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I have a 2013 Troybilt Bronco with a 20hp Kohler engine and a 42 inch mowing deck. Model number 13wx78ks011.....I have tried 3 belts now (2 that Lowe's told me fit, and today one that is supposes to fit according to my model number) None of them are even close!!! Either too short or way too long.....Am I insane?:confused2:

http://www.troybilt.com/equipment/troybilt/troy-bilt-riding-mower-13wx78ks011

https://www.google.com/search?sourc...54-04060C&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i64l2.26286j0j8

https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&k...vptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_217jydnxlw_b

HitmanJerry said:

I have a 2013 Troybilt Bronco with a 20hp Kohler engine and a 42 inch mowing deck. Model number 13wx78ks011.....I have tried 3 belts now (2 that Lowe's told me fit, and today one that is supposes to fit according to my model number) None of them are even close!!! Either too short or way too long.....Am I insane?:confused2:

Click to expand...

:welcome:

Insane ? expecting to get anything from Lowes that fits is grounds for certification :laughing:

What belts were you supplied with which you think did not fit ?
A lot of times some one tells me the belt that I have supplied is wrong.
The belt is right
The fitment is wrong.

Do you still have the original belt ?
Why are you replacing it ?

MTD use non standard size belts
from the link Mark provided codes out to 90 & 5/8" x1/2"

HitmanJerry said:

I have a 2013 Troybilt Bronco with a 20hp Kohler engine and a 42 inch mowing deck. Model number 13wx78ks011.....I have tried 3 belts now (2 that Lowe's told me fit, and today one that is supposes to fit according to my model number) None of them are even close!!! Either too short or way too long.....Am I insane?:confused2:

Click to expand...

Well, the parts manual says its 91 5/8", but several places also list a 96 1/2".. I suggest you get one each and try them..

Give us a little more information concerning your problem. Did the belt break and you are trying to replace it. or did it suddenly become loose. and now the belt won't engage.

bertsmobile1 said:

:welcome:

Insane ? expecting to get anything from Lowes that fits is grounds for certification :laughing:

What belts were you supplied with which you think did not fit ?
A lot of times some one tells me the belt that I have supplied is wrong.
The belt is right
The fitment is wrong.

Do you still have the original belt ?
Why are you replacing it ?

MTD use non standard size belts
from the link Mark provided codes out to 90 & 5/8" x1/2"

Click to expand...

OOOps,
Egg on face time 90 & 5 /8 x 1/2 is the drive belt
part # 954-04060C codes out to 96 & 5/8" x 1/2" according to Gates and Gates have never been wrong.
Obviously 1/8" on a 96" belt is 5/8 of SFA .
However it can make a difference to belt life, you know the 3 bears thing , too long, too short, just right.

If the belts you have been getting are that size, then you are fitting them wrong or the spring on the tension arm is in the wrong place.
The belt makes a T shape.
The V side goes into the V pulleys and the back flat side goes to the ] pulleys

Heres something that just got me (again), my ZTR broke its engine to hydros belt. Looking at the parts manual, the part is H18021, OR Dayco A39, OR 1/2" x 41". However, going to the store and picking up a 4L410 (1/2" x 41") resulted in a belt that was waayy too short. Knowing that "A" belts and "4L" belts are measured differently with "A" belts being 2" shorter, thus "A39" or 1/2"x41"(duh!), I figured I was good and the manual was correct, but then why didnt the 4L410 fit? Well, looking at the original Gizmow belt, I found that it was only 3/8" wide, not 1/2". This made it fit down into the pulleys farther which means a shorter belt. The manual was incorrect. I ended up with a 4L430 (1/2" x 43") belt that works perfectly.

So, long story short: Dont always trust the manual, dont always assume that the original is 1/2" or 5/8" as it may be an odd size (proprietary) and measure it before you go, and dont trust 'conversion' charts when dealing with OEM part numbers. Measure, measure, measure.

MTD and all their brand names, and JD are two companies that use belts that are special length, cut angle, and width. That is part of the reason they we are always recommending OEM belts when somebody has problems.

ILENGINE said:

MTD and all their brand names, and JD are two companies that use belts that are special length, cut angle, and width. That is part of the reason they we are always recommending OEM belts when somebody has problems.

Click to expand...

I put a new belt (Troy Bilt OEM) on my mower deck and it seemed too long but after many tries found the spring loaded arm that holds the idler pulley was sticking and not going full travel. All I did was a little penetrating oil (WD40) on the hinge pin. The next time I have the deck off of the mower I'll clean and lubricate it properly.

Sounds like they are trying to sell you the drive belts. Order the belt from troybilt, or go in with the numbers from troybilt and get your belt by looking and matching.

I feel your pain. Just bought a new belt, OEM, but my manual calls for a "B" at the end, not a "C". Apparently I'm just out of luck. Seems crazy to have to pull out a dozen belts and measure them, but the 96.5 inch belts are consistently about 1-2 inches too LONG.

Because no one ever bothers to clean, let alone lube all the linkages under their mower & / or deck , holes flog out oval.
Then the actual pulleys wear so the belts sit deeper into the groove .
Thus the "correct" size no longer fits.
This is before all of the "fits a abcd" belts are taken into account where the belt angles are standard where as the OEM belts are not thus again either the belt wears out in no time flat or breaks.
Nothing odd to fit a beck belt better than 2" shorted to keep an old mower running.
Not so bad with the electric clutch models but the moving deck PTO's can be a real pain, particularly MTD.
Cub do not and never have used std section belts they are wider and a lot of Murray belts are deeper.
OTOH a $ 75 belt is a lot better than $ 900 in pulleys & linkages, including a $ 50 belt.
Belts are like most things high volume = lower prices and I don't know how many totally knackered Vari- Drives I have resurected because the owners were too cheap to buy genuine MTD belts and ran std belts which usually twist then invert and cut deep grooves into the pulley so in place of a gradual inclease in speeds it jumps strait fro 2nd to 6th

I agree with Bert all the way ........

A lot of people think belts stretch. They DO NOT in most cases. The PULLEY gets WORN and that makes the belt LONGER.

John Deere's have a certain bevel on the belts which makes them unique from auto part store belts.

Never take a broken belt in and try to measure it for a lawn mower. Look under the hood or research the original part number for it ~!~!

Boudreaux In Eunice La. said:

I agree with Bert all the way ........

A lot of people think belts stretch. They DO NOT in most cases. The PULLEY gets WORN and that makes the belt LONGER.

John Deere's have a certain bevel on the belts which makes them unique from auto part store belts.

Never take a broken belt in and try to measure it for a lawn mower. Look under the hood or research the original part number for it ~!~!

Click to expand...

What he means is looser.
A belt running 1/4 " deeper in a pulley takes 2" off the effective length if it is running on a std 5" pulley

Thanks for catching that Bert.. I mean't to say SEEM LONGER as in stretching.........