Lawn tractor mower belts: Kevlar vs standard ?

[Drifthopper]

To prepare for the up coming lawn mowing season here in WNY, I need a new belt for the Cub Cadet.

The belt from the engine to the deck.

Searching belts on E bay and Amazon......

Is there any great difference between the regular black belts vs the kevlar grey / green belts...?

I can get a regular belt for $19, and the kevlar for $29.

In the big picture of things.... only a $10 difference, but was just wondering if any one had any input whether the kevlar lasted longer then the standard belts.

Thanks in Advance.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Kevlar handles shock loads better than Standard belts.
If you have a nice clean yard that you just run and run the deck without shutting it off, then Standard.
If it's got places that you hit rocks, mounds, duff, or lots of starts and stops, then Kevlar.

 

[mcfarmall]

Kevlar seems to hold up better around the idlers found on most mower decks.

 

[D2Cat]

Std. belts are designed to run from pulley to pulley and not have anything pushing on the back side.

Most deck belts are not easy to install, so I'd install the kevlar just to reduce working on the thing!!

 

[GSD-Keegan]

Just my experience. My old cub cadet has two drive belts on the same pulleys running from the engine to the pto shaft. These belts also are controlled by the electric/vacuum switch mechanism to turn the deck off and on, and do some slipping as well as take the abrupt shock when the deck is activated. I once used cheaper, although Kevlar belts in this location only to find out they could not take the load and did not last a season of grass cutting, whereas the original proper belts lasted many years. I ended up going back to OEM spec belts for this location. The deck on mine is pto shaft driven, with a belt snaking around the pulleys on the deck. I can get a full season, at least, with the cheaper Kevlar belt in this location on the deck pulleys.

 

[NCL4701]

Kevlar tends to be more durable for back bend setups, which includes most mowing decks.

 

[Drifthopper]

Just my experience. My old cub cadet has two drive belts on the same pulleys running from the engine to the pto shaft. These belts also are controlled by the electric/vacuum switch mechanism to turn the deck off and on, and do some slipping as well as take the abrupt shock when the deck is activated. I once used cheaper, although Kevlar belts in this location only to find out they could not take the load and did not last a season of grass cutting, whereas the original proper belts lasted many years. I ended up going back to OEM spec belts for this location. The deck on mine is pto shaft driven, with a belt snaking around the pulleys on the deck. I can get a full season, at least, with the cheaper Kevlar belt in this location on the deck pulleys.

The engine to deck belt is the old i need a back for.
mine has a horiz shaft, so the belt comes down and does the 90* angle to the deck.
The one that wore out last season was a few seasons old, not sure if it was a regular or Kevlar...?
I put an old one on to finish the mowing season, I'll run it till it goes, but i don't want to be in the middle of cutting the grass , have the belt go, then not being able to finish.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

FWIW when you're done for the season, release the tension on the mower drive belt,if you leave the deck on. If it just sits in one place for 3-5-7 months, it'll make a 'divot' or 'kink' in the belt where it goes around the smaller pulleys.
Some machines really question the thought processes of some 'engineers', requiring you to take half the machine apart in 1-2 hours THEN there's the AC130 I have, 30 seconds and no bandaids needed.
I think I have grass ,somewhere under the 2' of white here...and another 3" tonight...Spring in 2 days ??

 

[Flintknapper]

Consider also what 'type' of belt was intended for your Lawn Tractor (in that location). There are 'wrapped belts' and 'Raw Edge' belts. They have different design parameters and performance characteristics.

For instance 'wrapped belts' typically are designed to 'slip' a bit under certain conditions.

 

[Donystoy]

Just stay with Kevlar belts. I went through this a few years ago trying to save a dollar. Having retired from the HVAC industry I went to my wholesaler and purchased regular Gates belts for the hydro drive on my JD345 lawn tractor. Was lucky to get a year out of them before chunks started breaking off. Kevlar belts are designed to handle considerably more power than regular belts. The Kevlar belt that was on my B7200 mmm was still the original from 1985.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

to all the other Canucks...

Princess Auto

has several sizes of their belts on sale, less than 1/2 price !!! I just ordered triples of the ones
I use,though I bet I forgot the ONE size that I'll need 3 days after the end of sale.....

 

[Bugzilla46310]

Check out V Belt Guys. Been buying belts from them for a while. Been very happy with the quality and pricing. Very quick shipping also.

V-Belt Guys: Online Replacement Supplier & Manufacturer

V-Belt Guys is your trusted online supplier and manufacturer of replacement belts. Find your perfect match effortlessly with our Super Belt Search feature.

www.vbeltguys.com

 

[motionclone]

kevlar seems like the bulletproof solution

 

[GSD-Keegan]

I will add just a little further of my experience. I purchased belts at a well known auto supply and machine shop store where regular belts and upgraded Kevlar belts were available. These automotive Kevlar belts were not up to the task. They were 1/4 the price of the proper belt from my tractor dealer, but in the end, were a waste of money and time. In the end, when I thought about it, there is a huge difference between an automotive belt spinning a water pump and alternator, vs starting and spinning 3 or 4 mower blades thru grass.

 

[lugbolt]

I'm only gonna say this.

Be careful with buying ebay stuff as I'm finding a lot of gimmicks.

research belts.

That was part of training I went through with kubota, about belts. There are different types for different applications and one type may not be the best for certain applications. The gray colored sheath on some belts? Those are mostly reserved for applications where slippage is going to happen, it smooths the engagment and allows a small amount of slippage. Blade belts and traction clutch belt-tension engagement are a good place for those. Fan and continuous tension transmission belts don't need it. Just an example.