Help with belt problem
 

I have a model 104 that I use almost weekly to mow about 2 1/2 acres. Last week as soon as I started mowing the motor generator belt broke and the PTO belt came off. I assumed at the time that the motor generator belt caused to PTO belt to come off. I replaced the Motor Generator belt today and put the PTO belt back on because it still seemed to be in good shape. I went to mow a test area and the PTO belt immediately came off. I put it back on and tried again and this time the blades did not spin at all and white smoke came from the front and the belt came off again. Am I doing something wrong with this belt or could the PTO clutch possibly need to be replaced? Thanks for any help you can give me.

I would check the pto clutch, also check you deck bearings and that your belt tension is set properly that the spring or adjuster is in good repair and properly adjusted..

My first impression is that you have a deck spindle that is stuck up or possibly the idler pulley on the deck.

Next guess would be that one of your mule drive pulley bearings is bad or the mule drive is bent.

It is also posible that when installing the belt it came off of one of the mule drive pulleys and got cought between the pulley and it's bracket (I have done that myself)

With the pto belt off check your deck, turning it by hand make sure all three spindles and the idler pulley are turning easily, check the center pulley (top one) to make sure it isn't bent or loose. Reach under the deck and grab the center blade, try to make the center shaft rock in its bearings by moving one end of the blade up and down.

Then check the pulleys on your mule drive, make sure they spin easily but do not wobble and are not bent or crooked.

Then check the pto, make sure you can turn the pulley (with the engine not running) by hand while the handle is pulled back. Then move the lever to the forward position and make sure that the pto assembly is not loose or wobbely and that the pulley will not turn unless the the engine turns with it.

You probably want to check your belt too, to make sure that it isn't chewed up or have any bad spots in it.

When you put the belt back on, make sure the center pulley isn't pointing downward in the front, a mis adjusted deck will also cause the belt to come off.

If all these things are good then it's hard to tell what the problem is. I have seen situations where everything including the belt appears to be good but the belt just wont stay on. In many cases like that a new Cub Cadet belt of the correct length will solve the problem.

The white smoke makes me think that either the belt wasn't on one of the mule drive pulleys or something is stuck or bent.

Thanks for all of the help. I did adjust the deck to level it up a bit. I think I figured out why the motor generator belt broke to begin with. It seems that the motor generator has locked up. Does anyone know if it can be rebuilt with a rebuild kit or would it be better to buy a new one. I really appreciate the help as I am a little new at this.

If the starter/gen is locked up.... how did you start it to test it.. :bigthink:

I didn't. I leveled the deck, and tried to start it to test it. It turned over maybe three times then acted as if the battery was dead, only clicked. I charged the battery and went to try it again with the same problem, only clicking. I took the motor generator off and was unable to turn the pulley (on the motor generator) by hand. I am now thinking that it was locking up all along causing the belt to come off.