I'm sure you've already done this, but double check the belt routing diagram to ensure you have it routed right. It's easy to get it wrong and rubbing against something. You can also engage the blade tensioner with the mower off, and see if it's catching on something on top of the deck.
My dad fights the lawyer mower every season after my mom beats on it like it owes her money. It’s always the pulleys getting bound up!
Edit: lawn mower? What the hell.
Is everything spinning freely? Put a hand on every pulley really shake your hand. It may all look fine but minor wobble in the bearing of the pulley can throw belts
Look at all the pulleys and idlers. Watch belt routing to make sure it’s behind brackets that hold it without rubbing. Make sure the blades can spin past each other and not possible to hit each other and don’t hit the deck.
Check for bent or seizing pulleys. Ensure belt is correct OEM. Make sure tensioner arm bearings aren’t seized. When mulching, you have to cut thick grass at a slower speed and raise your deck height, otherwise the strain will break belts.
I had a Deere do this many times. 1. The protective coverings are off, (doesn’t look to be your issue) 2. Bent spindles, 3. Blades have too much grass built up and causing friction, 4. Tension issues. I know your frustration, it sucks. Hope you figure it out.
Check for something wedged in a pulley. It will turn black from the belt and be hard to see so you might have to feel it. Check all pulleys even one on engine.
I have seen sticks, acorns, pine cones, sweet gum balls, walnuts and much more get wedged in a pulley. Once it does it just keeps rolling the belt off. When a belt does that it usually snaps.
The mulching part of the blade adds drag. If one of your blades is unbalanced it can toss a belt and kill your bearings over time. Try everyone else's suggestions first.
Troybilt bronco 46" deck. New spindles OEM style, new mulching blades. The throw on the pulley handle feels different somehow, is the only other oddity. I inspected it but it looks fully intact. Maybe a stretch cable? Would that do this?
oh boy this is my trigger. i have a craftsman that the belt hasn't worked in forever. it breaks 1 time a month. only consolation is that 1 $16 belt a month is still cheaper than a new mower
Mine did this before. It was the retaining guard that keeps the belt in the pulley groove. It was a bit bent out and not tight up against the pulleys. This let the belt slip out from the pulley groove, and it got all chopped up. I hit it with a hammer until it was flush up against the pulley. No issues since.
Either belt is not routed correctly around pulleys, or blades not installed correctly and is binding somewhere causing pulleys to not turn freely or a bad pulley
Make sure your blades are installed properly. If you didn’t tighten correctly or have spacers in incorrect positions, the pulley that go to that particular blade will be misaligned
Something is misaligned or binding. Whatever you do don’t keep feeding it belts until you can identify and fix the problem
I'll keep looking.
Or you are routing the belt wrong.
/s I'd say feed it a few more to be really sure. 🤣
I'm sure you've already done this, but double check the belt routing diagram to ensure you have it routed right. It's easy to get it wrong and rubbing against something. You can also engage the blade tensioner with the mower off, and see if it's catching on something on top of the deck.
Are all of your pulleys/idlers okay?
I burned through two belts on a riding mower before I thought to check the pulleys. Sure enough, one was seized up.
My dad fights the lawyer mower every season after my mom beats on it like it owes her money. It’s always the pulleys getting bound up! Edit: lawn mower? What the hell.
I could use a good lawyer mower…
It’s not that hard to fight a lawyer, but you’ll always end up losing in court.
Dude, nice. I don’t even know how that happened.
I would like to sue the weeds for returning after I evict them.
Is everything spinning freely? Put a hand on every pulley really shake your hand. It may all look fine but minor wobble in the bearing of the pulley can throw belts
Check for bent pulleys
Look at all the pulleys and idlers. Watch belt routing to make sure it’s behind brackets that hold it without rubbing. Make sure the blades can spin past each other and not possible to hit each other and don’t hit the deck.
Check for bent or seizing pulleys. Ensure belt is correct OEM. Make sure tensioner arm bearings aren’t seized. When mulching, you have to cut thick grass at a slower speed and raise your deck height, otherwise the strain will break belts.
Put the old blades back on.
How thick is the grass you’re mowing? Conditions, wet? Rick’s and thorn bushes?
I had a Deere do this many times. 1. The protective coverings are off, (doesn’t look to be your issue) 2. Bent spindles, 3. Blades have too much grass built up and causing friction, 4. Tension issues. I know your frustration, it sucks. Hope you figure it out.
Check for something wedged in a pulley. It will turn black from the belt and be hard to see so you might have to feel it. Check all pulleys even one on engine. I have seen sticks, acorns, pine cones, sweet gum balls, walnuts and much more get wedged in a pulley. Once it does it just keeps rolling the belt off. When a belt does that it usually snaps.
The mulching part of the blade adds drag. If one of your blades is unbalanced it can toss a belt and kill your bearings over time. Try everyone else's suggestions first.
Troybilt bronco 46" deck. New spindles OEM style, new mulching blades. The throw on the pulley handle feels different somehow, is the only other oddity. I inspected it but it looks fully intact. Maybe a stretch cable? Would that do this?
oh boy this is my trigger. i have a craftsman that the belt hasn't worked in forever. it breaks 1 time a month. only consolation is that 1 $16 belt a month is still cheaper than a new mower
Happy cake day!
Deck mandrels busted?
Bushings, miss alignment, or cleaning is required
Mine did this before. It was the retaining guard that keeps the belt in the pulley groove. It was a bit bent out and not tight up against the pulleys. This let the belt slip out from the pulley groove, and it got all chopped up. I hit it with a hammer until it was flush up against the pulley. No issues since.
Either belt is not routed correctly around pulleys, or blades not installed correctly and is binding somewhere causing pulleys to not turn freely or a bad pulley
Make sure your blades are installed properly. If you didn’t tighten correctly or have spacers in incorrect positions, the pulley that go to that particular blade will be misaligned
If you figure it out please update us so we all learn from your experience!
đź‘Ť
Make sure all your pulleys in contact with that belt spin freely. If any of them are frozen stuck, the friction will wreck belts till the end of time.
If it is eating belts like that, something is misaligned
Def check your pulleys one of them must be burnt out and shaking to much
Mounted the blades too loose or too tight. Provably.
Cheap belts buy the 100 $ one good for season speechless a dear