G6200 PTO belt wearing out quickly

dmcqb

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G6200 HST
Sep 21, 2021
4
0
1
Wellsboro, PA
My PTO belts on my G6200 are wearing out quickly, like, in 30 minutes of mowing (yes the picture of the abused belt is after only 20 minutes of run time). I can't quite figure out what's wrong with the PTO system. Attached are several pictures, and some video links below. I am using generic Kevlar belts from vbeltguys. The first time I replaced the belts with these generics, a pair of belts lasted about 30 hours. I was using a regular mower to clear waist-high grass, so using it like a brush hog, and I was prepared to accept that if I want to use the mower like a brush hog, I'm ok with sharpening the blades often and replacing belts often. But then the belts wouldn't even last an hour on my lawn, so clearly something is wrong, and since the generic belts used to last a lot longer, I am sure there is a problem besides the belts. I don't want to spend $100 on a pair of new OEM belts until I can get generic belts to last at least 30 hours.

Some ideas I'm wondering about
- Tension pully too tight (bearing issue? (first video link below))
- Tension pulley is slightly out of line with the bottom pulley (see 2nd video link and picture)
- As shown in the second video, the belts slip forward when running, so it seems the front belt is wearing on the ridge on the tension pulley)
- The pulley on the front PTO shaft has a little play in it (first video link below). Is the fit between the pulley and the shaft too worn?

(video of tension pulley (might be a bit stiff? and fit of PTO pulley on front PTO shaft)
(video of tractor running: belts like to slip forward, tension arm might be a little bit out of line?)
 

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85Hokie

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BX-25D ,PTB. Under Armor, '90&'92-B7100HST's, '06 BX1850 FEL
Jul 13, 2013
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Three questions ....

Are the belts touching the bottom of the v groove? IF so - they should not be!

On your PTO pulley - that is a lot of movement - what do the bearings on that end look like?

Lastly - the alignment looks off in this picture - are the edges of the idler pulley grinding against the belt?

1632314260959.png
 
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dmcqb

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G6200 HST
Sep 21, 2021
4
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Wellsboro, PA
Three questions ....

Are the belts touching the bottom of the v groove? IF so - they should not be!
I don't think so. A bit hard to tell with the wear on the belts, but the grooves on the pulley are definitely deeper than those on the belt, and the outside of the belt is flush with the pulley.

On your PTO pulley - that is a lot of movement - what do the bearings on that end look like?
If I grab the PTO shaft and move it, there is a little play if I push and pull it, but no pull up and down or side to side. Makes me think the bearings are fine, but the fit of the pulley on the shaft might be too worn.
Lastly - the alignment looks off in this picture - are the edges of the idler pulley grinding against the belt?
Yes! Can I fix that by bending the tension arm a bit? If I look at the tension arm on its own, it looks straight. If I remove the tension arm, the rod that the tension arm pivots on looks like it might be a little out of parallel.
 

GreensvilleJay

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BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
Apr 2, 2019
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PTO pulley has WAAAAY too much play, needs new bearings for sure(if possible) or a new PTO pulley 'unit'.
BOTH belts need to be replaced as 'pairs'.
Possible too much tension(wrong spring..too tight)
 

GreensvilleJay

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BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
Apr 2, 2019
11,421
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Greensville,Ontario,Canada
ha d aquil look for a diagram...
PTO pulley shaft bearing is shot ( #040 on the Messisks page for G6200 pto parts). I also suspect #070 is worn,the bearing support, or loose ?? Or the pulley/bearing mtg ??For SURE the PTO pulley should NOT move on the shaft other than 'spin'. 'something' is wore out,bet more than 500hrs of grass cutting ....
Belt Tension device might have wrong spring ??
Always replace belts as a 'pair'
 

dmcqb

New member

Equipment
G6200 HST
Sep 21, 2021
4
0
1
Wellsboro, PA
ha d aquil look for a diagram...
PTO pulley shaft bearing is shot ( #040 on the Messisks page for G6200 pto parts). I also suspect #070 is worn,the bearing support, or loose ?? Or the pulley/bearing mtg ??For SURE the PTO pulley should NOT move on the shaft other than 'spin'. 'something' is wore out,bet more than 500hrs of grass cutting ....
Belt Tension device might have wrong spring ??
Always replace belts as a 'pair'
I thought it was not 040 (shaft bearing), because the play just seems to be where the pulley fits on the shaft (part 030). If I try to wiggle the shaft on its own, there is only a little play when I push and pull, but no play up and down or side to side. That makes me think the shaft bearing is fine. Am I thinking about this right?
 

GreensvilleJay

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BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
Apr 2, 2019
11,421
4,908
113
Greensville,Ontario,Canada
OK, so the '030 ' part is wore out. It should be SNUG on the splines of the shaft, held on by a 'circ-clip'.
I assume the pulley is tight on the '030' ? 4 bolts/nuts. If the pulley moves at all it has to either not tight onto the 'adapter 030' or the adapter is loose( splines wore out)
 

dmcqb

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G6200 HST
Sep 21, 2021
4
0
1
Wellsboro, PA
Thanks for the help. I did replace the boss pulley, and on comparing, the splines of the old one were quite worn. That seemed to remove the play. The belts still wore out in like an hour.

So I used a heat gun and wrench and bent the tension arm a bit, so the belts weren't riding to the front so much. I also noticed that the generic belts I had been buying were 32", while the imperial equivalent should have been 32.5. So with the combination of loosening the tension pully about 10mm to accomodate the smaller belt, bending the pulley arm and replacing the worn splines, the problem seems to be resolved.

Thanks to all!
 

BruceP

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G5200H
Aug 7, 2016
851
368
63
Richmond, Vermont, USA
I also noticed that the generic belts I had been buying were 32", while the imperial equivalent should have been 32.5
I used to have wearout problems with the belts on my G5200. (Identical to your G6200 with smaller engine)

I noted the 'misalignment' and 'loosness' issues you have. Replaced/aligned several of the parts.

These are the belts I have been running:

The big problem I have now is the outer belt comes off engine-pully EVERY time I release the PTO. (the lengthy spin-down of the mowdeck causes the lower pully to pull the belt off the engine)
 
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Torinodan

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T1600, G4200, G5200, Ford 2810, 1974 Wheel Horse C100
Oct 14, 2021
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Fayetteville GA
Don't run any kevlar pto belts. They will slip, burn, shred, and fail. (My experience others may differ) Run cogged rubber V belts only. I had the same problem with eating up/ burning up belts even after I replaced everything that spun. Now I run clogged V belts and they have been on the T1600 and both G4200s for two seasons. The G5200 already had them so im good to go.
The one here is the correct length for the T1600. The other are longer on the OC lenth

The pulleys that drive the PTO shaft through the frame will get a lip on the back pulley that will also shred belts faster than a loose tensioner will.

It is however good to run kevlar belts for the deck because if you hit something you will want that one to slip some.
 
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