42” RD belt adjustment

[MainelyWheelhorse 2,551]

 

Hi guys, I got my 42”RD back together and as stumped about how to adjust the belt tension. I assume the spring and plate that the idler rides on since it slides left and right, is the tensioner. Is it left somewhat loose to ride and slide with the belt or is it secured after sliding it over to tension it? It was tight before I took the idler and tensioner off but I assumed it was the PO possibly putting it together wrong. Currently there isn’t enough tension to have all three blades turn at once. I confirmed that with my father when he mentioned after seeing it working that the mule drive belt was going but the deck belt was not. Thanks!

[ineedanother 2,322]

I've never owned that deck but your routing looks correct. Are you sure you're using the correct belt and that it's riding in the pulleys under the guards correctly?

[ICONN 4]

I have this deck and just sharpened the blades.  The spring must adjust out the slack in the belt otherwise the belt is TOO LONG.

[squonk 46,532]

That hefty spring provides all of the tension. If your belt is loose, it's too long or worn out. 

[953 nut 66,018]

Should be 1/2" by 89" belt.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/huskee-v-belt-1-2-in-x-89-in-oc-1012571?store=219&crmid=6663814901&utm_source=google&utm_medium=pmax&utm_campaign=tsc0_sea_tsc_cat_search_sch_us_cvr&utm_content=sku_na&adtype=pla&campaignid=22258948701&device=c&product_channel=local&product_id=1012571&store_code=219&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22269431188&gbraid=0AAAAADnTm20RvsdRIUAIoaUKG5VZVFJy7&gclid=Cj0KCQjwoMXQBhDcARIsAH-eEtsuJ7oBLhKKwvF0vx6VpZW98MCuEDEXLPcfJOMBlfOmbo-g1vlI9qwaArkZEALw_wcB

Edited 7 hours ago by 953 nut
Added link to Tractor supply

[Bill D 2,846]

89"x 1/2" belt.   Please take a picture with the belt guards off.

[peter lena 9,881]

@MainelyWheelhorse  added this years ago to my decks , almost hiding in plane site ? long unsupported belt , combined with  unknown spindle bearing  grease ?  bakes for a buzzing wreck  , experimented with one deck , all 3  run the same trouble free quiet , also regreased my  mule drive bearings ,  improved that  gold mine  of issues . pete

 

[midpack 1,143]

I've seen where the slot in the sliding tensioner gets worn from riding on the bolt causing it to get hung up. Is the plastic glide ok? Bolt holding the tensioner too tight?

If the tensioner moves freely I would try a smaller belt

[MainelyWheelhorse 2,551]

1 hour ago, Bill D said:

89"x 1/2" belt.   Please take a picture with the belt guards off.

 

11 hours ago, ineedanother said:

I've never owned that deck but your routing looks correct. Are you sure you're using the correct belt and that it's riding in the pulleys under the guards correctly?

The belt that’s on it is the one that was on it before I rebuilt it. It seemed to workfine then besides the spindles needing attention. It seems to be good pulley wise, as I spun it around before I put it back together. The belt didn’t come off or ride oddly in the pulleys. it just seemed a bit too loose. The routing is off the routing decal on the right of the deck.

[MainelyWheelhorse 2,551]

48 minutes ago, midpack said:

I've seen where the slot in the sliding tensioner gets worn from riding on the bolt causing it to get hung up. Is the plastic glide ok? Bolt holding the tensioner too tight?

If the tensioner moves freely I would try a smaller belt

Possibly, but it was tightened down when I got it so I thought that’s how it was supposed to be. I’ll check it. Should I put a little grease?

[lynnmor 8,824]

Remove the tension bar, clean up the mess and reassemble with the missing spring and new plastic parts.  The bar should slide freely to keep the belt tensioned. 

[midpack 1,143]

44 minutes ago, MainelyWheelhorse said:

 Should I put a little grease?

That's a pretty dirty area generally, maybe some dry lube. It doesn't move far

[Handy Don 16,572]

22 minutes ago, lynnmor said:

Remove the tension bar, clean up the mess and reassemble with the missing spring and new plastic parts.  The bar should slide freely to keep the belt tensioned. 

Exactly. Tighten the bar retaining bolts only enough to keep the sliding motion smooth. The lube is the plastic slides. 

 

It helps to keep in mind that even the highest quality belts do not run perfectly smoothly--some movement is normal. The tensioner is a compromise between cranking the tension up so high that the bearings suffer and the belt wears prematurely on one hand, and having the belt loosen quickly from even a little bit of wear on the other hand. 

Edited 4 hours ago by Handy Don

[MainelyWheelhorse 2,551]

@lynnmor it has the spring, @Bill D wanted a pic with the pulley cover off. I was still working on putting it together in that pic. @midpack OK, I’ll try that too.

[MainelyWheelhorse 2,551]

3 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

Exactly. Tighten the bar retaining bolts only enough to keep the sliding motion smooth. The lube is the plastic slides. 

 

It helps to keep in mind that even the highest quality belts do not run perfectly smoothly--some movement is normal. The tensioner is a compromise between cranking the tension up so high that the bearings suffer and the belt wears prematurely on one hand, and having the belt loosen quickly from even a little bit of wear on the other hand. 

@Handy Don Ok, it looked like it could slide, thanks for the confirmation.

[ineedanother 2,322]

16 minutes ago, MainelyWheelhorse said:

@Handy Don Ok, it looked like it could slide, thanks for the confirmation.

In the first pic the slide looks to be installed correctly and all the way to the tightest position which is why I suspected either the wrong belt length or it not being on one of the outer pulleys. I'm still leaning toward belt length being the issue.

[peter lena 9,881]

@MainelyWheelhorse  typically its  COLLECTIVE ISUES , TO REPEDITIVE PROBLEMS , you know what  starts belt bounce ?  INCREMENTAL  LUBRICATION FAILURE , just the tiniest / slightest  bearing hang up , starts the REPEDITIVE  BOUNCE ,  decks , mule drives , and related  pto , start lever  , are a GOLD MINE FOR IMPROVEMENT  , did this many years ago on my  C-85 , still have it , as well as a test bed  for related issues on other horses . bombproof , never had a bearing fail  or  pto clutch  burn out , pete

 

[oldlineman 1,703]

In your #9 post picture it looks like the slide has a little space for more movement tighter. I would clean area up good and check the plastic washer-spacers for condition and replace if necessary. Sellers on here have them . Not sure who I bought from,someone will chime in and refresh my memory. Glenn Petti had them # 107675 and # 107674

Edited 17 minutes ago by oldlineman

[sqrlgtr 2,909]

3 hours ago, ineedanother said:

In the first pic the slide looks to be installed correctly and all the way to the tightest position which is why I suspected either the wrong belt length or it not being on one of the outer pulleys. I'm still leaning toward belt length being the issue.

I concur spring looks to not have any tension on it and slide looks to be in the tightest position. Belt to long looks to be problem.