Mower belt tensioner

37chief · Apr 2, 2019

The rod for the belt tensioner has a spring. I can take up the tension on the belts just fine, against the spring. When I get into heavy mowing I notice the belts start to slip a little. Do you think this spring designed to let the belts slip, so nothing brakes? I know a slip clutch is better, just haven't installed it yet. Stan

mozark · Apr 2, 2019

Have you tried some belt conditioner, seems like once they slip it polishes them so they slip more

37chief · Apr 2, 2019

Good idea. Thanks, Stan

Steve@Advance · Apr 2, 2019

No, I wouldn't think they would intend for a belt to slip.

A slipping belt will quickly overheat, char the gripping surface, which will cause more slipping...

Look the belt and pulleys over closely. If any pulleys are shinny down to the bottom of the vee, the belt is riding too deep. It should never contact the bottom.

Either the belt is worn, the belt is wrong (too narrow), or the pulleys are worn.

Look the tensioner over carefully. Sometimes they wear from the constant vibration. They get out of alignment, can't apply full tension to the belt.

If you look at the belt arrangement, you'll see the tensioner is on the return, or "slack" side of the belt. To determine what is slipping, with the engine off, hold the driving pulley from turning, hand turn the blade/blades opposite the direction they normally turn. Feel how difficult the blades are to turn. They should bite into the belt and be near impossible to slip. If anything slips, that's likely what is slipping when running.

jeffcat · Apr 3, 2019

Follow the others advice but I would say check out the Kevlar belts. I really like them.

MarkB_MI · Apr 3, 2019

Stan, is this on a flail mower? If so, then yes the belt should slip if it hits something hard or the shaft gets stuck, but I don't think it should slip under normal conditions. There's nothing else between the shaft and gearbox, so it has to be able to slip; that's why there's not a lot of tension on the belt. It may be time for a new belt.

Traditional Farmer · Apr 3, 2019

Belt will slip if your pulleys are worn out or cutting too heavy material or faster than the machine was designed to do.

Russ from MN · Apr 3, 2019

Is the engine working very hard when it starts to slip? I have an old Mott corn stalk chopper that is belt drive and it will lug the 2 cylinder Wisconsin right down before it slips.

Destroked 450 · Apr 3, 2019

What type and brand of mower?
Kuhn 600 disc mower has a spring under the adjuster, belt was slipping on it.
Read the manual that said tighten to full compression plus 2 turns, belt doesn't slip now, before we were no going the 2 extra turns.

Mower belt tensioner

37chief

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mozark

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37chief

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Steve@Advance

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jeffcat

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MarkB_MI

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Traditional Farmer

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Russ from MN

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Destroked 450

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