Hustler belt problems

[browneastsales@gmail.com]

Dear Sir. I have similar problems with the belt on my Hustler 42 inch cut Mini Z. The belt wants to dislocate off the lower side of the idler pulley. I have removed the deck from the mower and as another reader has stated the idler pulley is atleast 2cm higher than the other pulleys. This is especially noticable on the left hand side where the pulleys are very close and the angle that the belt has to travel is very acute. Is ther an idler pulley slide available or my next thought is to use spacers and attempt to increase the height of the cutter puleys.Thanks David.

 

[mechanic mark]

Very good question, after inspecting all pulleys including idler pulleys making sure they are in good shape, yes you may have to go with spacers. Very important, remove idler pulleys for inspection of bearings, hold pulley in one hand and spin center bearing with index finger, it should be smooth while rotating, bearings do wear out over time even being sealed bearings. I remove 4 idler pulleys on my tractor yearly for inspection, if worn I replace complete idler pulley, comes with new bearing installed. A bad bearing in idler pulley will be dragging & cause heat buildup along with friction thus throwing belt or destroying belt.