Flail Mower

[leonz]

I believe the V-Belt is a B53, just be sure to take the old belt
with you and they can measure it to be doubly sure for you.

ALSO be very sure the two new belts are from the
same batch number on the belt identification-if not
do not buy them the belts will not last.

The bad thing about belt snubbers is that the belts can be
overtightened without realizing it unloess you have a
V belt tension guage.

This is the designed in beauty of a spring tensioned
V-belt assembly for a flailmower with and without
a slip clutch like mine, you have no worries about
the belt until you examine it for the next mowing
season and you can pop it right off and replace it.

 

[brin]

I did not take the time to read all the posts so someone may have said this ...I have a Bush Hog brand bush hog...rotary cutter that is a mulcher model...it is closed in all around the bottom front , back and sides...No matter how high the grass is in the pastures I never have windrows of cut grass , it is all mulched...So that has been my experience...with high grass and belt driven mower is going to be a problem...and any mower that allows the cut grass to fly out of a chute will not give you the clean cut...only a mulcher....Good Luck.

 

[mikehaugen]

I did not take the time to read all the posts so someone may have said this ...I have a Bush Hog brand bush hog...rotary cutter that is a mulcher model...it is closed in all around the bottom front , back and sides...No matter how high the grass is in the pastures I never have windrows of cut grass , it is all mulched...So that has been my experience...with high grass and belt driven mower is going to be a problem...and any mower that allows the cut grass to fly out of a chute will not give you the clean cut...only a mulcher....Good Luck.

I believe you posted that in the wrong thread, i saw another thread asking the question that you just answered

 

[psj12]

I think I may have found out why my Caroni is eating belts. I suspected that the RPM of the PTO was not proper. The instructions for my Kama tractor said that with the PTO in the low setting and the engine on the green tachometer line (2,200 Rpm) then the PTO would turn 540 RPM. I did some extrapolation and determined I could run the PTO in high at around 1,750 engine rpm and get the same 540 PTO output. I've been running it like this since I got it several years ago.

I obtained an optical tachometer from Harbor Freight and set up the tractor as per the tractor instructions and found the PTO output was 650 rpm not the required 540. I only required about 1850 engine rpm (with the PTO in low) to obtain the require 540 at teh PTO. With the PTO in high I only required 1500 engine to get 540 at the PTO.

I've been running the flail and brush hog too fast and this may be the issue with the belts overheating.

 

[leonz]

Whoopsie!!!!

I am glad you were able to solve the issue
about the V-belts self destructing prematurely.



Happy mowing to you now that you have found out
what is wrong and how to solve it.

 

[boggen]

leonz already pretty much stated everything. but to re-hit on things....

not all belts are created equal. if you end up getting an option of different priced belts, most likely the higher cost belt is what you want. some belts can withstand a higher working temperature, before they begin to stretch or it takes a higher temperature before the rubber starts to become soft.

making sure you have required / proper belt tension is a must. if belt is to loose. the belt will wobble. and beat itself to death, if belt is to tight, it will over heat quicker and begin stretching.

also make sure your pulleys are nice and aligned with each other. ya majority of time pulleys should be just fine, but have had a few pulleys over years that loved to slip on the shaft some.

a properly adjusted slip clutch, can help reduce "belt slipping" on the pulleys and reduce belts heating up. but slip clutches have there own con's of rusting up / seizing up, and you may need to get them to start smoking to free everything up on them so they work properly.

if you have space, you might consider enlarging both pulleys the belt runs on. more so if one of the pulleys are little baby's as in diameter. that way belt does not have to bend as sharply around a small pulley, the more sharply a belt bends the more heat the belt will make just from simple bending around pulley and then straightening out and then bending back again around pulley.

never remember having any sort of luck with spray cans or liquids for belts that state help reduce slipping or cause a belt to last longer. and in reality have burned belts up quicker using the various stuff. due to the stuff caused extra friction and with friction more heat, more heat caused belts to just fall apart quickly.