Belt Tension

[retired007]

How do you tell if you have your belt too tight on a finish mower? I noticed that I had quite a bit of heat (hot to touch) in gear box and pulley's on the mower after mowing awhile. This is a used mower that I just bought and it seems to have more heat than the old mower I had. Any help or advice would be helpful and appreciated.

 

[RickB]

The manufacturer published that information in the mower's Operator Manual.

 

[LD1]

Most mowers use a spring tensioner. As long as it is not bottomed out and has travel both directions, the spring dictates the tension and there is usually no adjustment for making it tighter or looser.

On applications that dont have a tensioner (usually not mowers) belt manufactures publish specs. Something like 1/2" flex over a certain distance. And they also make fancy gadgets for checking tension as well.

 

[SPYDERLK]

If there is belt slip, heat in pulleys will develop very quickly. Try this ... Start the mower drive and let it run a couple minutes no load. Then cut some heavy thick grass, applying hi load for about a hundred feet. Quickly stop the machine and check the pulleys. If they are barely warm youre good to go. If they are uncomfortably warm inspect the pulleys for wear and tighten the belt. If the hi heat persists replace the belt ... and the pulleys [if worn].
larry