Hustler Raptor Drive Belt Issues

Hey all, I've got a Raptor with 54" deck. The other day the drive belt came off while I was mowing. I put it back on, and am quite sure the routing is correct. As soon as I started the mower the belt snapped. I got a new belt, installed it today and the same thing happened as soon as I started the mower. The only thing I know I did wrong was towing the machine about 30 feet without pulling the two tabs out in the rear. Does anyone have any advice on where I am going wrong? Thanks!

chrisn710 said:

Hey all, I've got a Raptor with 54" deck. The other day the drive belt came off while I was mowing. I put it back on, and am quite sure the routing is correct. As soon as I started the mower the belt snapped. I got a new belt, installed it today and the same thing happened as soon as I started the mower. The only thing I know I did wrong was towing the machine about 30 feet without pulling the two tabs out in the rear. Does anyone have any advice on where I am going wrong? Thanks!

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Make sure you can spin every pulley with the belt off.

After you put the belt on make sure it is not touching anything but the pulleys.

Double check everything.

I'll double check tomorrow. Will also stop by the dealer and look at the same model to make sure it is routed correctly. There are three pulley's, one at each rear wheel and the main pulley coming off the engine shaft. The wheel pulley's turn freely. I can't turn the engine shaft pulley by hand, but I figure that is because I'm not strong enough to overcome engine compression. I will also start the mower and observe that the engine shaft pulley turns freely when running. (the machine is out at my land, so I can't report back quickly).

Check for rocks or sticks in the pulleys. They can get very well jammed in and hard to spot. Feel around each pulley!

chrisn710 said:

...snip There are three pulley's, one at each rear wheel and the main pulley coming off the engine shaft. snip...

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There should actually be four pulleys, there is an idler with a tension spring located somewhere over the PTO clutch. This may have departed the vehicle when the first belt broke, or the idler arm may have swung away so far that it does not seem to be related to the drive belt any more.

Thanks MTWallet. I misspoke about the pulley's; I didn't count the tensioner pulley. Sorry for the confusion. Well, I bought a new belt from the Hustler dealer ($27.00!, does anyone know if I could get the same belt thru an auto parts dealer by cross-referencing the belt #?, $27.00 seemed pretty steep to me) Anyway, I installed the new belt and turned the motor over to see if I could tell where the trouble is. turns out the pulleys over both rear wheels have plastic fan blades attached directly under the pulley. If everything is aligned perfectly, there is a little less than an inch clearance between the fan blade and the belt. Two of the plastic flan blades on the left wheel pulley are bent upward just barely enough to strike the belt when rotating. I'm afraid that fan blade assembly will need replacing. I'm guessing when the belt slipped off originally it caught the blades and bent them up. It looks to be a little more than I dare to attempt to replace myself, so I'll take it to the dealer. The machine was purchased new from them earlier this year, so it's still under warranty. Do you think this issue should be covered by the warranty?

Warrant covers defects in materials and workmanship. Something got in the first belt, threw it and damaged the blades. That is not Hustler's faulty, not yours really...it's life, so it's to something they have to warranty. Replacing the fan is just one bolt and the fans are cheap. It is omehing you can do.

MRCo. said:

Warrant covers defects in materials and workmanship. Something got in the first belt, threw it and damaged the blades. That is not Hustler's faulty, not yours really...it's life, so it's to something they have to warranty. Replacing the fan is just one bolt and the fans are cheap. It is omehing you can do.

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Well, that may be so, but my dealer did the repair under warranty. I paid for the new belt and they replaced the fan, put a tube in the front tire that had a tiny puncture, and threw in a free oil change. The mower only has 15 hours it. Also, I checked in on them when their had the machine on the lift and it is much more than one bolt to replace that fan blade. you have to drop the whole drive mechanism down and out from the transmission. Might be doable from home, but with the machine still under warranty, I wasn't wiling to take the chance of doing even more damage.

chrisn710 said:

Well, that may be so, but my dealer did the repair under warranty. I paid for the new belt and they replaced the fan, put a tube in the front tire that had a tiny puncture, and threw in a free oil change. The mower only has 15 hours it. Also, I checked in on them when their had the machine on the lift and it is much more than one bolt to replace that fan blade. you have to drop the whole drive mechanism down and out from the transmission. Might be doable from home, but with the machine still under warranty, I wasn't wiling to take the chance of doing even more damage.

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Glad to hear they took care of you.

You did the right thing bringing it to the dealer.

chrisn710 said:

Hey all, I've got a Raptor with 54" deck. The other day the drive belt came off while I was mowing. I put it back on, and am quite sure the routing is correct. As soon as I started the mower the belt snapped. I got a new belt, installed it today and the same thing happened as soon as I started the mower. The only thing I know I did wrong was towing the machine about 30 feet without pulling the two tabs out in the rear. Does anyone have any advice on where I am going wrong? Thanks!

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replace the idler. The one with the spring on it. I had the same problem. replaced the idler mowed 5 acres several times in a row with no issues.