Mowing Finish mower deck belt replacement...

MuncyBob · Jul 1, 2006

I asked the following on my other favorite tractor site but thought I would ask here too:

I was cleaning up for the day and noticed that my belt was in very poor condition. I have not yet opened up the covers but I'm guessing maybe debris that got inside the covers contributed to this. I would have thought I could get more than 2 summers out of the belt though! So a few questions.....any special trick to replacement? I'm guessing one of the pullys is a tensioner? I'm thinking of somehow attaching screen to the mower covers to stop debris from getting insie there...and particular reason why I shouldn't do this?

Bob999 · Jul 1, 2006

The belt on my mower deck deteriorated very rapidly. I think it was because the deck/mower /belt had been sitting in storage for several years before I bought it and rubber parts deteriorate with time. Check the serial number on the deck and compare it to the serial number on your tractor--the first two digits are for the year--increasing by one each year.

On my mower deck (1845) there is a tensioning pulley that is manually adjusted for position. It is very straight forward how to adjust the position. What is difficult is what tension to use--most belt manufacturers have specs and you can find it on the net. The next problem is how to measure tension. You can buy simple guages for not much money.

MossRoad · Jul 1, 2006

I have used my 60" mower on our pt425 for 4.5 summers. While the belt is ugly, it still works. Hasn't broken yet. I take the leaf blower to it after every mowing to clear out the clippings from under the belt covers. It works pretty good just blowing around the edges of the covers. I remove them once or twice a year to inspect. The belt is still ugly.

Rick_Taylor · Jul 2, 2006

I just removed the covers. Been open for about three years. As long as you don't have small children running around where you're mowing it shouldn't ever be a problem. I can't reach the deck from the seat and I'd never get off with it running. That said, I go through about a belt a year. I also go thru a spindle about every year and a half. The mower deck is, by far, the most maintenance intensive piece I have. That includes tractors, ZTR, implements, everything. I had tire problems so I had them filled. Then the wheel bearings gave up. POUNDS of grease have been squirted into the thing. Where it goes is anyones guess. I've almost quit using it this year because I'm tired of fixing it. Not the most well built piece PT ever made. It does cut well though.

marrt · Jul 2, 2006

In my opinion, cogged V-belts work much better on the PT mower. They don't split on the back side of the belt (like the standard PT belt) and are designed to handle the sharp radius tensioning pulley (unlike the standard PT belt). They also run cooler. You can find them many places, including www.mcmaster.com.

MuncyBob · Jul 2, 2006

WOW! That Mc Master site is something else! Everything under the sun and then some! Thanks!

MuncyBob · Jul 3, 2006

Removed the covers today on my 48" mower. You can see the bad sections on the belt. There was a load of grass and other debris under the belt before I cleaned it out with the leaf blower. There was a lot more than I expected to see! I always use the leaf blower on the whole tractor before putting her away and the grass accumulated that much anyways. I may leave the covers off from now on.

MuncyBob · Jul 3, 2006

Here are 2 closer views of the bad belt sections....now these are UGLY!! The PT belt has a number A-105 on it so I picked up a 1/2" X 105" belt at TSC...too small!! Back to the store and got the 107". I think I will order the cogged belt previously suggested for the future but I need the mower quickly. I'll try it out in the morning before any 4th festivities....by the way, Happy Independence Day to ALL!

5030tinkerer · Jul 4, 2006

I just purchased a used Rhino 11ft finish mower. It has two 48" side decks and a center 60" deck. Within two hours of using it, the rear 60" belts snapped. I was AMAZED to learn that Rhino dealers want $115 for each of the two belts! I haven't picked them up yet, but the local NAPA just measured the belts and ordered them - $18 each. I have to admit my skepticism, though - I just visited mcmaster.com (what a site!) and my old belts top width and heights aren't listed (.56" and .39", respectively). We'll see what they come back with.

MuncyBob · Jul 4, 2006

TSC($20) only had the width measurement on the belt so I'm not sure how good of a fit this will be. By eye it seems to be the same as the OEM belt..hope yours works out OK, $115 is a bilt salty!