Cheap is not a word I would normally use to decscibe a YTH.
You just need to mow a little more often.
Big build up o grass will not cause the belt to slip or break.
They catch fire, you know the boy scouts rubbing sticks together stuff.
The fire will run along under the machine consumming the dried cut grass , then all the stuff around & on top of the tranny, then the fuel tank followed by WOOOFF.
Add some dried grass in the paddock, a little wind and your other half will be identifing your charred remains at the local morgue.
It can happen to any body.
I have done 3 fire repairs, 2 were dry grass & other was refuling a running mower on a hot day cause the battery was flat. Replacement battery $ 90.00 repairs $ 698.00 + 2 months daily trips to the burns unit for dressings.