Woods 59 belt keeps coming off

[Mike's 49 Cub]

I have a Woods 59 belly mower and today it started coming off. Have never had this problem before. The strands are starting to come off now. I cut them back to the rubber but they just keep popping out. I put it on (I think) like the diagram shows on the mower deck. I'm can't seem to get it to straighten out completely and I'm not sure about the 3/4 twist and 1/4 twist , tight sided, loose side, not sure if I'm doing that right or not. I've taken the guards off to make it easier to put back on until I figure out what's wrong. Maybe the belts just wore out? I don't know ! Mike

[Donny M]

Yep, worn slap out Time for a new one.

[rustynuts]

Yep donny is right once they start streching it all over. I started getting mine at car quest they are gates belts and I have one thats been on for almost 3 years. saved about 20 bucks over the IH dealer.

[Joe Howard]

Even a worn belt ought to track on the sheaves if somethng is not out of line. The 3/4 (270 degree twist) ought to be on the low tension (discharge side) of the PTO shaft mounted pulley (sheave) and I forget which way that is but best as I can remember it is on the left side (+/- 9 o'clock) as you stand behind the tractor. If you have the major twist on the hi tension side then it would be reasonable to suspect that could throw off your belt. I assume you're losing the belt at the PTO rather than at the cutting head sheaves. Correct the twist orientation and tighten that belt up until Roy Acuff could play a tune on it and see what happens. Worst that could happen to you is breaking the belt and you need a new belt anyway. My mower is off the Cub but best I can remember the belt comes off the left tensioner to the bottom position, center head, then to right head, back to the middle position, center head, then to left head then to top position center head then to right tensioner. Let us know.

[Joe Howard]

Addendum to recent post: The 270 degree twist is to be between the left tensioner and the bottom most belt track position of the center cutting head pulley.

[Donny M]

Joe wrote:

Even a worn belt ought to track on the sheaves if somethng is not out of line.

A worn belt maybe, but not a belt with the cords broken. If the cords are broken, no telling where the belt will track.

[Mike's 49 Cub]

I'll work on it some more today. It didn't come off until the tractor was in motion. Do you know the belts actual lenght? I've seen part numbers but no length. Thanks for all your help. Mike

[Joe Howard]

I would like to use my "disclamer" that I was posting from memory above;
I was wrong. Routing of the belt is from the RIGHT tensioner around the BOTTOM groove, center cutting head, then around the left cutting head and back to the center groove of center cutting head, then to the right cutting head and back to the top groove of the center head, then to the LEFT tensioner. The 3/4 twist is still between the top groove of the center cutting head and the left tensioner. My bad!!

[Mike's 49 Cub]

I got a new mower belt today and it doesn't throw it so it must have been a wornout belt. Didn't know what size to order so we cut the old one in half and it measured 214 inches. This was at NAPA and the nearest they had was 213 inches. Everything runs good, it stays on but I havent put it to the test of mowing because of the rain. I have one concern though , on the back when the belt comes off the right side of the PTO pulley and travels down to the right side idler pulley it vibrates so that the belt is almost invisible. Is this something that is normal , I never bothered to lookat my old one so I don't know if this is abby normal !