All depends upon the load on the blade pulley
There is only so much torque a 1/2" belt can handle before it lets go
Mostly 5/8 belts got used on 2 belt systems where there is a single belt driving a double pulley directly from the engine then a 1/2" belt driving the actual blade pulleys
There is also a limit on how far you can bend a V belt backwards .
It is a lot more complicated than most would appreciate