MMM Belt

[don716]

Has anyone ever broken the belt on their MMM??? Is their any signs of a belt replacement? Mine looks fine,No Cracks,dryrot or anything else.I hope it will last for a very long time.I know they are expensive at $80 plus dollars.
Donny

 

[megaboz]

I can't say that I have broken mine yet, but sometimes they will break because of a weak spot. The biggest thing is to keep the trash (leaves, sticks, etc) out of the housings. Also, be sure to keep the pullies well greased. Heat will weaken them. Also, if you bogg it down in the deep stuff or get something up under it caught it will cause the blades to heat up if they slip.

AS far as how to tell when they're going bad. I would measure the streatch in it while it is new and use it as a guide everytime you service the deck. THat and check for any nicks.

 

[bigdad]

I've never had any trouble with mine. I follow the procedures that megaboz described and I also take it off of the tensioner pulley when I store it for the season or extended periods.

 

[art]

Your Kubota uses a belt like no others! They are not impervious to distruction as a stick in the wrong place could really hurt it or an idler ging bad might cause it to wear out prematurely. To see 1,000 hours on them is not unusual, compared to others that might make it five hundred or less. I've also seen far less belts in structure for more!

 

[megaboz]

I also take it off of the tensioner pulley when I store it for the season or extended periods.

I never even thought about doing that. It probably would help the longevity.

 

[TobyH]

I usually do all the mowing around the house and let my 11 year old mow the wide open area. One day this summer I noticed him engage the PTO at wide open throttle. I didn't lose the belt but I sure bet that's one one way to shorten it's life.

I promptly stopped him and explained the havoc he almost wreaked on the 'bota.

 

[megaboz]

With my BX24, if I don't engage at full throttle, the whole machine has a major shake down. I think as long as you are not in thick heavy stuff, this would have minimal affect, some I am sure, but nothing major.

 

[Harry c]

With my BX24, if I don't engage at full throttle, the whole machine has a major shake down. I think as long as you are not in thick heavy stuff, this would have minimal affect, some I am sure, but nothing major.

I normally engage at just above idle on my BX24 and don't get any vibration at all.

 

[rixtory]

Hmmm... I always engage my PTO at WOT. Never thought anything of it. still OEM belt and I looked at it today while removing the deck for winter and it looked like new still.
Hadn't thought about removing the tensioner pulley for storage, but I did remove it 2 years ago for something (cannot recall what) and it was a real pain to get back on.

 

[bigdad]

Hmmm... I always engage my PTO at WOT. Never thought anything of it. still OEM belt and I looked at it today while removing the deck for winter and it looked like new still.
Hadn't thought about removing the tensioner pulley for storage, but I did remove it 2 years ago for something (cannot recall what) and it was a real pain to get back on.

You are so right about getting that belt back on. I normally try to get another set of hands. Not bad then. One pair to spring it and one pair to put the belt in the groove.

 

[don716]

When I enguage my PTO for my MMM I usually have the RPM'S at about 2200 but release the clutch "slowly" until the MMM gets to top speed.
I used to have a regular riding mower and the dealer told me to have the engine at full throttle before turnning on the mower deck. When I did that it would put a big strain on the engine and the belt for about 5 seconds or so.
I would not do that with my BOTA. The engine might be at a high RPM's but as long as I release the clutch slowly it works out fine. I've probally got about 80 hrs or so on the belt.Hopefully it will last a long time.
Donny

 

[Volfandt]

I'm on my 3rd season (nearly 300 hrs) of promarily mowing and no problems so far with the belt or MMM.

I engage the blades at approx 1/3rd throttle to keep from over stressing all the associated assembly's then run it up to a hair below full throttle to mow.

I also remove tension on the MMM belt during the off season. For me it's a very simple proceedure. Using a std crowbar, I release tension by pivoting it against the idler pulley with one hand while I easily slip the belt off of the nearest blade pulley. Then slowly let the tension off which lets the idler pulley return fully to an at-rest position. I then easily remove the return/tension spring and let it hang from one of it's mounting holes.
Of course one has to be careful to not let the crowbar slip and the best way is to go slowly.
I just leave the belt hanging for stowage.
Installation is the reverse of the above.

I never used to remove belt tension on my other machines but then again their mower belt(s) didn't cost as much as this BX belt and since the manual recommends this to extend it's service life, it's an easy enough proceedure that hopefully will pay dividends on down the road.