# Mtd auger belt slipping off pulley



## [email protected] (Feb 3, 2018)

I have a MTD 31BH763G401 and on the auger belt it keeps popping off. The second belt closes to the engine will not stay on the pulley. I tried a few thing but nothing seemd to be working. Both belts were new but now a little chewed up because they kept falling off. On the bottom of the belts I even added a small piece of metal extending it to keep the belt on.









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## Vermont007 (Mar 29, 2015)

Maybe the picture is a bit distorted; but it would appear that the Idler Pulley for the Drive Belt is out of alignment; how is its Bearing ?


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Are all the pulleys lined up with each other?


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## 351beno (Oct 12, 2017)

What belt # do you got? How is the belt cover? If its worn where the belts hit it the belts will keep turning when they're not engaged. Also check for a loose motor, basket bolts or impeller bearing. Also check the pulleys for junk in the grooves or if they're bent anywhere.


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## [email protected] (Feb 3, 2018)

Vermont007 said:


> Maybe the picture is a bit distorted; but it would appear that the Idler Pulley for the Drive Belt is out of alignment; how is its Bearing ?


Yea that's an old picture I did fix the drive pull I had it backwards in back of the belt instead of behind it 

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## [email protected] (Feb 3, 2018)

RedOctobyr said:


> Are all the pulleys lined up with each other?


Everything seems aligned 

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## [email protected] (Feb 3, 2018)

351beno said:


> What belt # do you got? How is the belt cover? If its worn where the belts hit it the belts will keep turning when they're not engaged. Also check for a loose motor, basket bolts or impeller bearing. Also check the pulleys for junk in the grooves or if they're bent anywhere.


MTD 954-0430B that's the number I got off partstree.com it has a diagram also there is a plastic cover that goes over the belts and there are groves in the cover where the belt is scrapping 

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## 351beno (Oct 12, 2017)

Good that's the right belts. Do you have the cover on when the belt falls off? I would make sure the augers are not turning with the belts disengaged and the cover on. But if they are grooves cut into the plastic its time to change it. The cover works as a belt guide to hold the belts in the right spot so anywhere can cause problems.


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## tpenfield (Feb 24, 2015)

I hate it when MTD belts fall off the pulley.

Usually, there is a retainer up top to keep the belt from jumping the engine pulley when the auger is disengaged.

I don’t see any such thing in the pictures, so I wonder if it is missing?


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## 351beno (Oct 12, 2017)

tpenfield said:


> I hate it when MTD belts fall off the pulley.
> 
> Usually, there is a retainer up top to keep the belt from jumping the engine pulley when the auger is disengaged.
> 
> I don’t see any such thing in the pictures, so I wonder if it is missing?


 The cover is the belt guide.


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## [email protected] (Feb 3, 2018)

351beno said:


> The cover is the belt guide.


I bet it is I didn't even see it on partstree.com where i bought a few parts

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## skutflut (Oct 16, 2015)

Do the belts jump off as soon as you start the machine, or does it happen when you push down on the handles to raise the bucket off the ground to turn or manoeuvre? 

I had an old craftsman (Murray built) where the mounting brackets on the bucket assembly that holds the bucket to the tractor assembly rusted, and partially broke free, so when you pushed down on the handles, the bucket came up, but it also drooped a bit due to the mounting bracket being unable to support the weight and keep the bucket square.

The bucket drooped to screw up the pulley alignment enough to kick the auger belt off.


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## [email protected] (Feb 3, 2018)

skutflut said:


> Do the belts jump off as soon as you start the machine, or does it happen when you push down on the handles to raise the bucket off the ground to turn or manoeuvre?
> 
> I had an old craftsman (Murray built) where the mounting brackets on the bucket assembly that holds the bucket to the tractor assembly rusted, and partially broke free, so when you pushed down on the handles, the bucket came up, but it also drooped a bit due to the mounting bracket being unable to support the weight and keep the bucket square.
> 
> The bucket drooped to screw up the pulley alignment enough to kick the auger belt off.


The belts seem to jump off as I engage the auger push the handle down lift it up push the handle down lift it up then I take the plastic cover off and check the belts and the second belt closest to the engine popped off

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## skutflut (Oct 16, 2015)

[email protected] said:


> The belts seem to jump off as I engage the auger push the handle down lift it up push the handle down lift it up then I take the plastic cover off and check the belts and the second belt closest to the engine popped off
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk


Maybe get a helper to push down the back end to lift the front end, and see if you can notice any flexing or drooping of the bucket. If so, then remove the bucket from the tractor section, and see if your brackets need to be rewelded or replaced. Cracking of any kind where parts are bolted together will cause problems.


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## y2j514 (Dec 14, 2020)

Don't mean to bump old threads, but I have this exact same issue and was wondering if a solution was ever found.


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## 140278 (Aug 27, 2020)

welcome to the SBF

sorry we don't know if as he has not been seen since aug 2019 and never posted what he did


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## BJP188 (Jan 26, 2021)

I have a used but new to me MTD PRO Series Snowblower: 31AH65FH795 (357cc engine). The auger belt does not stay on - coming off down below with both the belt retaining BOLT and bracket in place. The belt was a little worn, so I put a new one on. The unit came without a belt cover, so I purchased a new large block one and installed. This model belt cover has a metal piece inside to assist with keeping the belt in place from the top. I ordered a new idler pully and will install that today. I've seen posts asking are the belts/pulley's all lined up - they look as they are all lined up properly top to bottom. I tried adjusting the Idler Pulley after the last snowfall and the belt came off, but as soon as I engage the Auger and it touched the snow, the belt came off again. 

Would also like to know how to tell what year model this is as there are multiple listed with my Model Number. 5-8 inches of snow expected this weekend and would like to use this new beast so what else am I missing.

Thanks for the help.

Model Number:


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## BJP188 (Jan 26, 2021)

BJP188 said:


> I have a used but new to me MTD PRO Series Snowblower: 31AH65FH795 (357cc engine). The auger belt does not stay on - coming off down below with both the belt retaining BOLT and bracket in place. The belt was a little worn, so I put a new one on. The unit came without a belt cover, so I purchased a new large block one and installed. This model belt cover has a metal piece inside to assist with keeping the belt in place from the top. I ordered a new idler pully and will install that today. I've seen posts asking are the belts/pulley's all lined up - they look as they are all lined up properly top to bottom. I tried adjusting the Idler Pulley after the last snowfall and the belt came off, but as soon as I engage the Auger and it touched the snow, the belt came off again.
> 
> Would also like to know how to tell what year model this is as there are multiple listed with my Model Number. 5-8 inches of snow expected this weekend and would like to use this new beast so what else am I missing.
> 
> ...


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