skiwillgee 6 #1 Posted July 13, 2020 My name is Willie and I bought a C160, 8 speed manual, equipped with a 42 in mower deck back in the '70s from a friend. I have used this Horse to mow, haul, drag and till for all these years. This week the main drive belt broke and I replaced it with a spare I had purchase a couple years ago. This new belt is one of those blue Kevlar belts. The old belt appeared to be a black rubber reinforced belt. The width and length of the belt seems to be correct. My problem is: the new belt will not pull under a load without slipping. I live on a hill so this is a major problem. I even added an extra helper spring to give the clutch return more strength to no avail. Do I possibly have the wrong belt for the job? Can someone here direct me to the correct main drive belt replacement (supplier and stock number)? My guess is the new belt appears to be make with more fabric instead of the rubber of the old belt. I am thinking the Kevlar belt is too slippery to grab on the pulleys. P.S. I adjusted the idler pulley to make sure it was pushing against the belt fully. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 68,343 #2 Posted July 13, 2020 4 hours ago, skiwillgee said: My guess is the new belt appears to be make with more fabric instead of the rubber of the old belt. I am thinking the Kevlar belt is too slippery to grab on the pulleys You have the right TYPE of belt. Yours is a bit too long. You my have a belt for a hydro which would be an inch or two longer. You need the cloth/fabric wrapping to have a "clutching" effect. You need a 5/8" x 82" belt. Several aftermarket places sell good belts of that size. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JCM 9,388 #3 Posted July 13, 2020 I have had great luck with the OEM belts. My 312-8 has the original belt since 1989 when new. I replaced the belt on the 77 C-120-8 speed last year and should have a new one for the 420 here this week. All are Toro # 7473 for $ 35.77 each. Good luck 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squonk 41,324 #5 Posted July 13, 2020 7 hours ago, skiwillgee said: My name is Willie and I bought a C160, 8 speed manual, equipped with a 42 in mower deck back in the '70s from a friend. I have used this Horse to mow, haul, drag and till for all these years. This week the main drive belt broke and I replaced it with a spare I had purchase a couple years ago. This new belt is one of those blue Kevlar belts. The old belt appeared to be a black rubber reinforced belt. The width and length of the belt seems to be correct. My problem is: the new belt will not pull under a load without slipping. I live on a hill so this is a major problem. I even added an extra helper spring to give the clutch return more strength to no avail. Do I possibly have the wrong belt for the job? Can someone here direct me to the correct main drive belt replacement (supplier and stock number)? My guess is the new belt appears to be make with more fabric instead of the rubber of the old belt. I am thinking the Kevlar belt is too slippery to grab on the pulleys. P.S. I adjusted the idler pulley to make sure it was pushing against the belt fully. The new blue belts are actually more grabby than the rubber belts. Sounds like you either have a belt that is too long or you have a 1/2" wide belt instead of 5/8". The blue belts work fine. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
roadapples 6,983 #6 Posted July 13, 2020 Do you have the belt cover on correctly... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 55,771 #7 Posted July 13, 2020 8 hours ago, skiwillgee said: I adjusted the idler pulley to make sure it was pushing against the belt fully. Can you please take a picture of the belt in position with the clutch up, you may not have it routed properly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skiwillgee 6 #8 Posted July 13, 2020 2 hours ago, roadapples said: Do you have the belt cover on correctly... cover is on correctly, I do believe. What I have read about the cover indicates the cover needs to be one for proper clutch disengagement not vice versa. Thanks for the response. 7 hours ago, ebinmaine said: You have the right TYPE of belt. Yours is a bit too long. You my have a belt for a hydro which would be an inch or two longer. You need the cloth/fabric wrapping to have a "clutching" effect. You need a 5/8" x 82" belt. Several aftermarket places sell good belts of that size. Thank you sir. I will pick up a 5/8 x 82 today at Tractor Supply. They have them in stock at a store near me. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lee1977 6,777 #9 Posted July 13, 2020 If you haven't replaced the clutch spring in 40 years I suggest replacing it. clutch spring. I order mine from RCPW they add about $2 to the price but don't charge fro shipping. Original Toro clutch spring No.108035 $10.39. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skiwillgee 6 #10 Posted July 13, 2020 Problem solved. My replacement belt was only 1/2 width instead of 5/8 inch width. I picked up a new 5/8 x 82 from Tractor Supply and it works great. Thank you all and especially "ebinmaine" who answered my question spot on with the necessary belt dimensions. I think the belt that finally broke was the original from 1974. I do not remember ever removing all the necessary sheet metal to get to it. Hopefully this replacement will last that long. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
