Deck Belt Shredding

[Psychopete]

I had this thing setting for like 5 years, I used to push, my g/f kept telling me to fix it and use it; but this did not make my life easier.

 

[ILENGINE]

The guides can breathe, but the belt is seemly weird when it comes to finding one - does anyone have a part number they recommend? I tried a random 89" that was "on always" and it smoked it. I will pull the deck out again and fine tooth comb over. There's a reason things are free, right? Someone else couldn't figure it out =/ Am I to make sure the fence style guides are perfectly 90 degrees?

OEM deck belt part number is 1716854SM. Looks like it should measure 90.4"

 

[Auto Doc's]

What should I be looking for(?) I have replaced all deck bearings, but this thing seems to go through a belt about every 2 months. If there is a procedure that you have in a manual, or something to that affect; I am mechanically inclined - I am poking minds, as someone will probably know what it is. I don't work on these machines all day; and I think I am missing something very obvious. Thank you for any insights you may have.

Edit: it's a 38" deck, package 2690321, mfg 1694688, serial 02210

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[slomo]

Snapping belts is from

1.Dull blades
2.Cutting too fast again with dull blades
3.Cutting too much off in one cutting. Again going too fast with excessively tall grass. Trying to cut the "back lot" that is five feet tall...........
4.Wrong belt type for the mower deck. People cheap out and run to the AUTO PARTS STORE. Alternator/fan like belts have a different width, depth and such compared to mower deck belts. Same size only, not the same animal. OEM deck belts are a must.

People would have zero issues with OEM pulleys and belts as the mower came new.

All of this came from Taryl, NOT ME. Makes total sense.

 

[slomo]

What should I be looking for(?) I have replaced all deck bearings, but this thing seems to go through a belt about every 2 months.

And THERE'S YOUR DINNER. Taryl described the same conditions.

 

[Psychopete]

I have had this thing all apart; you do know what it means to replace the drive belt on these I assume (?)

 

[slomo]

I have had this thing all apart; you do know what it means to replace the drive belt on these I assume (?)

Mower freaks call it love.

 

[Tiger Small Engine]

The guides can breathe, but the belt is seemly weird when it comes to finding one - does anyone have a part number they recommend? I tried a random 89" that was "on always" and it smoked it. I will pull the deck out again and fine tooth comb over. There's a reason things are free, right? Someone else couldn't figure it out =/ Am I to make sure the fence style guides are perfectly 90 degrees?

Everything on a mower deck has to be just right for it to operate correctly. A deck belt should literally last for several years if things are correct.
I just had to give up on a mower I was going to sell because I couldn’t get the deck right after several hours of attempts.
A customer this week just traded his riding mower and cash for another mower I had for sale. The deck was missing several parts that another shop had given an estimate on and the customer declined. I ended up looking at it with no good back story. Customer didn’t even know he was missing an idler pulley among other parts missing.

 

[Forest#2]

Everything on a mower deck has to be just right for it to operate correctly. A deck belt should literally last for several years if things are correct.
I just had to give up on a mower I was going to sell because I couldn’t get the deck right after several hours of attempts.
A customer this week just traded his riding mower and cash for another mower I had for sale. The deck was missing several parts that another shop had given an estimate on and the customer declined. I ended up looking at it with no good back story. Customer didn’t even know he was missing an idler pulley among other parts missing.

A deck can really be a problem when someone else has put it back together with wrong or missing parts. Sometimes just a spacer washer installed in wrong place or missing can upset the apple cart and shorten the life of a v belt.
Repairs are really harder when someone else has done a Rube Goldberg attempt at the repair.

 

[blue262]

What should I be looking for(?) I have replaced all deck bearings, but this thing seems to go through a belt about every 2 months. If there is a procedure that you have in a manual, or something to that affect; I am mechanically inclined - I am poking minds, as someone will probably know what it is. I don't work on these machines all day; and I think I am missing something very obvious. Thank you for any insights you may have.

Edit: it's a 38" deck, package 2690321, mfg 1694688, serial 02210

I have a Gravely MZT1534 that would shred belts every few months. When I would engage the electric clutch I could hear the belt squeal and smell a puff of smoke. I started only engaging the belt at idle speed and this has increased my belt life.