Drive Belt Woes

[Gizmo_019]

Well I decided to mow my own yard after I got done with one this afternoon. Well let's say this, a leaf spring on my trailer broke coming home, but I was still able to pull it, it just sags on one side. so I get the mower off, start mowing my yard and I get almost done with one side and I hear what I thought was a gum ball, like, then a poof liek when you hit an ant bed. Only thing is I didn't hit an ant bed, about 10 feet after that noise I roll to a stop. Part of the drive belt is dragging behind the mower, and the rest is wrapped all aroudn the pulleys, mainly the left side hydro. It came apart liek a recp tire would, the outer layer just peeled off and wrapped around the pulleys.

It was right at 5:50 when this happened so dealer was gone. I am goign to call first thing in the morning and get a belt ordered because I don't imagine he has any in stock seeing as he didn't have oil filters in stock. So my question is, howl ong does it take for a belt to get to the dealer, in Hope, Arkansas from Hesston, Kansas.

Also, how often does this occur? Is it an every 18.2 hour deal like the first belt was or should it last longer? This belt looks cheaper than the deck belt just by looking at whats left. I am going to tell him to get 2, so I can have a spare.

This is not a good start to the week, because it takes 2 days for leaf springs to get here and then the mower, and I have a cemetery and I know 3 yards to do this week, plus my wisdom teeth ome out Friday morning and the doc says no mowing Friday or Saturday.

[mowerconsultant]

Sounds like a bad belt, for what reason I don't know.
Your dealer should have the belt in stock, if not he can get it next day from his regional distributor or from the factory.
E-mail me so I can get this looked into for you.

[Gizmo_019]

Well, dealer had it in stock. Took it in at 8 got it back at 1:30 which doesn't affect me much because I go to school. He said that it was either a small stick that he found hung up on the fuel line, or gum balls, or a bad belt. He said it shouldn't happen again but to watch out for gumballs. He told me that I was proably going fast and afew of them probably get launched under the back of the mower and may have nicked the belt of a stick got hung up under it and rubbed it.

I didn't have to pay anything because it was a warranty deal, but I'm going to get an extra belt to keep in the truck just to be safe. I am a happy mower now, time to get to cuttin'!

[mowerconsultant]

I am glad he got you taken care of quickly.

[TLS]

Gumballs (if they're what I think your referring to), will absolutely pop belts. I have one house with one in the yard. Seems like every year I pop a deck belt off when they are dropped on the ground.

I've had many a stick kill a belt as well.

Pine cones

Even my wallet!

[Gizmo_019]

Well, Yesterday the drive belt snapped. It didn't shred liek the last one it just snapped like someone pulled it apart. Guess where, my yard, again, but I swept the gumballs up in a sweeper before I mowed, yes there was afew, but not enough to amount to anything. I took it to the dealer yesterday night got it out this morning. He said he didn't find gumballs stuck all up in it like the last time so he said if it happens again he will have to look at it closer. BTW it happened at 23.6 hrs.

I think one hydro pump migth be locking up. When I go to realese the pumps after it quits, one nut is really hard to turn and the other, after broke loose with a wrench is only finger tight. Dealer said that is just the way hydro pumps are. I don't know, but it is kindof dissappointing laying down $7,500 on a mower that goes through drive belts faster than a tank of gas. It mows great until I get in my own yard, guess I'll have to quit mowing it.

[mowerconsultant]

E-mail me again, I cant find your e-mail from before.