SidecarFlip
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Only 2 things cause a belt to come off. Bad alignment (tracking) and not enough tension, other tahn total failure but usually that is caused by the preceeding conditions.
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Raptor SD 54 inch drive belt keeps coming off
- Thread starter 92dogs
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Export threadOK, I think I found why mine keeps coming off.
Got rear end up and found that rear left hydro mount bolt is missing completely and rear right is loose and lower third of threads on, holding it head down, as it is in the mount, rubbed off. I'll stop by Home Depot get some automotive grade bolts and nuts. Also, week before, I had front right hydro bolt broken, replaced, and left front loose, tightened and locking washers added to both of them.
After two Hustlers, I have to grant them one thing - they use piece of crap bolts for sure. Soft and undoing themselves constantly.
That in mind, rea of the left hydro is surely tilted down, causing fans to hit the belt. And come off.
Got rear end up and found that rear left hydro mount bolt is missing completely and rear right is loose and lower third of threads on, holding it head down, as it is in the mount, rubbed off. I'll stop by Home Depot get some automotive grade bolts and nuts. Also, week before, I had front right hydro bolt broken, replaced, and left front loose, tightened and locking washers added to both of them.
After two Hustlers, I have to grant them one thing - they use piece of crap bolts for sure. Soft and undoing themselves constantly.
That in mind, rea of the left hydro is surely tilted down, causing fans to hit the belt. And come off.
Only 2 things cause a belt to come off. Bad alignment (tracking) and not enough tension, other tahn total failure but usually that is caused by the preceeding conditions.
Question.
Tensioner arm, does it have to be slightly loose on its pivot bolt, or tensioner has to be forced into max tension, or to the left wheel, and LOCKED in that position?
FOR WHAT IT IS WORTH,WHEN I HAD A TORO TIME CUTTER THE THE DEALER TOLD ME TO ENGAGE AND DIS ENGAGE BLADES AT FULL THROTLE,BECAUSE AT LOW SPEEDS THE BELT HAD MORE WOOBLE AND COULD FLY OFF WHEN ENGINE SPEED IS INCREASED.
SidecarFlip
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Not sure what 'Automotive grade bolts' are.... Automotive uses the cheapest fasteners they can, just like everyone else does.
Fasteners come in 3 basic grades:
Grade 2 which is the most common and widely used
Grade 5 which is a higher tensile strength fastener and capable of shock load and elongation without failure and..
Grade 8 which is extremely high tensile but is failure prone if elongated
The above grades are what you find at box and hardware stores
Then there are specialty grades like A325 which is an agricultrial designation and various aerospace grades for exotic alloy fasteners, none of which you need to worry about.
If your machine has Grade 2 fasteners, easily recognizable by looking at the bolt head, if it has no head markings, it's Grade 2, I'd replace the suspect fasteners with Grade 5 (the bolt head will have 3 splayed marks on it and either split lock washers or nylon patched shakeproof nuts or as an alternative, 232 blue threadlocker.
Manufacturers always use the lowest SAE designated fastener they can for a particular application because the lower the grade, the cheaper it is. Having said that, any fastener that becomes loose will eventually fail, no matter what grade it is. Either the fastener will fail or the fastener will come out, or it will wallow out the hole it's in.
Fasteners come in 3 basic grades:
Grade 2 which is the most common and widely used
Grade 5 which is a higher tensile strength fastener and capable of shock load and elongation without failure and..
Grade 8 which is extremely high tensile but is failure prone if elongated
The above grades are what you find at box and hardware stores
Then there are specialty grades like A325 which is an agricultrial designation and various aerospace grades for exotic alloy fasteners, none of which you need to worry about.
If your machine has Grade 2 fasteners, easily recognizable by looking at the bolt head, if it has no head markings, it's Grade 2, I'd replace the suspect fasteners with Grade 5 (the bolt head will have 3 splayed marks on it and either split lock washers or nylon patched shakeproof nuts or as an alternative, 232 blue threadlocker.
Manufacturers always use the lowest SAE designated fastener they can for a particular application because the lower the grade, the cheaper it is. Having said that, any fastener that becomes loose will eventually fail, no matter what grade it is. Either the fastener will fail or the fastener will come out, or it will wallow out the hole it's in.
OK, I think I found why mine keeps coming off.
Got rear end up and found that rear left hydro mount bolt is missing completely and rear right is loose and lower third of threads on, holding it head down, as it is in the mount, rubbed off. I'll stop by Home Depot get some automotive grade bolts and nuts. Also, week before, I had front right hydro bolt broken, replaced, and left front loose, tightened and locking washers added to both of them.
After two Hustlers, I have to grant them one thing - they use piece of crap bolts for sure. Soft and undoing themselves constantly.
That in mind, rea of the left hydro is surely tilted down, causing fans to hit the belt. And come off.
Good call. After I made my initial post I did replace the tension spring (I sort of stretched the original one a bit trying to put the belt back on) and it definitely helped. Then After a 4 acre cut, it slipped again right when I was done. I remembered your post so I jacked it up and sure enough the right bolt from the mount had broken off and the left was loose.
Their bolts are grade 5, what is clearly not holding up to the task.
What I did, I ran a few runs of wire, in a loop, around tension spring and muffler, which happens to be right behind the tensioner and at the right angle. Then, I spun that wire few times, thus adding tension to the spring. Everything counts.
What I did, I ran a few runs of wire, in a loop, around tension spring and muffler, which happens to be right behind the tensioner and at the right angle. Then, I spun that wire few times, thus adding tension to the spring. Everything counts.
John Fitzgerald
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I wonder if the Fastrak has the same potential issues, or is it a different configuration?
It's my 2nd Hustler. I had 54'' and rid of it after 32 hrs. It was rather falling apart fast. I got 60 incher, SD, that now has 78 hrs and you saw my posts. At least, ever so often, go through every important bolt you can find and retighten them.
OK, I think I found why mine keeps coming off.
Got rear end up and found that rear left hydro mount bolt is missing completely and rear right is loose and lower third of threads on, holding it head down, as it is in the mount, rubbed off. I'll stop by Home Depot get some automotive grade bolts and nuts. Also, week before, I had front right hydro bolt broken, replaced, and left front loose, tightened and locking washers added to both of them.
After two Hustlers, I have to grant them one thing - they use piece of crap bolts for sure. Soft and undoing themselves constantly.
That in mind, rea of the left hydro is surely tilted down, causing fans to hit the belt. And come off.
Just a follow up. Thanks again for pointing this out.
I bought a bunch of grade 5 and 8 replacement bolts and lock nuts. Replaced the missing bolt (like yours) and tightened everything I could find that could possibly be tightened. I mowed for about 4-5 hours (only stopping for gas) and the belt never slipped. That had to be the issue. I think when I am done with cutting for the year I am going to take it to the dealer for a full inspection to see if there is anything else I missed.