I have a 3 acre lot. I had the same issue. I was mowing with a Troy Bilt of similar size. I was constantly working on the mower. It's not so much the cost of the parts, but it's the time you waste making repairs where you could be doing other projects. I ended up saying screw it, and I bought I a commercial unit. My mother in law has the same mower. So this was very helpful. These are nice units, but if you have more than an acre, they struggle. The best advice I can give regarding buying a mower is to purchase through a dealership and look for things like warranty, financing options, customer service with manufacturer, and dealership along with availability. I recommend getting a zero turn, something with a fabricated deck, and serviceable hydrolics. Try different mowers out at the dealership. Personally, I opted for a Toro Z Master 2000, which is an entry-level commercial mower. I chose a 52" deck because I have obstacles to mow around. They are easy to service. For a decent size lot, a heavy-duty homeowner, aka a pro-sumer or entry-level commercial, is the way to go. All the major brands have said mowers. If you like John Deere, I'd get a Z Track 700 or 900 series. If you want a Kubota, the 400 and 700 series. If you want a Toro, go with a Titian HD or Z master 2000. Hustler Raptor or Fast Track. If you want to spend some real coin Ferris 500 to 800 series. Those are solid options for a homeowner who has large lots or small farms and homesteads. It's a matter of testing them, figuring out what suits you, what you like. Along with where or who you can get the best deal from.
Thank you. I have an E160, and it works great. It’s a little expensive when I took it for servicing so I decided to do a lot of it myself: changing blades, oil, spindle, greasing, spark plugs, air and gas filters, leveling the deck, and changing the belt. So far so good. Thank you, your video was very helpful. 👍
I saw a tip on another channel that slowing engine speed before disengaging the blades would save wear and tear on the blade brakes. I tried it and the first few times it worked fine. Then one day, I slowed the engine down, disengaged the belt and the belt broke. I assumed the belt slipped off the pulley, got sucked under the deck and got cut. I put on another belt and the first time I slowed the engine and disengaged the blades it happened again. I THINK I disengaged the blades too soon after slowing engine speed. (Just a guess) I’m not touching the throttle again until after I disengage the blades. Perhaps you should look at the blade brakes as possibly causing the breakage. Keep us updated, I’d love to know what you find out
Friend I just came across your video. From what I see when you have the deck off. The movable bracket with the large idler pulley (movable with spring tension ) is bent up quite a bit. That idler pulley is not on plane with the other pulleys and sheaves. Bend it or replace the bracket. Before reinstalling the deck pull the belt tight as if it were on the machine and see if the belt is rubbing on any brackets !!!
Agree, idler pulley doesn’t look right, go down to Lowes and check out the pulley on a 170 there, pulley should be level or belt will keep trying to jump pulley
First...buy a better belt. Also when you grease fill up blade cones full so grease goes into sealed bearings. John Deere belts are designed to break..they make a ton of money off parts...that's why they are so expensive
I have the same mower! My idler pulley is also installed at an angle. I didn’t notice, however, the belt rubs against the mounting brackets on the back of the deck. Unfortunate. Mine snapped at 16 hours.
The bracket is like that, its not bent. The belt routing and pulleys were apparently designed by a 6 year old scribbling in art class. The best part is that you have to loosen the idler pulley and after a bit the stud tends to spin. Its press fit with maybe a tack or two so small you wouldn't know it. One thing I've noticed is that the deck height causes the belt to rub on the metal bracket over the center pulley. When it is high the geometry of the belt and pulleys just catches it there, when the deck is lowered its better but have found that there is very little adjustment before you are scalping the lawn and bringing up the raised deck height to get the deck moving thru its range without bottoming out and it brings the front draft rod up to where it hits the end of the crankshaft when in the full up position. The whole design is just terrible.
Fella your creating heat and breaking belts because spindle bearings are dry. I know it has grease fitting on top but they put sealed bearing there. Take spindle apart and remove the seal on each bearing did this mine no more belt problems.
No, no, no... They are sealed bearing, yes. However, sealed bearings are meant to accept grease past them. The "seal" is there for debris only. A shielded bearing is completely sealed to everything. Try it yourself. Take out the bearings, clean them, and remove all the grease. Reassemble and pump grease in until it comes out. Remove the shaft and bearing seal, and you will find grease in the bearing. If you do not, you have another issue. Sealed bearings are literally meant to be greased under pressure.
