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Hi folks,

I have a reasonably new s100 (about 20 hours) and the mower band broke twice in one day. The first time it broke a plastic part broke off with it, and I'm having trouble identifying it. Can anyone help me find the name of the part I need to replace, and where it goes on the machine?



Thanks!

Please give us the brand name of the model and serial numbers so we have something or somewhere to start. Our ESP is no longer working due to COVID. We can’t help you until you help us.

Rivets said:

Please give us the brand name of the model and serial numbers so we have something or somewhere to start. Our ESP is no longer working due to COVID. We can’t help you until you help us.

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Sure thing! Sorry. John Deere S100 42-inch ride-on mower.

The product ID number is 1GXS100ETNN146712

Appears deck belt guide at the engine pulley.

PN AUC19331



Really looks like a crappy design.

StarTech said:

Appears deck belt guide at the engine pulley.

PN AUC19331
View attachment 66036


Really looks like a crappy design.

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Looks like this is exactly what I need. Thank you very much!

So they have added a plastic belt keeper to the original belt guides to solve a problem that does not exist .

bertsmobile1 said:

So they have added a plastic belt keeper to the original belt guides to solve a problem that does not exist .

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The belt has come off twice since this thing broke... do you think there is another problem?

I have not seen one yet but all of the other 100 series mowers with manual PTO just have the wire belt guides
Perhaps with the S series JD have gone to a shallower pulley or changed the shape of the belt guide
Since they went to a single bolt mounting keeping the guide in the right place was a problem so I drill a second hole and fit 2 bolts as per the original design
None of my customers have problems with the belt coming off
I can not see that plastic extension staying there for very long as the two sides of the belt guide will resonate at different frequencies so will break the plastic bridge piece even without running into anything

bertsmobile1 said:

I have not seen one yet but all of the other 100 series mowers with manual PTO just have the wire belt guides
Perhaps with the S series JD have gone to a shallower pulley or changed the shape of the belt guide
Since they went to a single bolt mounting keeping the guide in the right place was a problem so I drill a second hole and fit 2 bolts as per the original design
None of my customers have problems with the belt coming off
I can not see that plastic extension staying there for very long as the two sides of the belt guide will resonate at different frequencies so will break the plastic bridge piece even without running into anything

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Check belt tension for tightness. Check belt for wear and or cracks/chunks missing. Check how belt is riding on pulleys, spindles and tensioner. Have someone sit in seat with mower running at different speeds and blades engaged while you kneel on grass and watch the belt in operation.

All the older series I have seen use bent metal rod to guide the belt from coming off the pulley. Using plastic, especially plastic that will come in contact with a moving belt(during coast down?) is asking for a consumable part. The natural arc of a relaxed belt will tend to keep the belt from wearing on the spinning pulley when the tension is removed, and the wire guides will accept the friction as the belt slows down, and keep the belt more or less in place as it is kept in an arc by the guides.
JD may have some new cost engineers who figure a plastic part that wears out and needs annual replacement is a better deal for them than a bent rod that lasts the lifetime of the machine but has perhaps one more fastener. If I owned it I would look at the parts used in previous models, and get one or two made of metal, perhaps needing a couple self-tapping bolts as fasteners.
tom

I would also check your manual for how to engage and disengage the PTO. It probably says to do so at full engine RPM. When I worked at the local JD store, we found that belts flop around a lot more if engaged and disengaged at idle than at full engine speed. We started asking customers how they engaged and disengaged the PTO whenever we had someone who complained about belts coming off. That fixed al lot of them. It's counter intuitive, but it makes a difference. This was true across models, and my Simplicity is the same way, per the manual. If you're trying to baby it by engaging at lower RPM, you may be hurting yourself.