GT 2544 deck questions

[dhuntington]

I have a GT2544 that needs a new deck. Found a used 48 inch deck off of a 2000 series Cub for a good price. Will this deck work under my 2544 and if so what size belt would i have to use? Any help with this would be appreciated.

[Sam Mac]

The deck should work, no idea what size belt you'll need.

[dhuntington]

Thank you for your help. Now i just need to figure out what belt

[nophun]

The belt for my 2185 with the 48" deck is part # 954-3068 which is 110.6" x 5/8

The belt listed for a GT2544 is part #954-04041 which is 111.2" x 5/8

Your stock belt will probably work fine with as much swing as the tensioner has on the 48" deck.

BTW: unless someone here has a viable alternative, use the Cub genuine belt, normal V-belts aren't designed to do that double twist and turn around the mule drive.

[dhuntington]

Thanks for the info. I have been using a kevlar wrapped belt i got from my local rural king. Been on for 3 years with no problems and its half the price of the cub cadet part.

[dieselbob69]

Bumping thread, someone on another forum was asking same kind of question....

[ol'George]

Originally Posted by dhuntington

Thanks for the info. I have been using a kevlar wrapped belt i got from my local rural king. Been on for 3 years with no problems and its half the price of the cub cadet part.

Glad you found a cost effective alternative, most don't have that kind luck.
A "will fit" farm duty or "household" most times will preform just fine between 2 pulleys in line.
But when asked to make 1/4 twists and/or have back side idlers they fail miserably.
A belt that is specifically listed for Lawn/garden duty is usually a better belt that will withstand that type of usage, but some suppliers like to play with works like "Heavy duty", "lawnmower" "special applications" "Kevlar" Etc.
There is no comparison or definition of those words as there are no comparisons stated/mentioned.
If they stated Guaranteed "equal or better than OEM" or your money back, then it usually is a good replacement, and they back it up.

[Cubman21!]

From other Forums, Cub Cadet owners have suggested using Kevlar/Aramid belts whenever an 'idler' comes into play (deck 'serpentine' ) and I am using two kevlar belts both for PTO and deck on my GT2544 with no issues. The Cub branded/MTD belts may or may not be better but they CERTAINLY are much more expensive. Make sure your deck is properly setup and aligned and try blowing debris from atop the deck(especially in Autumn) with a leaf blower. I clear my deck this way every time I use it and sometimes mid-job.

[Cubman21!]

Same here, blue belts on both PTO and deck. Half the price and longer lasting