Mowing How long do your drive belts last?

daugen · Aug 2, 2016

The primary mower belt on my 60" JD deck costs more than 80 bucks.
I assume for that price it has kevlar in it but no idea, no markings.
I now have 300 hours on the original belt, and I'm wondering how long
belts last in general. Big difference between a belt in a fan and belts in a chipper also, shock loads,
all kinds of outside influences.
But it would be interesting to know how long your belts have lasted in hours or years.
And which ones have broken.

Just wondering if my 80 dollar belt really will last at least four times longer than
the plain rubber belts one could source in the same size. Are kevlar belts worth the price, and can
anyone put some numbers on this.
thanks
Drew

MORRISONSTEEL · Aug 2, 2016

Deere's current commercial decks use an "aramid" belt, which is technically kevlar. Kevlar is a brand name and is made from Aramid fiber. You didn't specify the machine but either way $80 does not sound horrible for a belt that can range from 150" - 200" long.

daugen · Aug 2, 2016

John Deere Mower Deck Drive Belt - M163993
122 inches. Ten feet of belt, 8 dollars a foot.

I wonder who makes them for Deere. Might be nice to buy the belt without the expensive
green cardboard on it.

At 80 percent throttle I wonder what the rpm of my mower deck spindles are.
Curious as to how fast this belt is moving. A slow moving belt likely does not build up a lot of heat
so perhaps not such a fancy belt needed. But a fast moving belt, like a tire, probably needs to be well made, perhaps with
extra plies or extras like aramid.

I haven't done it yet but I wonder how little I could pay for a 122 inch belt. I'm guessing in the twenty dollar range. Vs. 84 at JD.
Just like to know what the range is, some kind of sanity check for what seems
like crazy high pricing. Yes I'm sure "real" farmers with combines and threshers see 100 dollar belts all the time.
And some of us have belts I understand might not last long at all, like belts on a chipper. Particularly if something gets stuck.
A chipper certainly sounds like a high speed belt.

If I can't get a better deal on a comparable belt, I'll likely get plundered by the parts desk at JD.
Not looking for lower quality, just better price.

Lot of serpentine belts in cars and machinery today. Two smaller belts instead of one longer one
might well be less expensive.

Gates has made belts a long time. Who else is good? I'd really like to buy a non Chinese belt.
If the reason this belt costs 84 bucks instead of 34 is because it's built here instead of China,
on an important belt, I'd pay the extra. I figured I'd need a new mower belt about every five years, or in my case
6-700 hours. I'm at 300 now and have a spare. Figured I'd go another year and then swap the belts out and hang the used one on the
wall. I suppose I could just wait until it breaks but when does that ever happen at a convenient time.

Which gets back to my original question. How many hours or years do belts last?
We know tires and rubber hoses dry rot; what about belts?

Sawyer Rob · Aug 2, 2016

On my old Grasshopper, they lasted many years, in fact I only replaced one so far and that's when a tensioner bearing let go and the pulley damaged the belt. (it has two)

On my 3 yr old Grasshopper, the belt shows no wear at this time... (I inspect it every time I grease the deck)

SR

ruffdog · Aug 2, 2016

Is that the double v type that also runs pulleys on the top of the belt? The belt for the 62" deck is just over 128" long and is the same price. The cheapest I found was around 55-60 bucks....far from $20. (stens)

CCWKen · Aug 2, 2016

Not speaking directly for your cutter since I'm not familiar with it but make sure the belt(s) are tight to specs. On my Woods ZTR, I was going through four belts a season. (Long season down here though. And many times through high grass.) During routine hub grease maintenance, I noticed that after some break-in time the belts seemed a little loose. Loose generates slip, heat and destroys belts. I cranked down on the spring tension idlers and then some to make sure the springs had some good stretch (open coils). So far, I've gotten through this entire season on the same belts. The belts are from TSC and are 5L650. Not your belts but tightness seems to matter quite a bit.

4570Man · Aug 2, 2016

The Kubota double v-belts last a long time. I haven't ever worn one out with over a thousand hours on some. My Dixie chopper went through lots of belts, but they were usually damaged by a failure of some sort. On my less frequently used machines age usually kills them first.