mower deck belt problem

[digger2]

I'm not sure guys,but i think i got it.Turns out the belt was making contact with the idler pulley arm.Not alot,just enough to make slight contact and cause some wear.(wish i had a digital camera,it would be alot easier to show than explain).Yeah i know,DUH.You could'nt see it until i did some serious disassembly work.
Also,its possible i had the belt too tight,thus explaining the cracking.Even though i have the original owners manual for this thing,nowhere does it say anything about belt adjustment.(Strange)So me being the kind of guy i am,if snug is good ,tight must be better,right????No,wrong!!!!!! Another DUH.
Anyway i notched the idler pulley arm just enough so the belt would'nt make contact with it and installed a new belt(GATES POWER RATED)and tightened it up just enough so it would'nt slip.So far so good.I inspected it after the first mowing(3.25 acres) and no cracks yet.
The only thing i can say is somebody must have modified a pulley size or something before i bought it as it did have the right size belt on it.(i bought the mower used)And the owners manual absolutely says nothing about belt adjustment.Thats some of the trouble with buying something used.You never know what the last guy(or guys) have changed or modified.Anyway i'm keepin my fingers crossed
that this is the last belt for awhile.............thanks for the advice,digger2

 

[Tim12659]

Pulleys can sometimes cause this ...a badly worn pulley, a "BURR" protrudung from a pulley will cause cutting or if the bearings are worn and causing the pulley to wobble or be out of alignment so bad it will cause this.
As far as belts...find a Auto Parts store that carries GATES Belts. Take your old belt so to get the proper length and tell the people you need the heavy belt. You'll find that the Gates belt will outlast, out perform any OEM Belt on the market.