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I recently replaced the drive belt on my 25hp 54in cut Troy bilt. I spent alot of time trying to get the springs and the tension right. I have 1 acre of land, the mower was driving perfect then toward the end it started acting funny. I would have to let of the gas pedal and keep pushing it, I finished the cut and when I was washing the deck I saw 1 of the springs were hanging so I assumed that was the problem. I pulled the deck off replaced the spring crimping the end a little tighter and started cutting grass and not long after starting acting up again. I tried the springs in several positions and adjusted the tension several different ways. Everything seams to be tight when the pedal is pushed, tranny pullies and everything are turning. When I push the pedal it will move slow then stop, tried H and L gear and reverse all the same, Any idea's? Thanks

Not familiar with this machine, Are you sure the belt is routed properly and the tensioner is on the proper side of the belt ?

Is it possible that a shear pin in one of the drive pulleys has sheared off and a pulley is slipping on a shaft ?

The belt is routed correctly and I don't see any broken pins, when im under the mower and I push the pedal both belts are tight and when I pull the belt by hand all the pulleys turn and seam to function normal.

I am not that experienced with mowers but I do mechanical work almost everyday. I am not familiar with the sheer pins you are talking about. Should I take each pulley of 1 by 1 and check? Thanks for your input

First, what model Troy-Bilt do you have? It sounds like a tractor style mower and if it is, I have a few areas for you to check. My father-in-law has a Horse model Troy-Bilt and on his mower the bearing for the variable speed pulley locked up and was causing a similar problem. Remove both belts from the variable speed pulley and check the bearing to make sure it spins freely and doesn't grind or move when you rock the pulley from side to side. I'd check all the pulleys in the entire system, including the deck while you have it off, to make sure they are turning freely and that none of the pulleys have spun on their shaft i.e. sheared key as previously mentioned.

Did you use an O.E.M. belt or an aftermarket belt? Sometimes the aftermarket belts don't work as well as O.E.M. and that could be your problem. The new belt could have stretched and now is too long to work properly so you could remove it and match it up to the old belt. You mentioned that you spent a lot of time getting the springs and tension right. Usually you don't have to remove any springs or loosen the tension on the adjuster to remove the belt so maybe the tension adjuster is still at the wrong setting.

Does the mower roll easily when you push it by hand or is there a lot of resistance? Make sure the brake is not hanging up or that some foreign object is stuck in the brake mechanism causing extra drag.

These are just a few ideas to check and hopefully one of them will help.

It's an 02 54in cut 25 horse, it pushes fine so nothing with the break. The belt is fine it worked fine until the spring popped of and is same size as old one. I actually replaced the belt last year but then had engine problems so I didn't put the springs back and didn't remember how they went which was why I spent a lot of time on it. As for the tension I tried all the way loose to all the way tight and does same thing. Thanks for all the help

stang8689 said:

It's an 02 54in cut 25 horse, it pushes fine so nothing with the break. The belt is fine it worked fine until the spring popped of and is same size as old one. I actually replaced the belt last year but then had engine problems so I didn't put the springs back and didn't remember how they went which was why I spent a lot of time on it. As for the tension I tried all the way loose to all the way tight and does same thing. Thanks for all the help

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Tell me the model name which is usually found on the hood. Some examples are: Bronco, Super Bronco, Horse. I saw that you said 25 horse but is that the engine horse power or model name? You can go to troybilt dot com and in the upper right corner of the screen is the "owner's center" tab. Click on it and input your model & serial number to get an owner's manual which has an illustrated parts list that shows how every part on your mower fits together. The model & serial number is usually under the seat on the mower. That is if you don't have your original owner's manual.

Perhaps you have a spring installed incorrectly and the IPL should help you. I'd sure like to know what ultimately fixes your mower so please keep me informed and I'll do everything I can to help.

One thing you didn't mention is the bearing(s) in the variable speed mechanism. My father-in-law's mower was only two years old when his bearing went bad so don't rule anything out until you verify that it is either good or bad.

It's an 02 and back then they didn't name the models, I know what you are saying they make Mustang and bronco, etc. but the difference is just the cut size and hp. I have not had a chance to check that bearing that is my next thing to check tomorrow.

Also on the springs I did find a pick on troy bilts website in the owners manual it doesn't show exactly where they hook but how they are routed, there is only maybe 4 ways it could go and I've tried everyone

stang8689 said:

It's an 02 and back then they didn't name the models, I know what you are saying they make Mustang and bronco, etc. but the difference is just the cut size and hp. I have not had a chance to check that bearing that is my next thing to check tomorrow.

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I was unaware that they did not use model names back in '02 but thank you for telling me that. Would you mind posting the model number? I'd like to go on troybilt.com and look at the diagram myself to see if I can figure it out.

You mentioned in another post that you tried the spring in all four of the possible positions but none of them worked. Is the spring damaged? If not, this is leading me back to the variable speed pulley bearing or another bearing in the drive system. I'd sure like to know what ultimately fixes your mower so please keep this thread going until it's fixed.

The model number is14ar809k063 serial number 185002 there is no damage to the spring. I jacked up the rear end and when it's running I push the gas and the wheels spin but I can stop the wheels from moving with just a little force from my hands so something is slipping the bearing seamed fine I didnt remove the pulley but tomorrow I am going to remove the belt and check all pulleyes. The new belt is a factory Mtd part and I still have the old one to compare it to.

well it seams that my crank seal started leaking again and when I removed the PTO there was alot of oil and the belt was soaked and im sure this is causing the belt to slip. When I put full pressure on the gas pedal when im under the mower and grab the belt and move it, I can see the engine pulley which is under that leaking crank seal slipping

Yep ---- Oil on the belt would make it slip !

Hope you can get that seal fixed without too much trouble or $$$ !

Do you think I will need another new belt or could I clean the belt with some brake clean or something

That was the problem for sure. I took the drive belt off and cleaned all the pullies real good then put the old belt on, it worked almost as normal, I did at least get the grass cut to buy me some time to get the new seal. I am going to clean the newer belt really good and give it a shot once I fix the oil leak, at worst I still have the old one to get me buy if I have to order a new one. thanks