John Deere Tractor Collectors

There are some tractor parts that never really get the attention they deserve & are easily overlooked during routine maintenance or the usual Spring & Fall equipment changeover. And V belts are one of those most often overlooked parts on our tractors, mower decks & other friction driven attachments. Maybe it's because they are so reliable & many of them can give trouble free, reliable service for years without so much as a single squeak! But one thing for sure is that at some point in time those V belts will need to be replaced.

This article can not possibly cover all the situations that can cause premature belt failure or the dozens of other problems associated with v belts. So rather than trying to cover every possible situation, what I am attempting to do here is give you some clues as to what is behind the more common failures with V belts. To get a better sense of how complicated or complex V belts & their application can be, try to take a look at Machinery Handbook's section on V belts. You can also find the technical & engineering information behind V belts in any mechanical engineering text books & on line as well.

I have only suggested that you read up a little on the science of V belts for a better appreciation of what they are asked to do. Personally speaking, over the years I have made it a practice to try & understand the basic theories behind parts, even if it appears obvious as what their intent is. This practice has given me a better understanding as to how various parts & systems combine to make things work. Once you have a better understanding of the "big picture" you will be in a better position to diagnose, troubleshoot & solve problems. And you will also save time & money while impressing your friends & neighbors on how well you keep your equipment going.

If you are experiencing V belts jumping off pulleys, shredding, squealing & running very hot & you just replaced the belt that was in service for years without a problem, my first question about the replacement belt would be:

1) "Whose belt is it & where did you get it".

For most of us, replacing a belt means taking our old used belt down to the local auto parts store, garage or mass merchandise center, or if you have one, your local neighborhood outdoor power equipment shop & try to "find" the same belt or a "close fit" to that worn out original. Unfortunately, most of the time we do leave one of those establishments with a brand new replacement belt. I said "unfortunately" because if not all the time, most of the time we are going home with the wrong belt. But if you must get your belt in the retail market, the best chance of getting a belt that is suitable for the application would be at that neighborhood outdoor power equipment shop.

There are several critical factors involved when it comes to selecting a new V belt for a specific application. Here are just a few if not all of them. Belt length, belt width, belt depth, belt angle or pitch, belt material and belt construction. Unfortunately, most of us shop for a new belt the same way we shop for a new pair of shoe laces. We take out the yardstick, get your wife or kid to hold one end of the belt & yardstick while we stretch out the other end and take a measurement off the yardstick! Or you take the tape measure out and you stretch it out between the two external sheaves & come up with a "close" measurement & tell yourself the tension spring will take up the slack, or if it's a tight fit, it will "Break In".

Even if you get real lucky with the overall dimension, what about belt width, depth & angle. Ever see a belt that is sitting really deep inside the sheaves, or one that sits higher than the sheave walls. Sure you have! It's the one you just bought. Belts that ride high or bottom out will fail. They are not engineered to work that way. Belts are engineered to transmit power by friction. Belts that bottom out or ride high are not delivering the intended power to the equipment. Only the side walls of the belt must be in contact with the sheave walls & at the precise depth that they were calculated to be in contact with each other.

Also the material that the belt is made from & how it is constructed is critical as well. Belt construction & material also takes into consideration how they will be run. That is to say is the belt going to run with a twist in it to reverse a direction. At what speeds will it run & will there be any changes in the angle it will run at as attachments are raised & lowered into their respective operating positions. I've tried to cover here just a few of the considerations that must be given to replacing what appears to be such a simple part?

The advise I give everyone when replacing a belt is simply this. Fire up your computer & go to the John Deere Parts site & look up your machine & find the Part Number for your replacement belt or call your nearest John Deere dealer & have them look it up for you. And buy your belts from John Deere. In no way am I acting here as an agent for John Deere, nor am I against any retailer who is trying to satisfy the needs of a customer. But the plain fact is that for the cost difference involved if any it is simply not worth the aggravation you will experience with a new belt that gives you grief.

Is There Anything Else?

Now that we have gotten past the basic belt requirements, we need to make sure that there is nothing in the system that can contribute to any premature belt wear or failure. There are many issues you could be dealing with if you are experiencing any type of belt problems. I will try to give you some areas that you may need to look into so that you can avoid problems with that new belt.

