NEED HELP SOON...48" belt drive having problems going

[Orkin Yards]

I have a 48" SCAG belt drive w/b....the belts are new (2 weeks old) and it has problems on turns...slows down ALOT almost stops sometimes...i can make it get up and go by pusshing down on the handles and putting more tension on the belts...so basically how do i put more tension on the belts without having to push down on the handles?!? the tranny belt is very tight....HELP ME!!! this is slowing me down alot

[Kent Lawns]

a.) Those knock-off belts don't bite as good factory spec'd ones.
b.) Tighter tensioning springs may help, but will require more effort to pull the lever.
c.) Make the next one a hydro!

[Orkin Yards]

the weird thing is though that i put the SAME BELTS at the SAME TIME on my 36" and it works fine....

[Russo]

I just put new drive belts on my 48" eXmark and found that I had to adjust the levers and brakes quite a bit. Have you done any adjusting?

[Doc Pete]

If you are running the stock springs which are way overkill, there's no way it should slip, unless you using a velky and are heavy. However, the drive pulley's wear easily. What happens is the center groove doesn't wear as fast as the rest of the pulley and the groove prevents the belt from seating down in the pulley. Take the pulley's off and using a bench grinder, grind down the middle groove about 1/8".This will let the belt fully seat. IMO, any belt should grip enough to give good traction.
Pete

[Orkin Yards]

this is prob going to sound dumb, but which pulley are you calling the "drive" pulley?

[Doc Pete]

The smaller ones, and "not" the ones attached to the wheels......
Pete

[cbukfan]

You said it all when you said you had a Scagg. I have two Exmark belt drives and have never had a problem out of either of them. I have freinds with Scaggs and they encounter the same problem you're having all the time. Unload the Scagg.

[Got Grass?]

Make sure the breaks arnt to tight & the handles are adjusted properly (goes down far enough).

[Shady Brook]

I assume that you are mowing in dry conditions? If they get wet, they do exactly what you are saying, I know that probably sounds obvious. Maybe a glazed belt? Maybe try some belt dressing? Maybe try to tighten that drive belt some more. I make the belt as tight as I can, then tighten up the pully so that she is snug, but not overly tight. I then take a mallot and a pry bar or heavy screw driver and rap on that carriage bolt head til she is real tight, then torque down that nut on the pully real good. I have never had any problems with my scags slipping when doing these things.

I hope you get her fixed soon.

Jay

[eslawns]

I had this problem with my Encore. Check the drive pulleys and the wheel pulleys. Sometimes abrasives like sand will wear these pulleys so that they do not have enough contact with the belt to seat properly. You may need to compare yours to a new pulley to be sure. Whatever it turns out to be, please post it here so the rest of us can learn from it.

[David Haggerty]

You've eleminated all other possible sources of slipping.
You need to replace the drive pulleys.

The "V" profile of the pulley is critical.

If the sides aren't flat and show signs of wear, replace the pulley.
If the belt rides in the bottom of the groove and "shines up" the bottom of the groove, replace the pulley.
The pulleys don't have to look very bad to be bad. New pulleys are cheap.

They make cutters to re-groove the pulleys, but if you try it yourself without the cutter, you'll just wind up chewing up those new $30 belts.

With new drive pulleys, you'll be "popping wheelies" with that walk behind.

Here's a link to J.Thomas. The pulleys are part #21, but you better recheck they're the right ones for you.

http://www.j-thomas.com/Catalog_Pages/Page95.htm

Just a tip, the day you order the new pulleys, start spraying the ends of the pulley shafts with WD-40. By the time the new pulleys arrive, the old ones will pop right off.

Good luck with it.

Dave