kajamo240 3 #1 Posted July 10, 2009 Since I am now on my 3rd spindle in the past 4 years on my mower deck, this has raised a good question. How tight should the belt be on it? How can you tell if its too tight or too loose without possibly ruining the spindle or the pulley? I dont have any high tech gadgets to tell me the amount of pressure that its putting on the pulley to be within a certain pressure range... further more, I dont know if there is one... The deck that I am currently using is pretty fragile and thin in many spots and want dont want to put any unneeded stress on it. Is there some sort of "Rule of thumb"? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WH1055 0 #2 Posted July 10, 2009 Most certainly not too tight. Not so loose as to where the belt slips, but when its too tight, (which sounds to be exactly your problem, wearing those spindles prematurely) it will ruin components due to the extra stress. You could even feel it with your hands, if the belt was super tight and you tried to spin it at the drive pulley (where the belt would go to the motor) it would not spin very easily, if at all. You should have your belt loose enough to where it wont slip in the pulleys with maybe 2 inches of deflection. whichever works out best. The drive pulley should be very smooth and free, which is just so much easier on everything. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
W9JAB 156 #3 Posted July 10, 2009 1 Day in. Day out.TM V-Belt and Quick Detachable Sheave Installation and Maintenance 2 Introduction Properly designed and installed V-belts and sheaves are virtually maintenance-free; an occasional retensioning is all that Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bill 4 #4 Posted July 10, 2009 :ychain: Thank god for cut and paste :thumbs: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WheelHorse_of_course 99 #5 Posted July 20, 2009 W9JAB - wow! There is a rule of thumb (literally) . At a mid point between the two pulleys push with your thumb on the belt. 1/2 to 3/8 inch is generally fine. If greater than 1/2 but less than 3/4 check to see for signs of slipping (squeal when engaging, shinyness of the belt sides, etc). :thumbs2: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coadster32 793 #6 Posted July 20, 2009 That was a whole bunch of stuff that I just don't do! I like the rule of thumb. It's a little bit easier to remember, and a whole buch user freindly. Thanks for the tech tip though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kajamo240 3 #7 Posted July 21, 2009 Thanks guys. I had to read that whole thing in shifts... Haha. I too like the rule of thumb much better. Thanks again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites