Urgently Need Help

[Jmathis337]

Hi I have a 345 John Deere 1998 54 inch deck original deck. The mower has almost 3000 hours ok so the problem. I had been mowing started the season off great ran like a champ. Then one day the belt that goes from pto to the deck just snapped I was like ok maybe it is old and needs to be replaced. I replace said belt for the lovely price of 30 dollars then I mowed a couple of yards one yard had pretty high grass. I then go back to my families yard where it broke and would you believe it broke in like the same exact spot what is going on?

 

[davesl708]

Hi. Welcome.

Verify the belt routing is correct and not dragging or binding up.
If correct check the sheave and spindle bearings on the deck. If seizing will burn the belt.
Inspect the sheaves for damage or sharp edges.

 

[Jmathis337]

Belt routing is correct it just goes from one pulley to the next pulley sheaves what are sheaves sorry for the question but i have no idea my initial thought was the lever on the deck for removal of pto belt was bad or loose but I can tell the belt have a piece missing when it snapped but wasn't really hot to the touch

 

[davesl708]

sheaves same as pulleys.
If it snapped something is snagging and breaking/cutting the belt.
Are the bearings on the mower deck moving freely or is there a grinding feeling when you move them?
Are the bearing taking grease?

 

[Jmathis337]

the deck bearing I greased yesterday right before I mowed and they all took grease fine there is not grinding all I did notice was a slight deck cavitation

 

[davesl708]

Not sure what you mean by deck cavitation. The bearings on the deck should move with little resistance. Are the pulleys lined up correctly?
Did one of them loosen and slip out of alignment?

 

[Jmathis337]

I haven't went as far as to check that currently what I mean by cavitation is the deck started to wobble or get a vibration in it that wasn't there then snap goes the belt

 

[davesl708]

That sounds like a bearing seizing up or a linkage is loose or disconnected. Something is putting a heavy load on the belt to get it to snap.
Are the belts on the deck routed correctly and not rubbing a guide?
Is there a clutch/brake on the deck to stop the blades when you disengage the belt?

 

[Jmathis337]

As far as I know it is a electronic pto the belts are routed correctly as last year it ran just fine with zero problems the only linkage problems I could think of would be the tension spring which looks like it is from 1998 that you have to pull to take slack off the pulleys to replace the belt the only thing I can think of is it is giving the belt slack then instantly popping back causing the belt to flex hard once under a load again?

 

[Walt 2002]

Don't know what you problem is but if you live near an oil field supply store, very likely you can get you expensive belt there much cheaper and it will be good quality, at least that is the case here.

Walt Conner

 

[Jmathis337]

I called John Deere they are going to warranty the belt this one time I think I will install and check to see how the pulleys look without a load on them see if anything is wobbling

 

[sixdogs]

I had a problem like that except my belt was $90. Mowing real tall grass caused a similar break so I bought another belt and stopped mowing real tall grass when I was in a hurry. Problem solved and it never happened again. The last belt has now been on for 10 years.

 

[Jmathis337]

Grass wasn't high this time when the break happened john deere told me to check the pulleys especailly the one that is on the deck I am going to order a tension assembly for 80 and go from there unless i find a bunch of wobble in the pulley or scarring

 

[davesl708]

Hope that fixes it. Keep us updated on the results.

 

[stuckmotor]

Ast

I had a problem like that except my belt was $90. Mowing real tall grass caused a similar break so I bought another belt and stopped mowing real tall grass when I was in a hurry. Problem solved and it never happened again. The last belt has now been on for 10 years.

My son's been having that problem and his belts are around $90.00 as well. I think he made it all of last year on one belt. When he tried to mow for the first time this spring, he had to buy a new belt. Coincidentally, I just got back home with a new belt for my Snapper Rider.

 

[Jmathis337]

The belt I am talking about is the one that runs from the pto to the pulley on the deck it just goes between on two pulleys how can that belt be 90 when john deere only charges me 35 for the belt

 

[Zebrafive]

Another thing to check is the idlers on the belt that drives the blades. I had one seize and lost the blade drive belt, not the deck drive belt you are losing, but it could be putting a load on that belt too.

 

[stuckmotor]

The belt I am talking about is the one that runs from the pto to the pulley on the deck it just goes between on two pulleys how can that belt be 90 when john deere only charges me 35 for the belt

The belt I was talking about was the one that runs the three blades on the deck. It was also for a differet model mower. We tried belts from Tractor Supply only to find out that the groove in the JD pulleys was cut at a different angle.

 

[Coyote machine]

I think you mentioned a chunk tearing out of the new belt?
Either way, you need to verify the pulley are not only spinning freely, but each pulley is level with the others, AND there are no rough edges or dings, etc. In the pulleys top/bottom grooves, that could tear or do other belt damage. Don't know if your deck pulleys have spindles, but if they have, the spindle bearings can fail too.

 

[MORRISONSTEEL]

Clean breaks on belts for mowers are usually something hitting the belt part way through its travel path when not on a pulley. The belts also have a natural tendency to whip slightly back on forth, the larger the distance between pulleys the more aggressive the movement of the belt out of its static travel path. So you will want to look at not just the normal belt path for obstructions but beyond the path of the belt when not on a pulley. Or if something else is creating a worse than normal whipping reaction. Torn, shredded belts, etc from what I have seen is usually from misalignment, bearing failure, pulley wear/damage, etc. my2c