I was cutting tonight and blew the deck belt on my 322 (50" deck). I was 5 minutes from being done, oh well. As I was trying to remember how old that belt was I realized it's only a 1/2" and the drive belt is 5/8", that doesn't make any sense to me. Anyway tomorrow I'm going to replace it with a 5/8" and see how long that lasts. After thinking on it fit a while I concluded the belt was about 2 seasons old. I cut a lot of grass so I wasn't too upset. This was a jd belt btw. What is considered acceptable life span for jd belts?
How long do your belts last?
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On my 98 345 I've changed the main drive once (2003) mower to deck once ( Needs new) never the deck belt,tiller got a new tiller drive (2001) tractor to tiller never.On the used stuff I bought can't really say but the thrower looks original as the deck on the 595.Most belts will dry rot and crack unless they have torque on them,most of the belts have spring tension which helps them to last.
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A lot of belt failures are do to worn out parts, such as bearings, brackets, arms, and bushings that can cause alignment problems. So if a belt gets thrown, shreds, or breaks. Always closely inspect all the said things for wear, and replace worn parts before replacing belt. Belts can be expensive, and putting a new belt on with worn parts may cause new belt to fail.
These are not the responses I was expecting, I know the bearings could be quieter but everything spins smoothly.
I'll closely check the pullies and the tensioner for issues. I've always felt the spring on the 50" deck was mounted such that it couldn't keep proper tension on the belt.
I'll closely check the pullies and the tensioner for issues. I've always felt the spring on the 50" deck was mounted such that it couldn't keep proper tension on the belt.
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3,405 Posts
Different brand, but I just ate my third this year. Something's not right under there, but I don't know what. Have had to replace some bearings too. One because I hit something (I think). Not real happy right now.
I have a spare 1/2" in the garage that will go on in the morning, but I'm thinking about doing the same thing ... going to a 5/8" and probably Kevlar. I'm pretty sure there's enough clearance for it.
Concerned about length though; if the wider belt will make me need to go up or down an inch in length.
I have a spare 1/2" in the garage that will go on in the morning, but I'm thinking about doing the same thing ... going to a 5/8" and probably Kevlar. I'm pretty sure there's enough clearance for it.
Concerned about length though; if the wider belt will make me need to go up or down an inch in length.
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I'm more familiar with older JD models, but, at least on them, use only John Deere belts! They are a slightly different angle than other brands.
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Absolutely! They are also odd widths. This is a picture of my old powerflow belt next to my new J.D. one. I went through 3 cheap tsc belts in 3 years, so I went to my local stealership, and bought the real J.D. belt. It's a significantly wider belt, but not as wide as the next standard width. I didn't check on the angle, but the width is certainly different. The deck belt on my 445 is probably original (2001), and looked marginal when I bought it 300 hours ago. It doesn't look a bit worse now. It has almost no wear, just cracking from age. A belt should last for years of service unless something is wrong.
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So what are you looking for.Your question "How long do your belts last" and we all gave experience with their belt life.What else are you looking for that we can help with.
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I think he was hoping to hear from more people that their belts failed often and that he didn't possibly have a deeper mechanical problem.
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2004 GT235 almost 10 years and 1 deck belt. :fing32:
If your bearings spin smooth and you have the correct JD belt- your tensioner will be fine and the belt should last a long time as well. If you dick around with off brand belts- all bets are off.
The bearings could be quieter but so I'll probably just replace them. All this discussion reminds me of a mower I serviced a while ago, it was eating belts like crazy and ended up being a bad pulley with a nasty burr on the sheave
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I'm wondering if a lot of the discrepancies in experiences are due to WHAT is mowed.
This is a tough lot. 2-3 acres get mowed one way or another. It's very uneven and off level. Probably not more than one or two 10 or 20 square foot sections that could be considered anywhere near level. Almost always mowing on some sort of incline or angle which is probably twisting and straining the deck belt. Deck bounces around quite a bit too hitting mole hills, etc. Grass is varied from typical to longer, tougher stuff.
Probably needed a different, bigger, more stout machine to begin with, but that's no longer an option.
This is a tough lot. 2-3 acres get mowed one way or another. It's very uneven and off level. Probably not more than one or two 10 or 20 square foot sections that could be considered anywhere near level. Almost always mowing on some sort of incline or angle which is probably twisting and straining the deck belt. Deck bounces around quite a bit too hitting mole hills, etc. Grass is varied from typical to longer, tougher stuff.
Probably needed a different, bigger, more stout machine to begin with, but that's no longer an option.
So I pulled the deck today and here are my findings: 2 of the spindles have loud bearings, the idler is smooth and quiet bully the pulley has surface rust. Ask of the pullies are rusted and one has a slight wobble (shaft is straight).
I know there is a method to replace the bearings with the spindles still mounted on the deck but I think it's time for a complete teardown. The gauge wheels have seen better days too. A lot of the paint is gone so I think I'll replace the belt today with a cheapie from tractor supply and tear into it after mowing season is over.
I know there is a method to replace the bearings with the spindles still mounted on the deck but I think it's time for a complete teardown. The gauge wheels have seen better days too. A lot of the paint is gone so I think I'll replace the belt today with a cheapie from tractor supply and tear into it after mowing season is over.
Sounds like a good plan, but at my dealer JD belts cost the same as an aftermarket
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