Land Pride grooming mower drive belt flipping over

[srmaximo]

I'm a musician who grew up in the suburbs, married to a woman with farming fantasies, just to set expectations of our technical abilities.

This past spring we bought a Land Pride FDR1660 grooming mower to mow our acre of uneven lawn and pasture. We hit a large rock which bent the bolt and broke the washer that attaches one of the cutting blades, and the belt smoked and came off.

We've since replaced the bolt/washer, but we're having trouble tightening the belt enough. We have the spring take-up bolt maxed out, and also hooked the spring into the second link of the chain, but it still seems a little loose.

Also, the V-belt at least partially flips over as it runs, so that the V-side of the belt is no longer nested in the v-shaped pulley surface.

The pulleys all seem to be aligned, i.e. all the same height, so I don't think any got knocked out of whack.

And ideas? Do I just need a new belt?

 

[VaGlock]

Once a belt flips, it will continue to flip, it will need to be replaced. There are cords inside the belt that get stretched and this causes the continuous flipping.

 

[srmaximo]

Roger. Thanks a ton.

 

[Flintknapper]

Once a belt flips, it will continue to flip, it will need to be replaced. There are cords inside the belt that get stretched and this causes the continuous flipping.

^^^^^

This. Belt was strained somewhere along the way and will have a permanent 'set' causing it to twist. Replace....as advised above.

 

[Russell King]

Take some pictures of the belt routing before you take it off. There is probably a diagram on the mower but pictures also help! Some of the pulleys will probably be flat and run on the flat side of the belt.

 

[DustyRusty]

These 2 threads might be of some help to you:

Drive belt question

I have a FDR1672 finish mower that is about 12 yrs old but only used maybe 10 hrs a year. The drive belt looks to be in good condition, a visual inspection shows no missing material or cracks, but I’m wondering if I should change it just based on age.

www.orangetractortalks.com

belt tension gauge for mower deck?

Does anyone use a belt tension gauge for their mower decks? I'm wondering if the cheap amazon ones work. I only mow three acres with a good condition Land Pride 60" FDR2560 finish mower and I have to replace the belts two or three times a season. I haven't tried the $100 belts from the...

www.orangetractortalks.com

A couple of things come to mind, and the first is that you said you bent a bolt and you replaced it. I would spin that spindle by turning the blade (be careful not to get cut) and see if there is any wobble to the pulley above. If there is, you will need to figure out why and what to replace. If it were mine, I would replace the whole assembly. The next think is the blades. Did you replace the one that hit the rock and if you did, have you checked the other blades also. Blades spinning at high speed should be sharp and balanced. I always replace blades as needed, and they should be sharp at all times.
I recently replaced my belt and it took a lot of effort to get it onto the pullies with the spring at the least amount of tension. I had to use a large screwdriver to pry it onto the last pulley. I then adjusted the belt to be tight enough that I couldn't get much more than a 1/4" when depressing the belt with my thumb.
Finally, have you considered the possibility that the rock might have damaged one of the other spindles? Until you know where all the rocks are located, I suggest that you keep the deck raised about 3" above the ground by adjusting the wheels. Also check to make sure that your deck floats on the 3 point hitch. I never thought that a rear finish mower required as much attention until I purchased one. Keep in mind that pictures are helpful and when in doubt, post as many pictures as you think it will take to get the answer that you need.