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

I just moved into a house with a big enough yard to need a rider, so I am inheriting an Ariens garden tractor mower from my dad. He quit using it because he couldn't get it to stop eating belts. He replaced every pulley and bearing on the deck and is definitely routing the belt correctly, but each belt only lasts about 1.5 hours of operation before blowing. He has always suspected the clutch because it gets too hot to touch, but the dealer says the clutches never fail like that, they just stop working totally. It has been at the dealer for almost a month now since its busy spring season and I am about ready to just pick it up and try to fix it myself. What do you guys think, clutch? I don't know the model right now because I can't get to it. I believe it is from somewhere around 2006. My dad said when he bought it the dealer told him it was the last year Ariens actually built the tractors before they switched to rebadging Huskys. I think it is a 54" deck.

Drive clutch, PTO clutch?  Issue as in not turning? 

Does the tractor drive during the 1.5 hours?  Do the deck blades spin during the 1.5 hours.

How many belts have been gone through?  What condition are they in?  My machine had a frozen
tensioner pulley and the belt heated up to an extreme heat, heating up the transmissin pulley to
such an extent it would blister my fingers.  Even with that heat the belt would cool, work and not
split/seperate layers or break.  The edges of the belt became slick and polished.

The thing to have done was check it out as best you could before getting it to a dealer.  Worse case
remove the deck, check that.  Look at all the pulleys, PTO, guides, break, drive clutch & etc.,
and see what is going on.  Since it's at a dealer you might as well have them give an estimate.