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. 

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