Assuming you have acquired the proper belt for the application, there are some basic visual inspections you can make. First, if this is a machine that you just acquired as a used tractor or other equipment, the very first thing you want to do is try to get your hands on a Parts Catalog and determine that all the operating parts are there. Make sure that all pulleys, springs, tensioners, idlers, bushings, bearings, belt guards & any other called for hardware is in place and is the correct part as well. Many times when we acquire a used piece of equipment we also inherit the previous owners attitude about repair & maintenance as well. You must insure that the system is working with ALL the proper parts & ALL safety systems in place.

Once it's been determined that the system is in tact and as it should be, the first thing that I do is to remove the V belt. This may be more of an involved task than expected. Sometimes this involves simply a loosening of a pulley or a spring. But more often than not it can require a lot more disassembley. And if the belt is primary drive belt such as running from the engine to a transaxle, it could also have a reverse twist in it to change the drive direction of equipment.

You should at the very least study how the belt is routed & make a sketch of this & any twists in the belt. It's almost a sure bet that if you don't, by the time you get the new belt & go to install it you will not be able to recall it from memory. And if you can, you may want to try & get the parts drawing for the belt & application. Generally you can find the parts drawings at the John Deere Parts website.

In order to inspect the various parts in the system, you will have to remove the belt. With the belt off, you can then examine the pulleys for side wall wear, any dents or deformities. You can check by rocking the pulley if it,s on a worn bearing or shaft or in any other way loose fitting or binding. You can also look for broken or missing springs, or sever alignment issues. Also check to see if idlers or other rollers are working properly. Also make sure that any belt guards or guides are not showing wear from having a belt run up against them. Such guards & guides are there to help prevent the belt from jumping or to dampen unwanted belt oscillations if they should occur. But if these parts show heavy wear & your belt shows signs of nicks & cuts from guards & guides you will need to isolate the cause & correct the problem before you run the new belt.

Ok, so you have everything inspected, you have replaced all worn & missing parts & have that new belt from your dealer. Now we are going to install it & you think this should take a minute or two. Well if your lucky it will only be a minute or two. But your not alone. I'm not lucky either. Here again there is a proper sequence to the installation. And right about now you wish you had taken the extra time to make that sketch. That's because it's been a week or two, or longer since you took the machine down & finally got the time to put it back together & can't recall if that belt twisted to the right or to the left. And was that roller on top of the belt or under it? I think you get the picture here, but just in case, there are no short cuts. Somewhere you will pay the price every time you short circuit the system. My advice here is to learn early to take the time to make notes as you work & take things apart, or have the parts catalog & drawings and know how to read & understand them.

Belt Installation

OK, been there, seen it, done it & certainly regretted it. I'm talking about taking that nice new belt & reaching into the tool box for the biggest, meanest, screw driver, crow bar or truck tire iron I have. You might ask what would I need those tools for? Why to pry that nice new belt over that last sheave or idler. Isn't that how you do it. Not! Never try to pry stretch or otherwise persuade a belt into position. To do so is to destroy a perfectly good belt & possibly bend or damage bearings, shafts & sheaves to make them useless. Without exception, always follow the installation instructions from the machines manual when installing & removing belts. Never force a belt over the sheaves or any other part of the drive line. If you do not have access to the proper manuals & instructions then you must find your way into the installation by the trial & error method of what works to slip that belt on without the use of any cheater tools. And after it's in place be sure that you tighten everything to spec & check your work.

And last but not least. If you have a slipping belt or a squeaking belt you might be tempted to reach for one of those so called belt dressings that are sold in spray cans or as a solid that looks like it could be used as an under arm deodorant. My advice is don't. They are very short lived & do nothing to correct the problem. If a belt is slipping, squeaking or not behaving the way it should, your only cure is to find the problem & correct it which can be easier said than done.

Well I have not covered it all in this brief article. But I do hope that it has given you some ideas on how to deal with any V belt issues you may have. And if you would like to contribute your own experiences to this topic or any other repair issue, you can visit the "How To" section of the Jerrys Deere Barn Forum or any other section of the forum's departments.

Things You Should Know About V Belts

Is There Anything Else?

Belt Installation