Rear Finish Mower Finish mower keeps breaking belts

[Pooh_Bear]

Big Bee brand 60 inch finish mower
Early 49 8N tractor.

I have went thru 5 belts in the last couple of weeks.
I put one on yesterday and mowed for about 30 minutes.
Then the belt broke. Another $25 gone.

The pulleys are all in great shape.
No play in the bearings.
The tensioner springs are ok.
Everything looks lined up correctly.
The belt is put on correctly.

What else could it be.

I'm getting Gates belts from O'Reilly's Auto Parts.
B108 - 111 inches.

Thanks.

Pooh Bear

 

[RoyJackson]

That mower should have a tensioner or idler of some sort...probably at the widest expanse between two pulleys. If you have the mower's manual, it shoud tell you how much belt deflection you should get when properly adjusted (ballpark guess would be about ½" wth thumb pressure...again, a guess).
When those belts fail, do they snap (as if there being cut by something)? Do you see wear (as if they're dragging...might be too tight (see first paragraph))? Do you smell burning rubber before they fail?

You wrote you were getting Gates belts...are these OEM? If not, those belts may not have the cords that add strength, so try an OEM belt.

RFM belts aren't cheap, but they should last for years before replacement.

 

[Pooh_Bear]

It does have an idler for tensioning the belt.
The idler kinda leans just a little when everything is turning.
I'm gonna try tightening the bolt that the tensioner swivels on.
I usually get a year out of a belt. Then it is wore out.
These are breaking with no sign of wear.
A brand new belt lasted less than an hour yesterday. (Thursday).

A neighbor also suggested using OEM belts.
I'll have to look into getting one and trying it.
And I'll take another look at all the pulleys to make sure.

Pooh Bear

 

[Egon]

As stated it surely seems as though you are using belts of a lower standard than required.

 

[sweettractors]

My cost on OEM belt from Big Bee is more than you are paying at o'Rieleys? Ken Sweet

 

[Just Bill]

I agree that OEM is probably better but that desn't explain a belt that normally lasts a year now last hours.
Breaking with no signs of damage doesn't make sense either.
Belts stretch, wear, get cut, frayed and any combination of these .
But don't break without a reason, bearings, misalignment or sharp edge cutting it.

 

[sweettractors]

Try contacting the Mfgr. Tuesday. Here is the phone and Email for them. Ken Sweet


Darrell Harp Enterprises, Inc.
PO Box 140
819 4th Street NW
Red Bay, AL 35582
Phone: 256-356-4424
Fax: 256-356-8300
email: darrellh@bellsouth.net

 

[rambler]

My cost on OEM belt from Big Bee is more than you are paying at o'Rieleys? Ken Sweet

But, Big Bee does not have a belt making factory - they buy them from probably the same manufaturer as Orieley's and comany markup is the price difference. In many cases, on my combines & tractors, I find a good belt from a thrid party lasts longer than an OEM belt.....

Don't know in this case, just saying....

Something must be out of line or off kilter or running rough, or this issue wouldn't show up as it does.

Would be good to know if the belt (or bearing) is running hot, or if one edge is shiny, or so forth, after a 10-15 minute run. Something is off. Brother in Law had something like that, turned out a bearing was going out & the spindle was moving a bit.

--->Paul

 

[RickB]

But, Big Bee does not have a belt making factory - they buy them from probably the same manufaturer as Orieley's and comany markup is the price difference. In many cases, on my combines & tractors, I find a good belt from a thrid party lasts longer than an OEM belt.....

Don't know in this case, just saying....


--->Paul

The trick is to match the OEM QUALITY. Auto parts store belts are not typically made with Kevlar or other premuim materials unless a premuim quality belt is specified. And they are priced accordingly, although not necessarily to OEM price levels.

 

[Pooh_Bear]

I just bought a Stens True Blue belt off Amazon.com for $23.
That should beat the auto parts store belts.
The spindle pulleys are smooth and in great shape.
The spindle bears have no play in them and turn freely.
I keep them greased. (about every 3 mowings)
I replaced the big main pulley a couple of years back.
Ken had one drop shipped to me from Big Bee.
So it is fairly new and has no wear on it.
I replaced one stationary idler pulley. and the other one was in good shape.
Before I put another belt on I WILL look at those idler pulleys real close.
I'll see about tightening up the bolt the tensioner pivots on.
Might as well sharpen the blades while I'm at it.
Don't know anything else I can do.

