I've got two exmarks so far and both have been running great until recently. My turf tracer 60" 23hp kaw has been great for 3 yrs and 800 hrs. It's actually used the same deck belts for all 3 years. In the last 3 months I have been through 3 deck drive belts. (the one from the engine to the deck) The mower seems to be shredding them this year. The belt really seems to be flapping and my guys are saying it does not cut as well as it used to. It misses grass and the blades seem to slow down considerably in longer grass. Here's what I have checked so far: Took it in to dealer for rpm check and overal maintenance, he noted nothing usual but did not see it cut. I Removed the belts, greased all zerk fittings under no load and reinstalled all new deck belts. Checked for burrs on pulleys. Checked deck pitch. Removed mulch kit / blades and installed new hi lifts. All blades sharped every second day I'm still cutting at the same height that i was for the last 2 years. It is cutting better, but ... Am I missing anything? Why is it chewing belts and losing power at the deck? I'm Curious about the springs holding thedeck idler pulleys. Are they supplying enough tension? Do they wear out? Any suggestions? Thanks Dylan
Dylan, You've covered your bases well. That's the list that I would have run down for you to try. It sounds like belt slippage so I would look at the idler pivots a little more closely. If you have debris in the bushing you can simply grease the zerk and the debris is pushed out and everything works fine again. Other times (especially if water is the culprit) you'll need to remove the idler arm and clean all the surfaces (bushings) with some emery cloth, re-grease and reinstall to fix the problem. Replacing the spring would be my next recommendation. Make sure that you use a factory spring. An aftermarket or one that looks close may not apply enough pressure allowing the belt to continue to slip or may apply too much adding wear to all of the rotating assemblies. Please let me know if you have any further questions. Thanks Terry
What kind of belt are you using? I have noticed that if the replacement belt isnt kevlar it just will not last. It may be different for your mower. My Z has to have a kevlar belt or it just eats it up.
