Need a new deck belt

steelthunder

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Are aftermarket belts any good?Stens?or do I stay with grasshopper max life?
 

bertsmobile1

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Generally a branded belt from a recognised after market parts supplier will be just as good as the makers belt
In some cases they are the same belt from the same machine with different colour covers .
Belts bought from retailers that do not exist ( amazon & ebay ) are a lottery
Unbranded belts are either so badly made that the factory does not want you to know where they were made or the belts that failed quality control before the brand name gets applied so were rejected .
The later can leagally be advertised as an OEM belt because it came off the same machine out of the same factory, they just neglect to tell you it is faulty.
 

steelthunder

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so a stens deck belt should be a pretty good belt compared to the higher prices grasshopper belt thanks
 

bertsmobile1

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Stens , Rotary , Prime Line , Oregon all should be OK
Weather they will give exactly equivalent service life I have no idea
I fit Stens, Rotary & Gates kevlar belts and have not had any problems with them
The Pix belts advertised as OEM replacements were not they were just a Standard section belt of the correct length to work , sort of.
Some belts have to be exact OEM spec so check the new against the old
You can get a refund on a belt that has not been fitted bot once around the pulleys and it is yours
The new belt should be the same width at the back as the old but thicker on the V where they wear and the same distance front to back .
There are several different profiles so always check
L profile is shallower front to back
V profile is deeper front to back
 

Hammermechanicman

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Like bert said, name brand belts are usually OK. Some equipment mfgs purposely use odd a$$ size belts to try and force you to OEM. Always try to check the exact length of the OEM belt and is the aftermarket belt the same. Some belt distributors will list a belt as direct replacement and supposed to be close enough but sometimes isn't. Stay away from unbranded belts and ebay sellers selling brand name belts at half what others are selling them for. There are counterfit belts out there.
 

steelthunder

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I had my grasshopper for 12 years now first time that I need to replace the deck belt.I see a grasshopper maxlife belt on ebay for $70 and stens belts for $40.Which one would you get? thanks in advance
 

bertsmobile1

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Neither.
I don't own your mower
I fit a lot of aftermarket belts without much of a problem for my customers
But in reaity it is user who determines belt life more than the belt itself, provided it is a branded belt from a reputable source.
 
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