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Cratsman tractor throwing ground drive belt:

11 years ago

I have a Craftsman tractor model 917.270930 six-speed transaxle that keeps throwing the ground drive belt. I replaced the belt which was worn, and after a dozen or so runs mowing, it threw the belt again while shifting from reverse to forward. There is no runout in the bearings on the shaft on the transaxle, that is the large pulley doesn't wobble, and I have the guide adjusted so that it nearly touches both sides of the pulley.

Returned to my shop, I did find a fair amount of runout on the v-groove idler up front, so I replaced it. The flat sided idler seems tight, although the belt runs along the bottom edge of the flat sided idler. So far I cannot make the belt jump, anything else I should look for?

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Comments (6)

rcbe
11 years ago
several things come to mind:
1) the clutch idler pivot bearings/bushings might be worn allowing that idler to drop too far while dong a gear change;
2) might check to see that the adjustment between how the clutch engaged vs how the braqke engages is correct per the manual - may be fighting each other during a shift?
3) was replace belt OEM ( not aftermarket)?
Greg Goyeneche
11 years ago
I agree with previous poster: Is the replacement belt OEM or Aftermarket? Usually Craftsman (AYP/Electrolux/etc.) are not as particular as other makes about OEM belts, but this may not be the case.

Chasing the belt p/n (130801) comes back with 1/2 x 95 AND 1/2 x 95.5. Maybe the belt you bought is too loose, causing it to jump when you de-clutch.
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Look below for cracked brackets that support the transaxle on the front side and then at the main rear mounts for the same. Usually the front bracket breaking on these will cause that condition. There may be a situation where there is excessive wear in the transaxle pulley / imput shaft bearing so the pulley is floppy- but that would take a lot of slop to toss the belt.
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exmar zone 7, SE Ohio
11 years ago
I have a GT 5000 which if it throws the drive belt, I replace it with the smallest one (length) that I can get on. No more problems. I forget the pariculars on mine, but the model number does bring back a couple different lengths. I've learned that when the belt gets thrown, it's stretched, time to replace. Previous poster nailed it.

Good luck,

Ev
tomplum
11 years ago
The 138255 number belt had replaced the 801 quite a while back. It was a change for just this reason. The most common cause on these are the torque brackets that keep the transaxle from rocking are broken or the bolt that retains the brackets to the housing are missing or broken. With that goes that the other mount brackets need to be secure as well. This most times will address the belt coming off the rear pulley. The wire guide at the rear pulley on this vintage can be improved to keep the belt on if needed.
hobby_welder
8 years ago
Hi all: I was lurking here and found this site via Google. I am most happy that I found it. I do have a question. Would you please tell me what a "Ground Drive Belt" is? Is it the belt that drives the cutting deck or is it the belt that drives the transmission? I am studying to be a small engine mechanic. Took a course from "Foley Belsaw" back in 2004. The material was WAY out dated. I am reading a book titled "Small Engines" so I can gain theory about push mowers and lawn tractors. I want to learn as much as I can and then apply the theory. Thank you every one.
Tim
tomplum
8 years ago
Ground drive belt, traction belt, transmission belt are all generic terms for the same thing. Different manufacturers call them out differently. Welcome to the forum!

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