YTH 180, bad transmission?

R

rickeo2

Forum Newbie
My dad has a yth180 that ate the drive belt. We replaced it and mowed for a few hours, then my brother jumped on it the other day and after a few minutes it ate the new belt. All the pulley bearings seem fine, is there a way to check the transmission? Could it be low on oil? There doesn’t seem to be any leaks by the transaxle.Thanks for any suggestions.it’s a husqvarna yth 180riding mower, transale 314-0510
 
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Ate the belt is not a particularly good description
Belts snap cleanly if the shock loading is too high
They shred when they are not installed properly and run against some thing that does not rotate
Usual cause is on the outside of a belt keeper
They twist when the pulleys are too worn or too far out of alignment
 
bertsmobile1 said:
Ate the belt is not a particularly good description
Belts snap cleanly if the shock loading is too high
They shred when they are not installed properly and run against some thing that does not rotate
Usual cause is on the outside of a belt keeper
They twist when the pulleys are too worn or too far out of alignment
Click to expand...
Shredding a drive belt does not been bad transmission. It normally means: incorrect belt size, incorrectly installed, locked up pulleys, sharp points/burrs on pulleys, etc.
 
All of the pulleys seem fine. When we hoisted up the machine, we found the belts stuck under the transaxle pulley all shredded, within minutes of starting operation of the unit. Both times. The original belt was on for years and the second belt was the same as original.
 
Install new belt making sure of the routing and that the belt is between the pulleys and the keepers. Make sure you're under the trans cooling fan and around the pulley. With the rear wheels on jack stands, brake on and in Neutral, start the engine and put 1\2 throttle. Chuck the front wheels. Release the parking brake and watch the belt. Very slowly put pressure on the drive handle, or pedal, and watch the belt and the rear wheels. If all seems well, increase the speed. Return to Neutral and then go to Reverse. Slow and easy. If everything looks and sound correct, increase the engine speed a bit and keep watching. Once all is good shut it down, lower it and give it a road test.
 
I have a different yth model, so it might not help. But I had drive belt issues like you described, and changing the tension spring did the trick. Couldn't tell any difference between the two springs when they were in hand, but the new one sure solved the problem.
 
Not knowing the model, does this have two drive belts for the transmission? If so, replacing in pairs may help.
If it is one with a deck drive belt and a motion drive belt, things to check are 1)idler pulley position/alignment and bearing condition 2) belt guide/guard condition and position 3) condition of the pulleys as a rusted surface can eat a belt quickly and 4) the engagement mechanism being sticky or slow to dis-engage/engage. Drivers that take their foot off the brake/clutch pedal quickly trying to pull wheelies or ?? can also cause premature belt failure.
tom
 
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