laloux 0 #1 Posted March 29, 2016 I bought a used 36 inch rear tiller for my 417-A this winter. I finally got all the parts in required to run this on my wheel horse. Just tried using it in virgin soil and I keep loosing the belt. I have re- read installation instructions. I can not figure out what I am not doing right. Anyone with ideas for making the belt stay in place? Or is this typical for this type of tiller setup in virgin soil? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
312Hydro 474 #2 Posted March 30, 2016 Some pictures of the belt setup and rear of the tractor showing tiller alignment could help us diagnose the problem. Couple of questions, what condition is the mid mount idler in? Are the pulleys worn ? Is it the correct belt? Does the belt track towards the outside of the flat idler? You want the belt to track somewhere near the center of the flat idler. Too close to the outside and it may ride off Spring tension is important to the setup. I have not found a better spring than the one sold by Wheelhorse as it has great tension and costs about 6 dollars. Some members have also added weight to the tiller to keep it from bouncing. Where the tiller is mounted on the axle can change belt tracking too. These are some of the things I've seen when diagnosing belt problems. I'm sure others will chime in with their own experiences too. Do a search on "tillers" rototillers, and mid mount idlers, There is a lot of info on the forum. Without pictures though it's hard to find the problem. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doc724 925 #3 Posted April 2, 2016 There are two idler pulleys that the BACKSIDE of the belt rides on. One is on the tiller and one is on the pulley assembly that goes in the mid tach a matic. If either one of these pulleys is bent, or not running perpendicular to the belt, even a bit, the belt will walk. Sometimes the bend is small enough that it will just move the belt to the side and the edge of the belt will wear. I just adjusted the rear idler on on my tiller last fall. It was out a bit and the belt would walk on the front idler. I used a 10 inch adjustable wrench on the idler puller bracket and gave it a small tweak. Problem solved. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites