:
I understand what you mean about having to mow in the rain. We have had an unusually wet summer this year. Have you ever mowed in a storm? When the wind is blowing the rain sideways. I assume you stop once you see lightning. The last thing I would want to be doing in a lightning storm is pushing a few hundred pounds of steel around a lawn.:smile:
Click to expand...

Last year I was doing HUD homes.
They do not care about the weather.

I have cut yards when it was snowing.
Just flurries not sticking. But made for some good pics.


#32

Fish

Fish

Bob E said:
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:
Click to expand...

Yeah, belt dressing is quite silly.....


#33

Mike88se

Mike88se

If it works for someone I'm not going to argue that. Belt manufacturers recommend against using dressing. I don't see how the useful life of rubber can be extended whether it's a drive belt or a tire.


#34

Carscw

Carscw

Mike88se said:
If it works for someone I'm not going to argue that. Belt manufacturers recommend against using dressing. I don't see how the useful life of rubber can be extended whether it's a drive belt or a tire.
Click to expand...

The belt last longer because it does not dry rot and slips less.


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