I have S170 for about 4 years now. I replaced a few belts (Approximate 2 belts every season) since I bought it new in 2020. Like you said in the video. The belt is very hot after cutting my 0.7 acre lawn. It was broken again last week, I did a very careful checking of the deck and found out one of the pulley ball bearings was bad. It was not seized but you could feel it was bad. I replaced it today and it seems like the belt temperature was noticeable lower after cutting my lawn today. My guess is the ball bearings have lower quality than before. My old D110 might change the belt once in its 10+ years service.
Belt breakage is almost always due to a bad pulley/s bearing. Always look there 1st and maintain these points. Look at the pulley surface to see if there is a black burn or belt material build up and try to turn the pulley by hand, also see if there’s any slop or play. When you maintain the deck and pulleys, clean the deck instead of just brushing off dirt, etc. that’s in your way. This crud what holds onto additional crud that can trap moisture in and all around your pulley system, and almost always the reason why your belts start to heat up. I’ve learned this all the hard way. Clean the deck and maintain. It’s a PITA, but absolutely necessary to keep your Deere running well.
I have a S170 as well. Belt number 6 on 81 hours for a 3/4 acre yard. I have had it serviced by the John Deere dealer near me. They verified alignment of pullies, middle idle for blade engagement, no debris on top of deck, etc. Regardless, every 12th-15th time I engage the blades, I have a cleanly broken belt. Buy your belts 2 at a time. It saves trips back to the dealer.
I put my 4th belt on yesterday & and new pto cable(broke) 52 hrs on mower. My black belt covers have wear from the belts. I found that john deere does sell a belt retainer on it’s website. I ordered 1. I’ll see how that goes.
Looking at the belt, the frayed areas are facing mainly in the one direction, that to me indicates the the belt is hitting an edge somewhere. The obvious place is the supporting brackets that secure the back of the deck to the body. As the belt has to travel from one side of the deck to the other without guides the belt would be moving and flexing and most likely hitting those supports. A simple solution if that was the problem is to fabricate two guides and attach them to the deck supports to eliminate those square edges. Just a thought.
I’ve had my E170 John Deere for six years and I’ve had to replace 5 belts. This past week I had a spindle go bad so I replaced that and the belt. Mowed for about 20 minutes, checked the belt and it’s fraying on the bottom so it’s definitely rubbing against something. Very frustrating, I like this mower but this is ridiculous.
I have had mine 3 years, on the third belt. They break with raw abandon. I tried idle power engagement, no difference. Mine have broken while running and cutting.
When i had a craftsman the deck belt and drive belts were easy because the metal guards against the idler pulley's had a little give to them where you could just slip the belt between the guard and the pulley but not on the John Deere. Its thicker metal with no give so you gotta take the pulley almost all the way off which is a real pain. The drive belt looks so hard to do ill probably just take it in to John Deere which is what they want in the first place. I love my S 170 though it has lots of power.
I have an S160 (same 48 inch deck as your S170), and wanted to mention that you can replace the belt without removing it. It was pretty easy and saves a lot of time.
I have the same tractor s170 and I have 2.5 acres. I love my tractor, but I am had this problem changing the belt for the first time. I change the belt per the schematic diagram; but the belt is SLACK…no tension at all. The belt is the correct part number from John Deere. This one is stumping me..😮😮
The part I used was GX21833. You can get the brand belt or a substitute brand from places like Ag Supply or Tractor Supply. I'd double check the tension spring. It might be stuck or slack.
Had mine 1 year got 66 hours out of belt they are rated 50houre then replace have tow ackers keep like a park buy on line weight three days1599 per belt box store 6598 each have a good one
I am not a mechanic. Buy a needle grease fitting for your grease gun, and use it on the idler pulleys. Wipe off the excess. It can't hurt, and the fitting doesn't cost much.
I’ve broken 4 belts now in less than 50 hours. I understand the frustration. I’m putting a new belt on and getting something else besides a John Deere.
