Belts changed , no speed

Boomer99

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The upper drive belt shredded while mowing. Old specs of belt 35.25 x .656 mtd original.
New belt non original 35 x 5/8 Kevlar.
When I looked the tensioner pulley or idler puller had no centre bearing at all. So I changed the pulley. Specs 3.06' as per MTD specs and it is an original MTD part.
So, new pulley and new belt. I was getting a rubbing sound ?
And when foot pedal released , no speed at all...unless I pulled back on the pedal , then I got some movement.
So I thought maybe change the lower belt too. So I did. Specs of new belt 71 x 5/8. Non oem.
Mtd specs 70.9 x .656.

With both belts having been changed the same issue...a rubbing sound ? And no speed unless I pull back on the foot pedal. I have a mtd powermore 420cc yardman, 13c2775s000 model. 2018.
Could the belts be the issue?
Maybe too wide or not deep enough re the pulley ?
Or not allowing the sheets in the variable to move up and down ?
I am at a loss other than the belts being the cause ....
Any help would be appreciated.
 

ILENGINE

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Sounds like three problems. One MTD mowers do not like non OEM belts. Just doesn't fit the belt cut angle and width. Two the scrapping noise could be a concern, and three could be related to a spring tensioning issue, spring getting weak for the pedal that pulls it up to tension the front belt. Or one or more issues could be related to the non OEM belts.
 

Boomer99

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Sounds like three problems. One MTD mowers do not like non OEM belts. Just doesn't fit the belt cut angle and width. Two the scrapping noise could be a concern, and three could be related to a spring tensioning issue, spring getting weak for the pedal that pulls it up to tension the front belt. Or one or more issues could be related to the non OEM belts.
Thanks for responding...I'm pulling my hair out as it's rainy season here , grass needs cutting.
I've now ordered both belts from MTD. No more Amazon for me.
The tractor was running great prior to the belt shred. Upper belt. I initially changed only the upper drive belt and the noise was there...also no speed and the pulley that I had ordered was 3.0 , luckily I also ordered the 3.06 from MTD. I changed the pulley and kept the non mtd belt on. Still the same.
So I changed the lower belt , again non mtd.
I replaced the deck belt about 1 mth ago , Oregon belt with mtd specs. Deck is cutting fine.
The noise is a concern..but sounds like a belt is rubbing , maybe with the 2 new belts the variable sheeth isn't moving up amd down ?
.I had to tilt the mower on its side , steering wheel balanced on a chair, to get the front engine pulley nut off. It was on so tight.
I'm waiting now for the arrival of the MTD belts...
When pulling back on the foot pedal I get some speed.
Does this mean the variable pulley is not going back enough to allow speed ?
 

PTmowerMech

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Thanks for responding...I'm pulling my hair out as it's rainy season here , grass needs cutting.
I've now ordered both belts from MTD. No more Amazon for me.
The tractor was running great prior to the belt shred. Upper belt. I initially changed only the upper drive belt and the noise was there...also no speed and the pulley that I had ordered was 3.0 , luckily I also ordered the 3.06 from MTD. I changed the pulley and kept the non mtd belt on. Still the same.
So I changed the lower belt , again non mtd.
I replaced the deck belt about 1 mth ago , Oregon belt with mtd specs. Deck is cutting fine.
The noise is a concern..but sounds like a belt is rubbing , maybe with the 2 new belts the variable sheeth isn't moving up amd down ?
.I had to tilt the mower on its side , steering wheel balanced on a chair, to get the front engine pulley nut off. It was on so tight.
I'm waiting now for the arrival of the MTD belts...
When pulling back on the foot pedal I get some speed.
Does this mean the variable pulley is not going back enough to allow speed ?

Did the belts seem snug after installing them? With the engine off, and the go peddle pressed did the drive belts tighten up?
This may be dumb question, but is everything routed right? Many times I thought I had everything on right, but something was slightly off, that may have looked right.

I bought a tailors tape to check belts.

Note to ad. If there's a rubbing sound, check the belt to see where it rubbed.
Also, is the tension the same on the foot pedal as before?
 