I've given up mowing this time around.
Just gonna hook up the RC and knock the tops off.
Got some other stuff I need to cut anyway.

Pooh Bear

 

[chipsndust]

PB:

You're probably "sharper" than me when it comes to mower belts.

The first time I changed my belt, I broke two before I figured out I was routing the belt to the outside (instead of the inside) of one of the guides - the finger bars that stick up next to the pulleys.

One of them lasted nearly 15 minutes.

:mur:

 

[Compact1]

It does have an idler for tensioning the belt.
The idler kinda leans just a little when everything is turning.
I'm gonna try tightening the bolt that the tensioner swivels on.

My vote also goes for improper adjustment on the tensioning idler. It is very important that you follow the owner manual's recommendation. For example, my deck requires that I maintain 5 9/16" gap from one end of the spring to the other. As the belt stretches I have to adjust the idler to regain my 5 9/16" measurement. Remember, a new belt has a lot of stretch during it's first use.

Also, I wonder why your tensioning idler "leans"? Is there a bearing problem?

 

[Pooh_Bear]

The whole idler assembly leans.
I think the pivot bolt needs tightening.
The pivot arm is not flat with the deck.
It leans just a little. Barely noticable.

The tensioner has no adjustment.
It is just two big springs that pull on the assembly.
I put new springs on it a two years ago.

Here is the only manual I have for it.
Big Bee Finish Mower Manual

Pooh Bear

 

[sweettractors]

The whole idler assembly leans.
I think the pivot bolt needs tightening.
The pivot arm is not flat with the deck.
It leans just a little. Barely noticable.

The tensioner has no adjustment.
It is just two big springs that pull on the assembly.
I put new springs on it a two years ago.

Here is the only manual I have for it.
Big Bee Finish Mower Manual

Pooh Bear

We sold 2-3 of these units years ago and was not impressed with quality or workmanship. We did like the fact that they were USA made. We went to Italian mowers and tillers and have been very pleased. At some point in time it may be a good business decision to sell that on Craigslist, etc. and buy a quality made Italian made mower. Ken Sweet

 

[Bill Hoffman]

Check to make sure the groove in the pulleys is correct.
If the angled sides of the pulley are worn the belt is liable to ride on the bottom of the groove which will cause it to slip, overheat, and eventually break. Check your broken belts to see if the BOTTOM surface of the belt is worn, not the sides where you'd expect to see wear, but the bottom of the belt. If that surface is shiny or worn, there's your problem. Also check to make sure that the belts are the correct width so the belt is contacting the sides of the pulleys, not the bottom.

Hope this helps.:thumbsup:

Bill

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

Take the 2 big springs off and see if the idler arm they hook to moves easily. If the idler arm moves hard the belt tension will wrong alowing the belts to slap causing them to break.
Bill

 

[sweettractors]

I don't know if you are still having problems. I found a Big Bee belt routing picture that I am posting. Hope this may help. Ken Sweet

 

[finsrn]

I've got a Big Bee 72" finish mower and I'm having the exact same problem. Does anyone know how this problem got resolved? This is very frustrating.

 

[Rosedalegarden]

I talked to a Big Bee dealer and was told not to get a Gates belt as it will not last. I had a 48 inch Big Bee finishing mower that still had the original belt on it after 13 yrs when I sold my Yanmar tractor and bought the John Deere with a 60 inch Big Bee. It just ate the belt up, but I think it was because I was in a hurry and trying to mow 3 ft high fescue and a there was a tree stump in there also.

 

[J_J]

Yes, there are different qualities in belts. I went through a lot of manufactures trying to find a belt that would last. The belts I was replacing were costing about $28 each. I always carried a backup in the field.

I had a problem with the shoulder bolts on the idler pulley, and it caused the idler pulley to lean and cause unequal tension on the belt. I was cutting in a lot of sand, and over time the belts and pulleys would become glazed, get hard, and start to throw chunks of rubber.