My tractor/mower is eating mower drive belts and I cant figure out why. I usaually use this mower for tilling only but my other mower blew the engine so I put the deck on it and have been mowing, randomly though it chews up the belt. I set the spring tension per the instructions. I put a 5/8 wide belt on it this last time and I mowed about 30 min and it kicked it off but at least it didn't break it. The deck seems unsupported in the back and I am wondering if there is bracket that I am missing in the back for tracking purposes. It seems like if I am mowing bumping ground it tends to increase my chances of a belt being thrown.
Its a 48" deck. Is there a close up picture that anyone might have that I can look at to see if everything is attached correctly?
Thanks
Bob
The first question I have is this.
Are you using OEM (original equipment manufacturer) belts bought from an Ingersoll dealer or are you using low-cost fractional HP belts from some big-box store?
If you are not using OEM belts or at least....a high quality Kevlar construction belt that is bought from an Ag dealer or TSC or a power transmission wholesaler, then that's your problem. Cheap belts won't last and I know that from personal experience.
Now, if you ARE buying quality belts, then you need to pull the deck off the tractor for a serious inspection.
Remove the belt cover, remove the belt that couples the blade spindles. Prop the deck in the air in a way that will allow the blades to spin. Spin each one and compare how easy it is to spin one as opposed to the others. Listen to them as you spin them. They should spin very easily and continue to spin when you remove your hand. They should spin quietly. If not, then you need to replace all six spindle bearings to eliminate the drag the bearings are causing.
Check the belt idler pulley to make sure it spins easily and absolutely check the arm the idler pulley is bolted to because if that arm is seized, then the idler cannot keep the belt tight against the pulleys and slippage will occur. Make sure the spring that applies tension to the idler arm is not overstretched. If it is .....replace it.
Carefully inspect the frame and mule bracket. You are looking for badly worn holes where the various pins and bolts go through. These get oval and sloppy and that allows the deck to flop around, resulting in a poor cut. If the deck has come into contact with objects that don't move, then the frame arms can get bent or twisted. The frame mounts that are welded to the deck itself can get bent and cause misalignment problems. Even the Mule mounting bracket that clips onto the Snap Fast pins can get bent and twisted. And that leads me to the two mule pulleys that change the direction of the belt during its travels. Those pulleys must run freely, smoothly and in proper alignment with the belt direction.
Lastly, the spring that puts tension on this belt must be the correct factory item and not stretched out. The entire tensioning setup must move freely. Quite often, it is not just one problem that needs correcting on older, well-used decks. Believe it or not, decks are considered to be a wear item and those in the commercial mowing business understand that fact. They often purchase a brand new deck after a certain number of years of use. However, Ingersoll decks are very well made and can be rebuilt but that rebuilding is often more than just sticking some new bearings onto the spindles.