Definitely recommend finding a decent used X series. These cheap box store quality mowers are just that. Worst thing JD ever did was start selling at the box stores. I picked up just yesterday a 2003 X495 for a grand. I'll be another grand into it for a deck and some odds and ends. Those were $12K new. You don't need a diesel but a higher grade X series will do you better.
WTF? Deere has had 100 series mowers since the 70's. The ones you can get at the box store are the same exact as the dealer ones. ZERO difference or price. When I got my s170 least year I went to the dealer that is 7 miles from me. The sales guys told me to go to lowes as I have a lowes card and they will give you the 5% off. He told me if anything is wrong to bring it to him. It was perfect no issues. I plow with the thing, pull a yard cart, and a spreader. He also told me not to listen to the internet about the k46. He recommend to put in a Tuff Torq k46 drain bolt kit. I did not want to void the warranty so the dealer did it for $150 in labor and $60 in parts. Now, this year when I changed the oil I also changed the trans oil (got a oil pump, I do not have to remove it, just take a rear wheel off).
@nhbountyhunter they got cheaper in price and quality when they started selling at the box stores. Yes, they sell the same thing at the dealer but you can't buy the good semi commercial grade mowers at a box store. There is a reason for that. Those low end models are still junk even from the dealer.
@@Goose2448 oh. I see what point you are trying to make. In my eyes they are fine for the job they are intended for. Sure I could have gotten a 400 series to do all that stuff with for a few thousand more. But then I could have just gotten a real tractor for a few thousand more. Then for a few thousand more I could have gotten a bigger tractor. My s170 does everything I need. The ONLY thing I wish I had was a locking diff.
@Goose2448. It makes no difference in belt breakage whether bought at dealer or big box store. But it DID make a difference when at 39.9 hours oil blowing out into the combustion chamber and out the front of the engine. After the shop Mngr telling me there was not a problem- camera inserted into the combustion chamber told a different story. Long story- full replacement engine. Might not have been replaced if bought at big box store.
I bought the S220 lawn tractor it has the frame deck off of the x300 series mine has the 42"deck my deck belt comes in the middle to the engine seems like your belt comes from the side to crank pulley looks like a poor design i have never had a deck belt break on any mower unless for mechanical reasons
Did u spin ur spindles without the belt on lissen for a grinding noise if nice and quiet ur good if it's noisy like a grinding noise ur bearings a shot no good u don't have to replace the hole spindle just the barrings u have 2 per spindle I see u have 3 spindle so u have 6 of em total... sincerely.... RIGO SMALL ENGINE REPAIR
This is the money difference between an entry level product, or a good, well built high end residential product. I just bought an S130 knowing it only has to mow a 4700 sq ft lot. It was $2899. The step up to a fabricated, well built mower like a Bad Boy was $ 3999 and up. Don't be cheap and expect miracles. Do your homework and talk to dealers, not Home Depot.
This entry level product, that I got from a John Deere dealer, works perfectly at the cost of 2 belts a year on a 3/4 acre yard. Not buying green again after I sell this for what it is worth and not what I paid.
![กิโลเมตรที่ 0 เดินทางรอบโลกไม่ใช้เครื่องบิน [Around The World Ep. 1]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/toJG9oofLFY/mqdefault.jpg)
About 2 acres seems to be the limit before things start breaking or tearing out. I might need to think about a better option when we move to the farm.
I have a 3 acre lot. I had the same issue. I was mowing with a Troy Bilt of similar size. I was constantly working on the mower. It's not so much the cost of the parts, but it's the time you waste making repairs where you could be doing other projects. I ended up saying screw it, and I bought I a commercial unit. My mother in law has the same mower. So this was very helpful. These are nice units, but if you have more than an acre, they struggle. The best advice I can give regarding buying a mower is to purchase through a dealership and look for things like warranty, financing options, customer service with manufacturer, and dealership along with availability. I recommend getting a zero turn, something with a fabricated deck, and serviceable hydrolics. Try different mowers out at the dealership. Personally, I opted for a Toro Z Master 2000, which is an entry-level commercial mower. I chose a 52" deck because I have obstacles to mow around. They are easy to service. For a decent size lot, a heavy-duty homeowner, aka a pro-sumer or entry-level commercial, is the way to go. All the major brands have said mowers. If you like John Deere, I'd get a Z Track 700 or 900 series. If you want a Kubota, the 400 and 700 series. If you want a Toro, go with a Titian HD or Z master 2000. Hustler Raptor or Fast Track. If you want to spend some real coin Ferris 500 to 800 series. Those are solid options for a homeowner who has large lots or small farms and homesteads. It's a matter of testing them, figuring out what suits you, what you like. Along with where or who you can get the best deal from.
