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subs1000w

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
ive got 2 belt drive mowers that kinda need new double-v belts but at
$30ish a pop they dont need to be replaced that bad if you know what i mean, so ive don some searching and read that soaking them in bleach, baby oil or glycerine can restore there rubberyness and help them grip like new so has anybody done this before or have any other suggestions it would be great

also i thought of buying 2 standerd v belts for each side which would be considerably cheap at about $6 a peice but i would need 8 instead of 4 know what i mean just thinking out load
 
#3 ·
I can not advise you try any of those miracle cures, wishful thinking might do more harm than good in this case.

Best I can tell you is order a new belt (the expensive kind) and keep it with you for now.
Then, keep the new belt someplace where you will have it when the old one breaks (like in the truckbox).

As for replacing, run it until it breaks, you might be surprised you might can go a long ways still on the old one.

Seriously, that's what I do.

Last time my main blade belt was going, I paid the $50 or whatever and put the new one in the truck box when I got it.
I then kept running with the old belt, and it didn't give out until over a year later.
Now you can't assume you will have as much luck, saying it may not last a whole year, but even if you only get another week or a month out of it, that's time added to the lifespan of the new one.
 
Discussion starter · #4 ·
first of all i thought i made it clear im talking about the drive belts that drive the wheels not blades because i just replaced a blade belt yesterday, i know i sound like a cheap a$$ which i am but i dont plan on keeping these belt drive machines for more than a year and dont want to sink any more money into them but if youve ever used a belt drive machine with worn belts you know they slip on hills and sometimes become hard to get to track straight because one side slips more than the other and i dont really see how trying it could do more harm than good because if it makes it worse ill just replace them but if it does fix the problem i just saved half a days work know what i mean
 
#5 ·
Why don't you go to a auto parts store and buy a can of "belt dressing" ?

It's designed to make belts tacky to reduce slipping, Keep it handy and when they go slipping spray a little on.
 
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#6 ·
my mower has a lifetime warranty on the drive belt, so i have the three belts that i need always stored in the trailer tool box. when/if the drive belt breaks, i replace it with the one i have on hand, bring the broken one back to my dealer and they give me a new one, free of charge. as soon as i see any fraying of any if the belts, they are gonna get changed, it's worth it to me not to have any downtime durring peak mowing hours.
 
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Discussion starter · #7 ·
i accually tryed the belt dressing last year and it seemed to work for a few days but wore off pretty quickly i really need to just replace my 48" with a hydro hopefully somtime this year if i stumble apone a good deal but untill then im going to try soaking a pair in bleach off my 36 and see if it helps if not no big deal

the lifetime warrenty on belts would be pretty sweet kinda like brake pads im on my second set of free ones from the zone and for 15 set of pads you cant beat it
 
#8 ·
If you're looking for a miracle cure, try some toothpaste. I've heard that the micro grit in it can get rid of the glazing on rubber belts and make them grip better. I've never tried this, so I can't say for sure.
 
#9 ·
hello ,belts r cheap compared to worn out pulleys .A worn out belt or a beltvery close to being u/s will slip on pulleys causing wear in the groove . Then to your amazement the new belt once fitted does not perform properly and/ or has a short life span.:hammerhead: :hammerhead: Every body has there own ideas on maintenance .Try belt grip out of a spray can ,if not replace it .

tomo
 
#12 ·
It's not the rubber per se that gives out on the gear driven belts, really no agricultural or industrial belts have a real problem there...
It's always the threads that separate, once they separate there's nothing doing, most of my drive belts never actually 'break' but they just get weaker and weaker and one day I feel a tiny snap and that's it (but the belt is still all one piece, you really can't even tell by looking at it). You know it thou, the Wb will not move if no further clue exists :laugh:

One thing that has helped is learning how hard to push those belts, stepping off the velke at crucial moments helps considerably... I remember when I'd get 6-12 months out of a belt so I suppose this comes with experience but I believe my '05 Toro is still running the originals it came with, even the older '98 I just don't go through them like I used to, don't push it so hard but learn its limits and work within those limits appears to be the key to making them last longer, and I mean a lot longer.

Weather might not help, I like to at least cover my machines with a tarp, I'm fairly sure this helps as well.

I might advise looking into getting aftermarket spares from Grainger.
 
#13 ·
I've got a older scag belt drive WB and it's got a flat belt for the drive belts. I didn't realize that double v belts were used for the wheel drives by anyone.

If you really do have a double V belt, I would think that a matched set of industrial V belts would work as long as you have the right cross section and you make sure to get a matched set. When a drive uses multiple belts, you need to specify that the belts are "matched" since a tiny difference in length will leave one belt tight and one slack.

Since controlling belt friction on the pulley is critical in this application, be sure you have the right cross section. I've got a post about how to do that on page 2 here:

http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?t=199016

The purpose of joining belts together in double or tripple belts is to prevent the belts from rolling, usually when there are exceptionally long distances between pulleys. This doesn't seem to be the case with a WB drive belt. I'm cheap so I'd definately try a matched pair of industrial belts.
 
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