My 5252 has a MMM that is breaking the drive belt on the mower deck. It looks like the belt is twisting on the center drive pulley and eventually breaks. Had it into the dealer at the end of season last year for the problem. They shimmed the drive pulley and replaced the belt but apparently didn't solve the problem. I don't see any obvious cause for the belt to twist. Any ideas? Belts are $30 a shot /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif.
Cub 5000 MMM eating belts
- Thread starter Cub5k
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JTKub
Veteran Member
It's probably a pulley alignment issue if this same thing keeps happening. Are you cutting very low? Often times the PTO and deck drive pulleys are so out of plane with one another in this position that you will throw belts.
G/luck
Joel
G/luck
Joel
JTKub
Veteran Member
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Cutting to low wouldn't have anything to do with it... )</font>
/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif It sure will. If you have a PTO and deck pully off-plane/not parallel, cutting low only exaggerates the problem by moving the pullies further apart. I've seen this happen on LT's and GT's atleast.
G/luck
Joel
/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif It sure will. If you have a PTO and deck pully off-plane/not parallel, cutting low only exaggerates the problem by moving the pullies further apart. I've seen this happen on LT's and GT's atleast.
G/luck
Joel
JTKub
Veteran Member
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( It will on the cheap line of tractors with belt drive to the deck, but you didn't read his post.
He has a 5252 with shaft drive to the deck. )</font>
Just tryin' to help. I'm sure glad this doesn't happen on my "cheap line" tractor. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
G/luck
Joel
He has a 5252 with shaft drive to the deck. )</font>
Just tryin' to help. I'm sure glad this doesn't happen on my "cheap line" tractor. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
G/luck
Joel
cyberkrazze
Member
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2004
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- 39
Does the belt ever come off the pulleys? I've seen this on many of the 5000 and 7000 series tractors. The dealer should have an update for pulleys on the deck by now from Cub Cadet. I've repaired many of the decks for this. The belt vibrates in the long distances between pulleys too much and ends up falling off or flipping in the pulleys, which causes the belt to heat up and break.
OhioGuy
Platinum Member
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- Jul 23, 2003
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- Northeast Ohio
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- Ford 1220, Case 245, Cub SZ60, Cub 2284
Hi Bill,
I have a 5252 that was new this spring. I've had no problems with the deck. If I can take some measurements, pictures or anything else to help you out, let me know.
The earlier post about vibration in the long section sounds like a good bet?
Curt
I have a 5252 that was new this spring. I've had no problems with the deck. If I can take some measurements, pictures or anything else to help you out, let me know.
The earlier post about vibration in the long section sounds like a good bet?
Curt
Yes the belt does usually come off first. I put the belt back on and shortly thereafter it comes off again or breaks. I left the shields off the pulleys so I could watch what was happening. I did see a lot of flexing of the belt, but even stranger was that the belt would not stay in the drive pulley correctly. It would come around the right hand spindle and then try to twist as it enters the drive pulley. Maybe the belt go messed up when it first came off. I suspect this is a design problem that hasn't been resolved yet. The flexing probably affects the belt more after it gets a couple months of use on it and it stretches/wears a little.
Cyberkrazze, I called the Cub dealer this morning and found out that there is a retrofit kit to prevent the belt slapping problem. Apparently they have a kit that adds another idler pulley to the deck. Hope it solves the problem. Thanks to everyone for all the replies. This group is a great resource.
viking65
Banned
hey bill, let us know the part number for the retrofit kit. I'm going to ask the my dealer about it and see if I can go ahead and have it installed when I take my tractor in for service. Thanks
Viking, Its probably a good idea to go ahead and get it asap because Cub accessories are only warranted for a year. I assume that the deck is an accessory even though it was a "bundled" deal with my tractor. I asked my dealer whether there would be a charge and he said he would check with Cub. Hope I don't have to pay for it. I had a 3204 before this tractor and had terrible problems with the deck. You wouldn't think mower decks would be that hard to design properly the first time. Anyway, hope this helps.
cyberkrazze
Member
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2004
- Messages
- 39
When we got the 5000 series tractors in, we were one of the first dealers to get them. We sold many of them and they all had this belt problem. After many hours of testing and trying different things, I changed the tensioner pulley to make it a deeper pulley and then added two other pulleys on the deck. I did this to about 10 decks. I filed warranty claims on every one and emailed Cub the pictures of what i did to the decks. After about a year, the decks started coming in with improvements, not the same, but they haven't been breaking belts. There is a service advisory that was out last fall to all Cub dealers. I don't have the service advisory number on me now. This also should be covered under warranty since Cub knows that there is a problem. i've neve had a problem with a warranty issue like this. Hope this helps.
Cyberkrazze, do you know if the idler pulley that they use takes care of the problem? Sounds like your solution was more elaborate. What design change did they make in the new decks? I picked up my belt today and it was $55. I really don't want to be replacing them anymore unless its from regular wear.
JimR
Elite Member
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Cyberkrazze, do you know if the idler pulley that they use takes care of the problem? Sounds like your solution was more elaborate. What design change did they make in the new decks? I picked up my belt today and it was $55. I really don't want to be replacing them anymore unless its from regular wear. )</font>
Take your new belt and measure it. Go to your local auto parts store and see if they carry a replacement for it. Sometimes they can get the belt for a lot less money. Also check out www.cheapmowerparts.com for parts.
Take your new belt and measure it. Go to your local auto parts store and see if they carry a replacement for it. Sometimes they can get the belt for a lot less money. Also check out www.cheapmowerparts.com for parts.
OhioGuy
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2003
- Messages
- 595
- Location
- Northeast Ohio
- Tractor
- Ford 1220, Case 245, Cub SZ60, Cub 2284
Good advice Jim,
My Woods finish mower takes a 180" belt! It's was around $90 at any tractor supply I checked on. A friend suggested I try an industrial supply place in the area, they had it in stock for about $35.
I've got a year and a half on the new one with no visible signs of wear.
Curt
My Woods finish mower takes a 180" belt! It's was around $90 at any tractor supply I checked on. A friend suggested I try an industrial supply place in the area, they had it in stock for about $35.
I've got a year and a half on the new one with no visible signs of wear.
Curt
JimR, I did that last year when it broke a belt. I got one that was exactly the same length but I think it was slightly thinner. Anyway it broke almost immediately. If I can get the belt tension problem fixed I shouldn't need to buy a belt very often.
OhioGuy
Platinum Member
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- Northeast Ohio
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- Ford 1220, Case 245, Cub SZ60, Cub 2284
Bill,
There is a pulley on my 5252 that seemed to me to have no purpose, I'll bet it limits the travel on the long side of the belt.
I'll bet your deck doesn't have this pulley.....
Curt
There is a pulley on my 5252 that seemed to me to have no purpose, I'll bet it limits the travel on the long side of the belt.
I'll bet your deck doesn't have this pulley.....
Curt
Other than the one drive and 3 spindle pulleys, my deck has a spring loaded idler pulley on the right (passenger) side of the deck and one static idler pulley adjacent to the center spindle pulley. There is a long run from the spring loaded idler pulley all the way across the deck to the left spindle. Thats probably where you are saying there is an additional pulley.
