Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Is there a rhyme or reason to the size of the belt in the part number? I need a one inch bigger than the one I have for a custom application. Can I use a heavy duty automotive belt?

I have 2 Ariens machine. They both use fractional sized belts. I avoid automobile belts because they are not designed for a slip clutch application IMO. I would not want the auger turning intermittantly without warning. I found OPE belts that are real close to the original belt size at 1/3 the cost but expect that I will have to play with the idler adjustment pulley to get the auger or drive wheels to engage properly.  

70chevrolet wrote:
Gates Rubber has a fitment  guide on their website.

Well for my application, I am not going to be able to use an original ariens belt. I just cant get the right size. Would anyone please offer another brand that would fare well in this application and work well with the slip clutch...

Thanks.

Here is a place that sells kevlar belts. They should work fine.

http://www.rustrepair.com/LAWN_MOWER_PARTS/onlinecat.htm?r=fr&p=MP-BELTS-BE.12KEV

Hey thanks for that link. I placed an order for a 41". I am pretty sure that will work as I have tried a 39.5" (tec factory belt # 72086) and an aftermarket 43". I've only got 41" and 42" left to go. I cant wait to throw snow. 12 horse motor and 24" auger I am hoping for 50 feet.

My understanding is that automotive belts will wear out extremely quickly and aren't worth the effort. Belts designed for snowblowers are made with a layer of kevlar and don't stretch. The only reason you have to adjust the belt tension is because the inner rubber wears and the inside diameter of the belt increases.

I thought v-belts NEVER rested on the inside diameter (bottom) track if they fit properly, else they would tend to slip.

I also believe besides the belt length and type of material (kevlar) the profile is critical in order to fit the pulley properly. 

The "v" angle differs in the type of application.

I bought an aftermarket "True Blue" kevlar belt  that seemed to fit the application I needed. When I compared it to the original Ariens belt,  the height (thickness) of the belt was about 1/8 inch less. It will work, but it is not as strong and may not last as long. The belt was $6.95 as opposed to $21.00. BUT.....if you have sooner "downtime" and consider labor, the cheapie may not be worth it. 

I did run across a quality belt made by Rotary Corp. Rotary Corp's dealer "finder" at their site is not working properly but I hope to buy some belts from them in the future.

I would like noting more than to use a factory ariens belt, but nobody can give me a listing of the lengths that are availible. Th ariens belts have a 17/32 top and a 7/32 bottom where as replacement belts are listed as 1/2 inch...which means 16/32 at top and 9/32 at the bottom. so overall they differ by 1/8 in width. Length is another story. Ariens only offers a few lenghts that are listed. Some are listed with part numbers but no length.Replacement belts list belts in one inch increments. I have found a few replacement 1/2 inch belts that list oddball lengths. Scag offers a 1/2" x 40 1/2" and then greenshoes offers a snapper belt that is 1/2" x 41 3/4".. once I get the length right, then I can hassle ariens to try and find me a belt that is close enough to work. Hell, I'll even change the size of the idler pulley if I have to. But you never know, the aftermarket belt might work just as well when I get it on there. I'll keep the board posted as soon as I get some more info.

just an FYI..I almost found out the hard way. Some manufacures measure the diameter of a v-belt on the inside and some do it on the outside. Ariens uses the OD. 

Most v belts measure the OD