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bertsmobile1

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First of al
get under and check that there is noting stopping the brake pedal moving to the end of it's travel
Some set ups will allow debris to build up under the mower which prevents the clutch fully releasing.
You will have to follow the rods all the way and do some feeling
On several occasions I have done a second opinion on supposedly dead transmissions to find all that was needed was proper cleaning on the underside
Mowers used for mulching are by far the worst culprits
After that check that the springs are in good condition & have not stretched or wallowed out the mounting points
Also make sure you replaced the springs in the right places, a good strong torch to check for fretting where the springs were originally fitted.
Note this is very general information because there are several variations to the vari drive system
Some change the tension on the front belt while others move the double pulley to vary the tension
So we need more information , all of the numbers off the ID tag under the seat would be helpful.
FWIW I usually fit Stens OEM spec belts with few problems, but then I can tell if a belt won't work by its shape .
 

bkeller500

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Is it possible the belts are too thick? You mentioned the width but I was wondering if the belts are too thick or the taper bevel is not the same as the factory belts were and the belts are not following the pulleys the same as the factory belts would.
 

Boomer99

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Did the belts seem snug after installing them? With the engine off, and the go peddle pressed did the drive belts tighten up?
This may be dumb question, but is everything routed right? Many times I thought I had everything on right, but something was slightly off, that may have looked right.

I bought a tailors tape to check belts.

Note to ad. If there's a rubbing sound, check the belt to see where it rubbed.
Also, is the tension the same on the foot pedal as before?
Yes belts very snug. They appear to be wider and not as much V as the originals. I cant see any rubbing anywhere as such bit my new original belts will be here Tuesday , so I will start the process over again and see what happens.
 

Boomer99

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Is it possible the belts are too thick? You mentioned the width but I was wondering if the belts are too thick or the taper bevel is not the same as the factory belts were and the belts are not following the pulleys the same as the factory belts would.
I thought that too, I've ordered originals and they should be here Tuesday, so I will re do the whole process again. The problem I have is no manual on where things should be. I took photos before I started of the belt feed etc and watched a few videos on YouTube. The process is relatively easy, just time consuming. I did have some problem getting the front PTO pulley nut loose.
 

Boomer99

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First of al
get under and check that there is noting stopping the brake pedal moving to the end of it's travel
Some set ups will allow debris to build up under the mower which prevents the clutch fully releasing.
You will have to follow the rods all the way and do some feeling
On several occasions I have done a second opinion on supposedly dead transmissions to find all that was needed was proper cleaning on the underside
Mowers used for mulching are by far the worst culprits
After that check that the springs are in good condition & have not stretched or wallowed out the mounting points
Also make sure you replaced the springs in the right places, a good strong torch to check for fretting where the springs were originally fitted.
Note this is very general information because there are several variations to the vari drive system
Some change the tension on the front belt while others move the double pulley to vary the tension
So we need more information , all of the numbers off the ID tag under the seat would be helpful.
FWIW I usually fit Stens OEM spec belts with few problems, but then I can tell if a belt won't work by its shape .
I keep my mower very clean and housed in a garden shed. My pride and joy as such.
I've checked all the springs I can see , my concern is a spring has disappeared ie broken and therefore I wouldn't pick it up as I'm not familiar with every spring and where it should go. My model number is 13c2775s000, 2018 MTD 420cc powermore, 7 speed.

I did jave to move the tensioner arm to get the old tensioner pulley off to replace it...could it be I didn't put it back in the position is should be ? The tensioner spring is in good condition and replaced as I found it.
I had to tilt the mower slightly to get under and get the front pulley nut loose. Could this have upset something ?
I've followed the gear rod it rattles , should it ?
Is there usually a spring from the rod to somewhere ? Sorry if I'm a little vague, this is all new to me and without a manual of the underbelly and layout, parts etc, it's really difficult.
 
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If the belt was shredded I suspect a pully or tranny. The issue for me is in many years I have seen belts break mostly due to bearings going out on the spindles. If the best is shredded it is more than likely a spindle bearing or a pulley bearing. This causes the belt to break. If the blades didn't shred it you might just have to bite the $ bullet and get a shop to look at it. If you're like me - find a way to pick the front end up - do you see the underbelly easily and all of it - then pull the belts off and examine every pully for even a slight wobble. One last thing - you have to free up that pedal. Most likely the spring isn't tight enough. Spray the pedal mechanism and work it free with no tension on it. HOPE THIS HELPS
 
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