my first ztr is a 225 grasshopper

[befnme]

i bought a 225 grasshopper 60" ztr last week and i have been trying to get used to one . but i have a question for z owners ; when i get into high grass/weeds . like the ones that havent been mowed all winter .any way when i get into this stuff my blades seem as though they are slipping and just stop spinning until i either back up or get into smaller growth .is that normal ? is something bad or loose ? i have a scag and it would choke down in tall grass before the blades would slip . i am a little puzzled .

[Mowingman]

you are probably trying to run too fast through the tough stuff. you need to slow down and let the blades do there work in overgrown conditions. If you continue to slip the belt, it will be ruined before you know it. We had a customer destroy his PTO belt in 3 hours last year. He had never been on a ZTR, before he bought a 227/61" Grasshopper from us. He was trying to mow a very thickly overgrown field, and thought he could do so at almost full ground speed. We gave him a new belt, and told him to slow down. no trouble after that.
your machine has belt tensioners that should be correctly adjusted from the factory. The belts will slip, rather than the machine stalling out, if you crowd it too hard. you may want to check that the belts are indeed adjusted correctly.

[befnme]

Originally Posted by Mowingman

you are probably trying to run too fast through the tough stuff. you need to slow down and let the blades do there work in overgrown conditions. If you continue to slip the belt, it will be ruined before you know it. We had a customer destroy his PTO belt in 3 hours last year. He had never been on a ZTR, before he bought a 227/61" Grasshopper from us. He was trying to mow a very thickly overgrown field, and thought he could do so at almost full ground speed. We gave him a new belt, and told him to slow down. no trouble after that.
your machine has belt tensioners that should be correctly adjusted from the factory. The belts will slip, rather than the machine stalling out, if you crowd it too hard. you may want to check that the belts are indeed adjusted correctly.

thank you for the help..are they supposed to be very tight or a little sloppy .

[Mowingman]

The deck belt should be snug, but not really tight. The PTO belt under the mower is actually look pretty "loose".

[Mowingman]

Something else to think about. you did not say if the machine is new, or used. If used, the belts could be worn, depending on the hours, thus causing excessive slippage.
You have a great mowing machine there. Good luck with it. Any questions, just ask. While I am aGrasshopper dealer, I also run 2 of the 225 machines in my mowing business.

[befnme]

it is used with 742 hours .the gentleman that traded it in where i bought it had it serviced there regularly . but the belts could be worn . if i am going along and turn to my discharge side and the grass is say 4 to 6 inches high the blades will slow down and stop until i start to go strait and it gets a chance to blow the material away .

[Envy Lawn Service]

Sounds like a worn or loose or mis-routed belt to me... or a messed up tension idler.
The blades shouldn't slow or stop without bogging the engine.

Congrats on the mower by the way.

[befnme]

Originally Posted by Envy Lawn Service

Sounds like a worn or loose or mis-routed belt to me.

Congrats on the mower by the way.

i will look in to it ,thanks envy.....

[Envy Lawn Service]

You caught me on the edit there.

Pop that rear cover off and check everything from there forward.

[Mowingman]

With those hours, you really could have a worn belt, or a tensioner not doing it's job. It should not slip, or stop the blades under those conditions you describe.