To those with an 82 series QA blower (about belts)
 

Just wanted to put this out there because I've read a lot, a LOT, of posts on here and other forums generally cautioning against using belts other than IH/CC brand with the QA Blowers. Well, I needed one and in a pinch, I called Napa. Since the 36" belt I had previously gotten direct from CC had shredded in less than an hour and almost "felt" too big (it seemed to almost max out my pulley adjustment), I asked for a good, strong 33" belt. They gave me a B33 which is a Gates Industrial Hi-Power V belt for something like $11.75. Let me tell you this, that belt was a PITA to get on as it was almost too small but has given me several storms worth of great performance showing little to no signs of wear. I have put drifts higher than the blower through it, I have shoved ice and heavy slush through it, and when it has clogged, I just shove more snow through it to clear it out. This belt has been nothing but great for me, and for about half the price of an IH/CC brand belt ($19.xx vs $11.75). I would say to anyone that is in need of a good belt, give it a try. I believe it can be had for less than I paid online.

So how about you guys, have y'all ventured outside of the IH/CC brand for belts and had any success? Share your stories, I will be looking for a good 1/2" belt next year when I move the thrower to my 1450. I hope this info can help someone out there! :beerchug:

Out of curiosity, what was the Part Number of this IH Belt that didn't last long...???

I grabbed the part number from the Cub Parts Site, listed IH-78056-C1 as "Belt, Main Drive -For Cadet Tractors 482 thru 782". Granted, when I had that belt on, one of the quick attach's wasn't attached and when I backed up for the first time, one side came off and was about 5 seconds before I noticed it and killed the PTO. The belt was still in one piece after that and I didn't really see any damage to it so I figured at the time I caught it before it was too late.

OEM for the QL 1450 is a 15/32" X 30" for a QA42A, since I replace the 4" OEM pulley on the snow thrower by a 3 1/2" pulley, I decide to find a smaller belt after the Gates 4L300 (1/2" X 30") I receive with the thrower explode after few minutes.

I paid a insane price for a 15/32" X 29 1/2" from Gates I can't remember the prefix number but it start by XL****, she was a real PITA to install but this one don't slip on the pulleys! I don't know if XL means "Extra life" but I think I got a winner there.

I don't use anything BUT gates belts. Never had a problem. :beerchug:

I dont have a QA thrower but have a CW thrower and ive only used Napa and CarQuest belts for the thrower. Mine is a 3/8 x 28 if memory serves me ?

A gates B33 is actually 36" long so it shouldn't have gone on any harder than the oem belt. Just wanted to point that out. If you ever wear that belt out get a BX33 next time they have more cords in them Don't stretch as much on mine.

Both CarQuest and Napa sell Gates belts Amy, the OEM belt number for your CC104 is PN/ IH-487043-R1 and it's 3/8 wide, The one for 800 thru 1650 CC is PN/ IH-55053-C1 and it's 15/32 wide because the PTO pulley is larger on QL but *82 series are even larger (5/8).

Macman81 propose a stronger Belt series (B33 or BX33) from Gates, This just give us another option for our application next time we need a replacement, sound good to me :ThumbsUp:

Being a HVAC/R Technician, running a belt out of alignment, even for a few seconds, can cause internal structure (cord) damage that isn't apparent from the surface.

A Type B belt is a 5/8" wide belt, suited for multiple HP applications.

Now that I think about it, that's what the tech from Napa said too (that it was 36") but with the hard time I had getting it on, I figured it might have been smaller than he said :biggrin2:

Good to know, I should have figured things aren't always as them seem when it's something I need :biggrin2::beerchug: