1862 mule drive belt issues

[bbalvin]

Hello, I've lurked on here a few time but finally joined in hopes of solving a belt issue.

On my 1862 with 50C deck, I have been wearing through the mule drive belts rather quickly, about 3 cub belts (#954-3003) last summer.

It seems to me that the spring and adjusting pulleys on the front are too far rearward. The ratchet lever seems to want to run with the square notch even with the front plate, about an inch further rearward than it should be.

Any tricks or suggestions? I am about to start looking for a belt that is an inch or two longer.

 

[jchamberlin]

Brian,

Welcome to the Forum. You've got a great mower there, and you're not the first to have this problem. Assuming that you are buying OEM quality belts and the mower is still shredding them, the number one suspect, in my mind, are the pulleys. Pulleys don't have to squeal loudly to fail, the bearings can still "wobble" and stick shredding the belt in the process. A pulley can also rust in the "V" so badly that the belt wears prematurely. Finally, the center spindle in the deck can also be worn and thus mis-aligned. The next item up for consideration is how the forward pulleys are angled. The supports can be bent so that the pulleys don't run "true." The good news is that with a properly sized wrench or pliers, they can be given an "attitude adjustment" and be brought back into line. Pictures would help the diagnosis, but I would start with a good set of pulleys and install them carefully. There are two sizes of pulleys, one size is significantly larger than the other. Parts Lookup gives P/N 756-3003 for the ones installed on the 50C for the 1862.

 

[bbalvin]

Thanks for the tips! I will try to get some pics up here this week.

A little history on this one. Got it from my inlaws, they hadn't used it for a number of years. Deck was in rough shape. With some sandblasting, welding, brazing, epoxy, and paint, it was...better. Spindle bearings were cleaned, repacked, and had new seals installed. Deck pulleys were sandblasted and painted. Forward adjusting pulleys were new (<font color="ff0000">&#149;</font><font color="ff0000">&#149;</font><font color="ff0000">&#149;</font><font color="ff0000">&#149;</font><font color="ff0000">&#149;</font> versions so could be an issue). I have tweaked the adjusting pulleys so the belt lines up better to the clutch pulley.
Current belt is a cheap one and is pretty worn, but hoped to do some trouble shooting with it before I destroy the $50 oem belt.
Will try to get the right belt on and get some pics up this week.