Thank you. I have an E160, and it works great. It’s a little expensive when I took it for servicing so I decided to do a lot of it myself: changing blades, oil, spindle, greasing, spark plugs, air and gas filters, leveling the deck, and changing the belt. So far so good. Thank you, your video was very helpful. 👍
Glad it helped
I saw a tip on another channel that slowing engine speed before disengaging the blades would save wear and tear on the blade brakes. I tried it and the first few times it worked fine. Then one day, I slowed the engine down, disengaged the belt and the belt broke. I assumed the belt slipped off the pulley, got sucked under the deck and got cut. I put on another belt and the first time I slowed the engine and disengaged the blades it happened again. I THINK I disengaged the blades too soon after slowing engine speed. (Just a guess) I’m not touching the throttle again until after I disengage the blades. Perhaps you should look at the blade brakes as possibly causing the breakage. Keep us updated, I’d love to know what you find out
Friend I just came across your video. From what I see when you have the deck off. The movable bracket with the large idler pulley (movable with spring tension ) is bent up quite a bit. That idler pulley is not on plane with the other pulleys and sheaves. Bend it or replace the bracket. Before reinstalling the deck pull the belt tight as if it were on the machine and see if the belt is rubbing on any brackets !!!
Interesting. It could be the camera lying to you, but I'll definitely check it out. If so, it came that way from the shop, which is unfortunate.
Agree, idler pulley doesn’t look right, go down to Lowes and check out the pulley on a 170 there, pulley should be level or belt will keep trying to jump pulley
First...buy a better belt. Also when you grease fill up blade cones full so grease goes into sealed bearings. John Deere belts are designed to break..they make a ton of money off parts...that's why they are so expensive
I have the same mower! My idler pulley is also installed at an angle. I didn’t notice, however, the belt rubs against the mounting brackets on the back of the deck. Unfortunate. Mine snapped at 16 hours.
The bracket is like that, its not bent. The belt routing and pulleys were apparently designed by a 6 year old scribbling in art class. The best part is that you have to loosen the idler pulley and after a bit the stud tends to spin. Its press fit with maybe a tack or two so small you wouldn't know it.
One thing I've noticed is that the deck height causes the belt to rub on the metal bracket over the center pulley. When it is high the geometry of the belt and pulleys just catches it there, when the deck is lowered its better but have found that there is very little adjustment before you are scalping the lawn and bringing up the raised deck height to get the deck moving thru its range without bottoming out and it brings the front draft rod up to where it hits the end of the crankshaft when in the full up position. The whole design is just terrible.
Fella your creating heat and breaking belts because spindle bearings are dry. I know it has grease fitting on top but they put sealed bearing there. Take spindle apart and remove the seal on each bearing did this mine no more belt problems.
No, no, no... They are sealed bearing, yes. However, sealed bearings are meant to accept grease past them. The "seal" is there for debris only. A shielded bearing is completely sealed to everything. Try it yourself. Take out the bearings, clean them, and remove all the grease. Reassemble and pump grease in until it comes out. Remove the shaft and bearing seal, and you will find grease in the bearing. If you do not, you have another issue. Sealed bearings are literally meant to be greased under pressure.
Nice job explaining the maintenance of a Deere!
I have S170 for about 4 years now. I replaced a few belts (Approximate 2 belts every season) since I bought it new in 2020. Like you said in the video. The belt is very hot after cutting my 0.7 acre lawn. It was broken again last week, I did a very careful checking of the deck and found out one of the pulley ball bearings was bad. It was not seized but you could feel it was bad. I replaced it today and it seems like the belt temperature was noticeable lower after cutting my lawn today. My guess is the ball bearings have lower quality than before. My old D110 might change the belt once in its 10+ years service.
