chewed up drive belt

[cod 120]

Happen to pull the covers off of my 418 and found that the drive belt is really messed up.  Couple of major cracks and missing a piece or two.  Ever since I've owned this tractor the T-handle for the drive belt tensioner has rattled around and I'm not sure why.  The pulley bearings don't appear to have any slop in them and I added a .010 shim behind the bearing to keep things snug but the rattle doesn't get better.  I held a long straight edge against the tranny pulley and appears to be inline with the PTO pulley so I'm perplexed.  I don't see any burrs or nicks in the pulleys and the belt is the correct number (108501) so any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

 

Cod

[cleat 6,357]

I have only one 520 early enough to have came with the release.

It rattled and vibrated so I just eliminated it like all the later models.

 

Cleat

[peter lena 8,726]

those cracks can come from general age and wear, also from not enough tension to prevent the belt  from being in a constant buzzy loose state. the noise on the belt tensioner  sounds strange , almost like its not mounted right. not likely but a total look at all mounting points can,t hurt. pete

[cod 120]

I've got a new one on the way and I think when I install it, I'll try running it without the side cover and see if there is something obvious that stands out.  I also think I'll start writing down the date when I replace the belt on the inside of the side cover to get an idea of how the rascal lasts.

 

Cod

[cod 120]

New belts came and I ran it for a spell without the side cover and everything looks fine.  I rechecked the pulley alignment and oddly enough when I engaged the belt tensioner, the rattle was gone.  I suspect that the old belt was so worn that it was causing the rattle and as the new fits like a glove, it's more snug and there is no play to be had.  I did mark the date for the new belt as I'm curious to see how long it will last and as there really seems to be a wide variety of standards in the belt industry and it's tough to know in advance if you are really getting a quality item when you're in a rush to get the yard done.

 

Cod