Repairs Drive belt problem with Dixon SpeedZTR 42"

[chadcz]

Hello everyone,
I'm trying to help my poor mother, who has had nothing but headaches with a 2011 Dixon SpeedZTR 42" (Model #966494901). Her local dealers in the area have no idea what the problem is, so here I am, hoping one of you out there has had the same issue and resolved it.

The local dealer thinks the mower is too small for the 2 1/2 acres of grass that needs to be cut every week or so, but my father had a Ariens 42" years ago that gave us no problems at all. In the past 2 seasons, the Dixon has burned up 3 Hydro drive belts! The last belt barely lasted 2 months!

After some investigative work last week, I found out that the idler pulley's bearing was bad, so I replaced it, along with a new tension spring. I put on the new belt, took it out and noticed it slipping immediately. Again, the local dealers have no idea what's going on. I triple checked that I have put the idler pulley on correctly as well as routing the belt correctly. The brand new drive belt feels loose on the pulleys.

I have no idea what else to do. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Chadcz

 

[mechanic mark]

Errorclick anyway and zoom in, you have two idlers items 20 & 21. Inspect with eyes & hands idler arms for cracks, try moving them up & down & side to side checking for excessive play, also check all hardware, bolts, nuts, etc., visually check bolts for being stretched, warped, or bent. Let us know what you find, thanks.

Note: Idler pulleys are on deck as well as everything I posted above.

Is your new belt OEM Dixon drive belt with part # 575852401, if not you need to purchase correct belt. Always use OEM Dixon parts for your Dixon mower. Your Dixon is just fine for acreage, but if you continue to have problems with mower I would sell it & help your mother pick out something more dependable, research online before trying out.