MTD Tradesman

[38racing]

38, they do. Your got remember your pulley are v shaped and narrower belts will ride lower in the groove making the needed overall circumference smaller. Think of this way by using narrower belt you effectively changing the pulleys to a smaller diameter which is the that variable stack pulley operates to change speed currently.. The same thing would happen if your were to replace 1/2 belts with 5/8 belts. In that case you would end up needing loner belts and belt retainers would need to be moved out to allow more clearance.

BTW those particular MTD belts are basically a 23/32 wide belt which makes them nearly 3/32 wider than those after market belts. I don't remember the pitch of the MTD right now but does matter in some cases too. On some equipment even the height of the belt comes in play.

so you think the aftermarkets that put the mtd number on them don`t necessarily match the mtd width so adjust the length from the mtd length to make them work?

[bgsengine]

38, they do. Your got remember your pulley are v shaped and narrower belts will ride lower in the groove making the needed overall circumference smaller. Think of this way by using narrower belt you effectively changing the pulleys to a smaller diameter which is the that variable stack pulley operates to change speed currently.. The same thing would happen if your were to replace 1/2 belts with 5/8 belts. In that case you would end up needing loner belts and belt retainers would need to be moved out to allow more clearance.

BTW those particular MTD belts are basically a 23/32 wide belt which makes them nearly 3/32 wider than those after market belts. I don't remember the pitch of the MTD right now but does matter in some cases too. On some equipment even the height of the belt comes in play.

so you think the aftermarkets that put the mtd number on them don`t necessarily match the mtd width so adjust the length from the mtd length to make them work?

Most quality brand "OEM SPEC" aftermarket belts will be correct width and length.. (Oregon,SunBelt,Stens I can verify) but the "generic" Fractional Hoserpower belts (Such as %L, 4L, standard widths) will most definitely be different width, so some sort of adjustment in length may need to be made.. and on many belts the profile (Shape of the V, the curvature of the back of the belt, the wrap, or lack thereof) can be critically important as well..

So, just from my 30+ years experience in this business, I can tell you if you want the job done right, you got to use OEM quality belt (Or a high quality OEM Spec) in pretty much any modern application these days - I believe manufacturers caught on to the use of your average FHP belt bought at NAPA or somewhere, and started designing belts to try and make sure that an auto parts store belt *wont work right*

almost 99% of our belt inventory is OEM, or OEM Spec. any more.. and it is extremely rare we sell FHP belts anymore - last time I went to auto parts store, noticed their belt rack is nowhere near as heavy as they used to be 20 years ago.. which kinda tells ya something too..

[rjt1234]

So, I finally recvd the new MTD Belt. Everyone wanted to give an equivalent belt, but I had them order one instead. It runs like a dream. I discovered that the belt I replaced was an Oregon that I had put on a couple of years ago.

So big shout out for you guys! Thanx for the help.

Next up, the engine is leaking oil, very very slowly. But I better get it cleaned up and repaired before it becomes a problem.

[38racing]

I went with a pair of aftermarket with the MTD number. They were wider than the 5Ls the PO used. Seems to be running fine now. Just have to find replacement safety seat parts the PO took off 22 years ago. Guess he didn't know he could defeat it with removing a couple wires.