Cadet 1554 drive belt issues.

jc56

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My problem is similar to the post by " fsagames".I have replaced my drive belt several times....that is the problem.The original belt went 160 hrs..Since then I only get 20 hrs. per belt.I am buying a kevlar OE belt.All the pulleys look good...belt runs true...I'm stumped.Any ideas??????Thanks guys!!:confused2:
 

jk3700

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My problem is similar to the post by " fsagames".I have replaced my drive belt several times....that is the problem.The original belt went 160 hrs..Since then I only get 20 hrs. per belt.I am buying a kevlar OE belt.All the pulleys look good...belt runs true...I'm stumped.Any ideas??????Thanks guys!!:confused2:

We were having a problem tearing up a belt on a go cart. Someone said that the belt we were using was a flat belt and it should be a v-belt. Be sure you have the right belt. Just sayin'.
 

jc56

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Re:UPDATE Cadet 1554 drive belt issues.

Well,it's been a long time but I think I finally fixed it.Long story short,I replaced the two pulley idler assm. and spring,didn't fix it.The next belt change I sanded the crank pulley and the transaxle pulley.I didn't see anything wrong or feel anything wrong,but I was running out of idea's.I inspected the single idler pulley,nothing wrong.So there I lay,starring at the underside of this mower,as I have for countless hours,looking for some reason for the drive belts to keep breaking.Well.....the single idler was not in line with everything else.The crank pulley,transaxle pulley and the two idler assm. was on the same plane....but the single idler was way closer to the frame....probably a inch out of plane.So I lower it and put it in alignment with everything else.Making progress now...lol.I don't know everything and don't mean to sound like I do,but I have been a car,truck and forklift mechanic my whole life and I ,myself,have never seen a V-belt that didn't sit down inside a pulley.I have never seen a V- belt that sat that high in a pulley.My broke belts all broke on the edge at the spot where the belt was high in the pulleys.....if that makes any sense,lol.I had asked my dealer several times about changing belt brands to a belt that sat in the pulleys and he had a fit about Kevlar belts and cub cadet was built for that belt and an aftermarket belt wouldn't last etc.So I got a Gates industrial belt that fit down in the pulleys and worked perfectly. So.....it made it thru the whole season this year...YEAH.....took the deck off and inspected it,looks like new.This is the first year that it has went the whole season in years.....and the belt still looks like new.Hope my problems may help someone else.JC
 

mechanic mark

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Jul 15, 2013
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Re: UPDATE Cadet 1554 drive belt issues.

Well,it's been a long time but I think I finally fixed it.Long story short,I replaced the two pulley idler assm. and spring,didn't fix it.The next belt change I sanded the crank pulley and the transaxle pulley.I didn't see anything wrong or feel anything wrong,but I was running out of idea's.I inspected the single idler pulley,nothing wrong.So there I lay,starring at the underside of this mower,as I have for countless hours,looking for some reason for the drive belts to keep breaking.Well.....the single idler was not in line with everything else.The crank pulley,transaxle pulley and the two idler assm. was on the same plane....but the single idler was way closer to the frame....probably a inch out of plane.So I lower it and put it in alignment with everything else.Making progress now...lol.I don't know everything and don't mean to sound like I do,but I have been a car,truck and forklift mechanic my whole life and I ,myself,have never seen a V-belt that didn't sit down inside a pulley.I have never seen a V- belt that sat that high in a pulley.My broke belts all broke on the edge at the spot where the belt was high in the pulleys.....if that makes any sense,lol.I had asked my dealer several times about changing belt brands to a belt that sat in the pulleys and he had a fit about Kevlar belts and cub cadet was built for that belt and an aftermarket belt wouldn't last etc.So I got a Gates industrial belt that fit down in the pulleys and worked perfectly. So.....it made it thru the whole season this year...YEAH.....took the deck off and inspected it,looks like new.This is the first year that it has went the whole season in years.....and the belt still looks like new.Hope my problems may help someone else.JC

Good post jc56, thanks.
 
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