which brand of deck belt ?

[canucklehead]

$23.70 each? for the 123" double v-belt? wow, that is cheap. I've bought other Stens parts before and they seemed very low end (air fiter for a different mower, plus tune up stuff for my 2-stroke garden stuff).

 

[AndyMA]

Belts don't stretch. The sides wear down, so they sit deeper in the pulleys and have less tension, hence they slip and wear more. $90 is an awful lot for a belt. Go to a local industrial supply and see if they can match it, preferably with a Kevlar belt.

I'm not sure where you learned that "V belts" don't stretch but that is not true. V Belts both stretch and wear the sides off both of which make them appear to be them loose.

When it comes to vbelts their’s more to just throwing them on and walking away. Unfortunately in most cases this is exactly what is done. Another misconception is that v-belts do not need to be replaced until they have completely broken and will not function at all. V-belts will stretch and start slipping long before they will break. V-belt dressing will buy you some short term time but is not the answer. A quality preventive maintenance program may include automatically replacing vbelts every six months depending on equipment run time.

Andy

 

[oldyellr]

I'm not sure where you learned that "V belts" don't stretch but that is not true. V Belts both stretch and wear the sides off both of which make them appear to be them loose.

V-belts don't stretch anymore than roller chains don't stretch. The apparent "stretching" is actually all a result of wear. If you could actually put enough tension on a v-belt to permanently stretch it, you'd destroy the bearings.

 

[RickB]

V-belts don't stretch anymore than roller chains don't stretch. The apparent "stretching" is actually all a result of wear. If you could actually put enough tension on a v-belt to permanently stretch it, you'd destroy the bearings.

View attachment 276443

Few people familiar with roller chains would take exception to referring to a worn out chain as 'stretched' despite the fact that it is, in fact, worn. Belts, however, do stretch. It isn't hard to verify if you have a worn, stretched belt to compare with a new one.

 

[oldyellr]

Few people familiar with roller chains would take exception to referring to a worn out chain as 'stretched' despite the fact that it is, in fact, worn. Belts, however, do stretch. It isn't hard to verify if you have a worn, stretched belt to compare with a new one.

Okay, I'll give you that... somewhat. However, in my experience I've never had to replace a belt that was just stretched but not worn, damaged or broken. If a 98" v-belt can stretch into a 99" belt with no wear on the flanks, it's a pretty poor belt.

 

[RickB]

Okay, I'll give you that... somewhat. However, in my experience I've never had to replace a belt that was just stretched but not worn, damaged or broken. If a 98" v-belt can stretch into a 99" belt with no wear on the flanks, it's a pretty poor belt.

I don't much care what you "give" me. Claiming that v-belts don't stretch isn't true, period. Nobody said they don't wear as well.

 

[oldyellr]

Let's agree to disagree. My opinion is based on sound, engineering principles. People who work with v-belts find that they become loose and say they've stretched. They don't really care about the mechanics of how it happens. Do some research and you'll see manufacturers that claim their belts don't stretch like their competitors' due to the materials they use. So there are low quality belts that will actually permanently stretch before they wear, but those are not ones you'd want to use on a mower.

 

[RickB]

Let's agree to disagree. My opinion is based on sound, engineering principles. People who work with v-belts find that they become loose and say they've stretched. They don't really care about the mechanics of how it happens. Do some research and you'll see manufacturers that claim their belts don't stretch like their competitors' due to the materials they use. So there are low quality belts that will actually permanently stretch before they wear, but those are not ones you'd want to use on a mower.

Maybe my opinions will change after another 45 years of using & maintaining belts and measuring used belts against new ones, along with selling replacement belts fro a variety of equipment. I'm not much for putting stock in a manufacturer's claims of product superiority over a competitive brand. I hope you aren't confusing that with "sound engineering principles".

 

[aczlan]

I have had good luck with Stens Kevlar wrapped belts and for something like that I wouldnt use a non-kevlar belt.

Aaron Z

 

[318Rocks]

Hey ML - plz pass on who/what/where to order Stens belts thx tried PM'g you; denied