Belly Mower Belt Problems

[Whiskey Bent]

Have an Artsway belly mower that I can t keep the drive belt from flipping on its side. Have had this mower for 22 years, the belt that came on it lasted 15 months. Now at least once or twice a year the belt will twist onto its side. As soon as it happens that belt won t stay straight for more than a minute. Any advice? I have been buying Gates Hi Power II belts, thought Gates was a good brand? All the pulley bearings are good, nothing bent.

 

[Janicholson]

Put the mower at cutting height on concrete or asphalt. (not running) look at the drive pulley alignment with the driven pulley/s. there should be no more than a fraction of an inch offset. Extending the drive shank or shortening it is likely to make a big difference. Jim

 

[Whiskey Bent]

This belt goes around a pulley on the pto there is 2 pulley s 90 degrees on both side of the pto pulley then goes forward to the mower pulley. It s twisting when it makes the 90 degree turn.

 

[Pete in MD]

Do you have a diagram for your mower that shows how the belt should be routed? A friend of mine had
a Woods mower on a Farmall 140. The belt had a series of 1/4 turns between the 4 pulleys and had to
be kept banjo string tight to keep it from rolling on its side or back.

 

[DeltaRed]

I had a Hydro swing swather with that type of belt arrangement. The belt would flip when it got worn.Funny,the belt did not look worn. But would flip within 15-20 minutes. A new belt was the only thing that
would fix it. A new belt would last 3 to 5 years.

 

[Whiskey Bent]

Here s some pictures of what I have. Have herd that Kevlar belts are better if you have multiple twists and pulleys, but can t seem to find the size I need C-173. This is on a Farmall H.

This post was edited by Whiskey Bent on 05/16/2023 at 09:11 pm.

 

[wore out]

''can t seem to find the size I need C-173''

You must not do GOOGLE?

Check with offroadbelts.com and ask if they have Kevlar version.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

Kevlar belts only.
Not 100% that Gates belts are kevlar.
Is it possible the belly mower deck isn't stable?
I had to make braces to keep my woods belly mower
from pushing backwards causing the belt to
loosen.
Eats a belt real fast.

 

[gene bender]

take the belt off and turn it so its reversed from the way it has been running usually clears the problem

 

[timcasbolt]

D&D is another resource for belts. They do business on Ebay and Amazon, plus their website. A kevlar belt ends in k, such as 4L480K for a 1/2"x48" belt.

 

[showcrop]

I have bought kevlar Gates belts, but I didn't get the life out of Gates as some others.

 

[Russ from MN]

I have a similar problem with our Woods mower on a Farmall C. The previous belt lasted over 10 years, I put
on a new one and it turned over within a month. I suspect I didn't have it tight enough.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

The idler pulleys look to be too close to the drive
pulley. It takes a lot of force to make a big belt like
that twist 90 degrees in that short of a run between
pulleys. Makes sense that it would not stay true
very long after it flips, it was just barely hanging on
before, and running upside down would rub the
supporting corners round. I would use as long a belt
as those slots would allow, and still be able to
tighten the belt. A longer span will require less
twisting force to make the belt change direction.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

It also appears that the idler pulley on the left is polished at the bottom of the V. If the belt is contacting the bottom, that takes away the axial stability, which adds to this predicament.

 

[glennster]

try ordering an oem belt from artsway . i have woods 59 belly mowers on my cub and b. genuine woods belts last the longest. i tried belts
from motion industries, got maybe a day or two out of them. your mileage may vary.

 

[John M]

May just be my eyes, but those 2 pulleys dont look all that old, and dont look like they areny really made right for a V-Belt in that application. That could be
causing the belt to move around and the inside of the belt hitting the side of the pulley causing it to twist. Just a guess........

 

[kencombs]

Have the two idler pulleys ever been changed? I ask because in the pics they look to be flat bottomed, like a tension pulley that should run on the back of a belt, not the vee side. Pulleys on a drive like that need to be in really good shape to keep the belt off the bottom.

 

[Blackhole49]

I agree with Ken. If the idlers are flat bottom, twist the belt so the flat side is riding on the idler and see what happens.

 

[Eric in IL]

I'd check for a pulley that is not running true to the shaft. Specifically one that is running like an eccentric does. I had this same issue on a fan belt for a Chevy truck many years ago. That issue made the belt run on its back and on the rim of all the pulleys.

 

[Hdonly]

(quoted from post at 08:45:25 05/17/23) It also appears that the idler pulley on the left is polished at the bottom of the V. If the belt is contacting the bottom, that takes away the axial stability, which adds to this predicament.

Exactly what I saw when looking at the double pulleys. Look at the difference in wear between the right and left pulleys. We used to run a Cub with Woods belly mower for many years when I worked for a small city public works. I replaced those pulleys a couple of times over the 30 years we ran that setup.