Is this the problem?

[Outdooz]

I just picked up a used Husqvarna yth2042 mower. It was made in 2006 and has 290 hours on it. After getting it home and driving it around the yard I have found that it is slower than other mowers I have driven. Could this be because of the drive belt being old? ( 5 years old) Also, videos on youtube of this mower seem to be faster too.

 

[reddragon]

some trannys are definitely geared with slow top gears

 

[Outdooz]

I am going to replace the belt and see if theres a difference. If its the same I will buy 1/4 inch bigger engine pulley which will make it a little faster. Theres enough room. It goes about 4mph.

 

[reddragon]

get a kevlar belt!....they are much better:thumbsup:

 

[Outdooz]

Thanks I'll give it a shot.

 

[Derek]

Make sure you keep the old belt for a spare as well

 

[oldyellr]

With v-belt drives, when the drive pulley is smaller than the driven pulley (usually the case), the driven pulley RPM will go down as the belt wears. This is because belt will ride lower by the same linear distance on both pulleys, making the effective pitch diameter of the smaller pulley proportionally smaller, thus increasing the numerical drive ratio.

As for Kevlar belts, they will last longer than standard ones and much longer if there's an idler against the back of the belt, causing the belt to flex backwards.