can't keep the belt on

[pappywith4]

Hello everyone, I have a super z 52" and the long drive belt that drives the blades will not stay on!
I bought new belts and does the same thing?
I put all the tension I can on it but it doesn't help!
anyone have an idea? thanks john

 

[pappywith4]

I guess no one here ever had this problem? Okay I will look somewhere else .thanks anyways everyone! pappywith4

 

[garyl]

I am having similar issue. I am throwing belt every now and then. I watched while engaging belt . The belt seems to move around more than it should, so probably a bad idler or spindle bearing. Was going to replace after season. But my spindles are also worn, so that too.

 

[Homer1]

As mentioned, remove you belt and check the deck bearings for roughness / sticking. They should spin easily without any noises, and just free spin with a little effort.

Check that pulley alignment is good. If the pulleys are bent or damaged somehow this can cause this issue.

Verify that your clutch is performing properly and the pulley on it is not worn or broken somehow.

Change belt tensioner spring if it's stretched. Make sure tensioner moves freely as it should to maintain tension, and it's not sticking somewhere on the deck due to being bent or otherwise.

Replace the belt with an OE replacement if it's got some wear on it. Make sure the belt doesn't have a twist or bend in it somewhere that could be aiding in the belt removing itself when engaged.

You may also try to engage the blades at a lower engine RPM then ramp up some and see if that helps at all.

All the ideas I got. Best of luck!

 

[pappywith4]

I took the tensioner pulley off and found someone put a 1/2" spacer under the pulley causing it to be out of line so I took it off, now we are golden! Belt stays on now!

 

[KyGolfer]

I had similar issue. I have found that when you engage the blades on the PTO, if you push your deck up to the highest position, while engaging, this helps to keep this from happening. Ever since I've done this, I haven't thrown 1 belt. I think the alignment of the belt and the deck pulleys are more even that way. Hope this helps anyone.

 

[reynoldston]

I do see this problem on mows that come into my shop. The thing I have found most is the wrong style belt. My question is are you using a OEM belt?

 

[pappywith4]

what I found was someone put a spacer under the tensioner pulley and it coked it at an angle!
I took it out and never had another problem!

 

[bertsmobile1]

And keep a close eye on the pivot hole on the tensioner arm.
Not sure what yours is like but many are just a hole and it soon floggs out oval which allows the arm to **** a little, just enough to throw the bent when engaging the blades cold.
On big mowers that get used for a long time the belts get very hot then when they cool down they set around a pulley so when first started they are a bit lumpy till they warm up a little.
Usually the mid cutting height has the deck pulley & drive pulley in line