Belt breakage is almost always due to a bad pulley/s bearing. Always look there 1st and maintain these points. Look at the pulley surface to see if there is a black burn or belt material build up and try to turn the pulley by hand, also see if there’s any slop or play. When you maintain the deck and pulleys, clean the deck instead of just brushing off dirt, etc. that’s in your way. This crud what holds onto additional crud that can trap moisture in and all around your pulley system, and almost always the reason why your belts start to heat up. I’ve learned this all the hard way. Clean the deck and maintain. It’s a PITA, but absolutely necessary to keep your Deere running well.
Thanks for the advice!
I have a S170 as well. Belt number 6 on 81 hours for a 3/4 acre yard. I have had it serviced by the John Deere dealer near me. They verified alignment of pullies, middle idle for blade engagement, no debris on top of deck, etc. Regardless, every 12th-15th time I engage the blades, I have a cleanly broken belt.
Buy your belts 2 at a time. It saves trips back to the dealer.
I put my 4th belt on yesterday & and new pto cable(broke) 52 hrs on mower. My black belt covers have wear from the belts. I found that john deere does sell a belt retainer on it’s website. I ordered 1. I’ll see how that goes.
Let us know! Please
Looking at the belt, the frayed areas are facing mainly in the one direction, that to me indicates the the belt is hitting an edge somewhere. The obvious place is the supporting brackets that secure the back of the deck to the body. As the belt has to travel from one side of the deck to the other without guides the belt would be moving and flexing and most likely hitting those supports. A simple solution if that was the problem is to fabricate two guides and attach them to the deck supports to eliminate those square edges. Just a thought.
I just cut those pieces off the deck - u could see where the belt hit um
I’ve had my E170 John Deere for six years and I’ve had to replace 5 belts. This past week I had a spindle go bad so I replaced that and the belt. Mowed for about 20 minutes, checked the belt and it’s fraying on the bottom so it’s definitely rubbing against something. Very frustrating, I like this mower but this is ridiculous.
I have had mine 3 years, on the third belt. They break with raw abandon. I tried idle power engagement, no difference. Mine have broken while running and cutting.
When i had a craftsman the deck belt and drive belts were easy because the metal guards against the idler pulley's had a little give to them where you could just slip the belt between the guard and the pulley but not on the John Deere. Its thicker metal with no give so you gotta take the pulley almost all the way off which is a real pain. The drive belt looks so hard to do ill probably just take it in to John Deere which is what they want in the first place. I love my S 170 though it has lots of power.
I have an S160 (same 48 inch deck as your S170), and wanted to mention that you can replace the belt without removing it. It was pretty easy and saves a lot of time.
Interesting! I'll give it a shot next time.
I have the same tractor s170 and I have 2.5 acres. I love my tractor, but I am had this problem changing the belt for the first time. I change the belt per the schematic diagram; but the belt is SLACK…no tension at all. The belt is the correct part number from John Deere. This one is stumping me..😮😮
The part I used was GX21833. You can get the brand belt or a substitute brand from places like Ag Supply or Tractor Supply. I'd double check the tension spring. It might be stuck or slack.
@@HoneyDoHomestead - That's the part number I have.
I drilled holes in the black pully covers for better air flow around them!
Had mine 1 year got 66 hours out of belt they are rated 50houre then replace have tow ackers keep like a park buy on line weight three days1599 per belt box store 6598 each have a good one
I am not a mechanic. Buy a needle grease fitting for your grease gun, and use it on the idler pulleys. Wipe off the excess. It can't hurt, and the fitting doesn't cost much.
Any update on the mower?
Mowing season hasnt really kicked off here in NC but im sure to talk more in the Summer.
The series does too E170.thanks for your video
I had 2 belts snap last week on a deere s140. In the shop right now.
I’ve broken 4 belts now in less than 50 hours. I understand the frustration. I’m putting a new belt on and getting something else besides a John Deere.
Check pulley alignment that i did on mine and the belt is doing better.
I have an e-180 with 91 hrs, 3/4 acre turf cutting. I'm on my 4th belt now in 3 years.
I haven't had any problems since I quit cutting below 2 1/2 inches.
