[brooks k]

I've gone through three belts for my deck so far this season. The mower keeps throwing them and they end up getting kinked or ripped to shreds underneath the cover. I'm hoping that someone has some sage advice because I'm ready to drive this thing off a cliff.

FYI, spindles spin nice and freely. The spring on the tensioner pulley appears to be strong, but maybe I need a new one? Otherwise, I'm at a complete loss.

The thing that strikes me as odd is my previous mower had guides around the pulleys so throwing the belt was difficult. The only guide on the deck that I see is a channel on the covers where the belt runs between the outside blades at the rear of the deck. Nothing else. On a whim, I tried running it without the covers in place because it's such a PITA to pull them off to get to the belt, but that ended in disaster like the other times.

 

[1086]

I've gone through three belts for my deck so far this season. The mower keeps throwing them and they end up getting kinked or ripped to shreds underneath the cover. I'm hoping that someone has some sage advice because I'm ready to drive this thing off a cliff.

FYI, spindles spin nice and freely. The spring on the tensioner pulley appears to be strong, but maybe I need a new one? Otherwise, I'm at a complete loss.

The thing that strikes me as odd is my previous mower had guides around the pulleys so throwing the belt was difficult. The only guide on the deck that I see is a channel on the covers where the belt runs between the outside blades at the rear of the deck. Nothing else. On a whim, I tried running it without the covers in place because it's such a PITA to pull them off to get to the belt, but that ended in disaster like the other times.

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Before you CLIFF it you might consider taking a peek at the tensioner area. Often these take a beating and with bearing/bushing wear along with some wear on the shaft it pivots on, the idler pulley sometimes flops around and gets out of alignment under tension causing belts to jump where they shouldn't be.

It's aggravating I know. Been there.

 

[brooks k]

Thanks. I figured that was the most likely culprit. Guess I'll have to rip the deck off yet again and pull that assembly out. Hooray!

 

[Pastor John]

I had a problem with my turbo throwing belts off my 50 " deck (Prestige) when I was bagging grass. It was the tensioner pulley. Doesn't take much.

 

[CityFarmer]

ditto what brooks k said.

The tensioner probably pivots on a bolt through the deck. As it ages and wears, the bolt leans away from vertical toward the spring and puts the pulley out of alignment with the belt travel. You might even see a wear mark in the deck wkere the pulley flange cut into it.

Best fix is to weld a bushing or plate to the bottom of the deck and get a new/longer pivot bolt. Also be sure that the pivot hole in the arm is not too worn.

My personal fix for this was to get a piece of 1/8 steel bar an inch or so wide, position it under the tensioner arm and screw it to the deck. This gave the arm a flat surface to travel on rather then to rely on the pivot bolt. I think I had aligned it in such a fashion that the flat head of the idler mounting bolt rode upon it. Wasn't factory but worked great for many years!

btw: If the idler did, in fact, abrade the deck, ckeck the outer lip of the pulley. If it is worn to a sharp edge, replace it.

 

[JNJ3]

Just in case it is not the tension pulley, check to make sure the nuts are in place that hold the pulleys on the spindle shafts. On a prevoius 7116 I remember having the same problem. I went through that deck a number of times before I noticed one of the spindle nuts was gone. Apparently it was not torqued to spec and came off. The pulley would rise up on the spindle just enough to throw the belt, then drop back into place. I to think I wanted to "cliff" that one as well.

A wild chance, but one to eliminate.

Good luck.

m

 

[brooks k]

Well, I ripped the deck apart for what felt like the 15th time this season. The tensioner arm wasn't rotating freely on the spindle, and the pulley was pretty stiff as well. Got them both lubed up and spinning/pivoting nice and smoothly now. There wasn't any play whatsoever in the pulley or the arm, so I've pretty much ruled that out. Hopefully this is the last time I have to do this for a while. It wouldn't be so bad if I ran it without the covers, but since I do, it's such a pain.

 

[CityFarmer]

GOOD LUCK!!!

Yeah.....keep those covers on if you value your toes.