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

   Okay, suggestions have been made to buy extra V-belts to have on hand.  I'm just wondering how long they would last .  Do they tend to "dry rot", or are they good for years and years ?  Sorry if this seems like a dumb question. 

I have had 30 year old Ariens with the original belts and they were still going strong. I have a 10 year old Honda with the original belts and they still look great.  I was going to buy an extra set and keep them in the garage as backups but decided to just wait untill I need them. I am lucky that I have a backup snowblower just incase A belt lets go in the middle of a storm. I have also heard stories of belts going the first year . I think it has to do with making sure the belts are adjusted to the correct tension.

A lot also depends on how much you use the machine and what type of duty its doing. If you do one driveway three times a year with a 3" average snowfall then they won't wear out. If its 30 driveways, 15 times a year with 18" average the they will wear faster.

As far as storage is concerned I don't know for sure but I do remember hearing that tires will rot faster if they just sit there than if they get lightly used . It seems they warm up with use and get softer. If they just sit there they go hard faster and are more likely to crack. Don't know if that true or not but if it is then using the spare every so often might be a good idea.

Personally I replaced the belts on my blower 2 years ago and kept the old ones. If the new ones break I have a spare which will hopefully last until I can get a new one.

Snowblower belts should last quite a while. However, if you pull something into the impeller & jam it, there's a good chance the auger belt (or belts) will snap. I jammed a newspaper into the impeller of my brand new MTD the 2nd time I used it & popped the auger belt during a 15"+ snowstorm we had. I ended up shovelling. Yeah - keep spare auger belts on hand. Traction belts for the self propelled function should last a LONG time...

Marty

Thanks guys. Maybe I wasn't clear enough.  I was really wondering about "shelf life" of the spare belts. So far I've had very good luck with the originals on my old blower ( which I had sold for a fantastic price during a big storm a few years ago! )

I bought a new Toro Power Max 1128OE in '03 on line because there were no snowblowers  left locally,and then found this forum.  Fortunately I had a neighbor who plowed my drive the one time I needed help before it arrived.  

Again, thanks for the replies

Shelf life of a belt. Interesting. Real rubber degrades form Sunlight, Ozone and other polutants. So storage is criticall. I too have a spare bely, but have seen in service belts go 10 years without a problem. I changes my sears set 3 years ago as PM and saved the old belts as spares.

Id e-mail Gates or somebody in the Buisness, but they will likly say change in 5 years or somthing safe like that.

Pats Fan,

I store my back up belts in my garage Reefer.

It's dark  and cold!!

Perfect for storing rubber products!!

Fred