Mine does the same thing......2 belts per season! 2 acres cut every 10 days (weather permitting) below 50% humidity!
BAD DESIGN!!
What size is the belt
I don't remember exactly. I think it's the GX21833 which is the stock belt for the 48" deck.
Imagine that... going 200% beyond the manufacture instructions and you abnormally wear out and break expendable parts.
Thanks
Definitely recommend finding a decent used X series. These cheap box store quality mowers are just that. Worst thing JD ever did was start selling at the box stores.
I picked up just yesterday a 2003 X495 for a grand. I'll be another grand into it for a deck and some odds and ends. Those were $12K new. You don't need a diesel but a higher grade X series will do you better.
WTF? Deere has had 100 series mowers since the 70's. The ones you can get at the box store are the same exact as the dealer ones. ZERO difference or price. When I got my s170 least year I went to the dealer that is 7 miles from me. The sales guys told me to go to lowes as I have a lowes card and they will give you the 5% off. He told me if anything is wrong to bring it to him. It was perfect no issues. I plow with the thing, pull a yard cart, and a spreader. He also told me not to listen to the internet about the k46. He recommend to put in a Tuff Torq k46 drain bolt kit. I did not want to void the warranty so the dealer did it for $150 in labor and $60 in parts. Now, this year when I changed the oil I also changed the trans oil (got a oil pump, I do not have to remove it, just take a rear wheel off).
@nhbountyhunter they got cheaper in price and quality when they started selling at the box stores. Yes, they sell the same thing at the dealer but you can't buy the good semi commercial grade mowers at a box store. There is a reason for that. Those low end models are still junk even from the dealer.
@@Goose2448 oh. I see what point you are trying to make. In my eyes they are fine for the job they are intended for. Sure I could have gotten a 400 series to do all that stuff with for a few thousand more. But then I could have just gotten a real tractor for a few thousand more. Then for a few thousand more I could have gotten a bigger tractor. My s170 does everything I need. The ONLY thing I wish I had was a locking diff.
@Goose2448. It makes no difference in belt breakage whether bought at dealer or big box store. But it DID make a difference when at 39.9 hours oil blowing out into the combustion chamber and out the front of the engine. After the shop Mngr telling me there was not a problem- camera inserted into the combustion chamber told a different story. Long story- full replacement engine. Might not have been replaced if bought at big box store.
I bought the S220 lawn tractor it has the frame deck off of the x300 series mine has the 42"deck my deck belt comes in the middle to the engine seems like your belt comes from the side to crank pulley looks like a poor design i have never had a deck belt break on any mower unless for mechanical reasons
I owned a Deere mower for 15 years and never broke a belt. I bought a new s170 two years ago and now on my third belt. It must be me, right?
There's a clear design flaw here.
Did u spin ur spindles without the belt on lissen for a grinding noise if nice and quiet ur good if it's noisy like a grinding noise ur bearings a shot no good u don't have to replace the hole spindle just the barrings u have 2 per spindle I see u have 3 spindle so u have 6 of em total... sincerely....
RIGO SMALL ENGINE REPAIR
I didnt hear anything when i did spin them but i about emptied a tube of greese 😅. Makes me wonder if they were dry.
This is the money difference between an entry level product, or a good, well built high end residential product. I just bought an S130 knowing it only has to mow a 4700 sq ft lot. It was $2899. The step up to a fabricated, well built mower like a Bad Boy was $ 3999 and up. Don't be cheap and expect miracles. Do your homework and talk to dealers, not Home Depot.
I had the mower before the acreage. Just making due with what I have, but thanks.
This entry level product, that I got from a John Deere dealer, works perfectly at the cost of 2 belts a year on a 3/4 acre yard. Not buying green again after I sell this for what it is worth and not what I paid.
our belt lasted 5 hrs 2 nd lasted 4- we dropped the deck and cut the 2 deck pieces off that cut it - what junk
John Deere s170
6 belts in 3 years
Same here.
and blow that grass out from under the black cover the grass holds in heat!
that one pully does not line up
Your pulley is bent down
Clearing brush and going over recommended acreage and you're wondering what's wrong?
User error, that's what's wrong.
Thanks.