# What is life expectancy of belts?



## 10 fingers (Sep 6, 2015)

I'm gonna sell my old MTD blower, its a 10 hp 24 inch bucket. It will probably go to a friend or neighbor. I won't be asking for much ($100)) but I would prefer it lasts for a few years before the next owner sees any trouble. It was purchased new in 1996. Looking it over it needs a scraper and skids so they will be replaced. The belts look pretty good, maybe the beginning of one slight crack per belt. The friction wheel doesn't look too bad either. The machine has always been stored in an unheated attached garage. I live in SE Pennsylvania with snow accumulations of about 40 inch per year max. Since I'm not asking much I don't want to put too much money in it. My question, will the belts and friction wheel go another few to five years?

MTD317E661E118


----------



## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

simple answer is no. but there is a chance they will . its not a matter of if those parts will fail..its when..... and "when" always seems to happen in the worst case scenario. jmo
at your selling price, i'd tell the buyer it should have belts and a wheel , other than that, tell them the same and give it to them .


----------



## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Time to replace them. I went through a similar situation. Before I sold my trusty old MTD I replaced both belts and drive disc. You'll sleep better at night knowing you did your best.


----------



## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

micah68kj said:


> Time to replace them. I went through a similar situation. Before I sold my trusty old MTD I replaced both belts and drive disc. You'll sleep better at night knowing you did your best.


at the $100 , the op will be loosing $. i would offer to do the work for free if the new owner bought the parts.


----------



## 94EG8 (Feb 13, 2014)

The life expectancy of belts varies based on a lot of things including what types of belts the manufacturer speced. Some of the newer Husqvarna built Craftsmans tend to need a new auger belt every season because they're so hard and stiff that they crack and chunks fall out. Other machines with careful operators seem to get several seasons out of a set of belts.


----------



## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

94EG8 said:


> The life expectancy of belts varies based on a lot of things including what types of belts the manufacturer speced. Some of the newer Husqvarna built Craftsmans tend to need a new auger belt every season because they're so hard and stiff that they crack and chunks fall out. Other machines with careful operators seem to get several seasons out of a set of belts.


My old MTD machine led a pretty hard life in the sense that it really got worked hard. I kept the oil changed and kept it stored inside at all times but no other maintenance. 17 years old and still had original belts/disc on it. I just couldn,t sell it with those old parts. They're wear items anyway so Imchanged them. I don't believe I ever had the original plug out. I may at some point removed it to look at it but I know it was never replaced. 
Maybe with my newer machines I should have a set of belts on standby.


----------



## Smolenski7 (Nov 24, 2010)

Not to hijack his thread, but if this belt is 20 years old and has never been replaced, what is a typical time interval for a blower that is maintained regularly to have the belt replaced? Same question for the friction wheel?


----------



## PolarNorth (Sep 7, 2015)

Smolenski7 said:


> Not to hijack his thread, but if this belt is 20 years old and has never been replaced, what is a typical time interval for a blower that is maintained regularly to have the belt replaced? Same question for the friction wheel?


I just was in the same situation with the same question Smolenski7, I have 2001 Ariens withe original belts, so I gave them an extreme careful look this past week and finally determined while they looked fine and I didn't need to replace them, they would eventually fail at the most inopportune time, so I swapped out yesterday. I kept reading 5-8 years for belt lifetime, so I figured 14 years was good run. BTW, I did get 12 years on my friction plate, but everyone will most likely have different time intervals as usage will end up dictating longevity both both friction plates and belts.


----------



## 10 fingers (Sep 6, 2015)

Thanks everyone for your replies. With a second look in good daylight I really don't see anything wrong with the belts, no cracks, no rot, and no glazing. The friction wheel looks good too. When showing the machine for sale I'm gonna keep the bottom cover off as well as the top belt cover and let them see for themselves. I will also show them how to slip them off in case they want to be proactive and do the work themselves.

When selling something to a friend I put the price low, tell them to use it and be sure they like it, and then pay me when they are sure they want to keep it. They always have the option of returning it.

Joe


----------



## Big Ed (Feb 10, 2013)

PolarNorth said:


> I just was in the same situation with the same question Smolenski7, I have 2001 Ariens withe original belts, *so I gave them an extreme careful look this past week and finally determined while they looked fine and I didn't need to replace them, they would eventually fail at the most inopportune time, so I swapped out yesterday. * I kept reading 5-8 years for belt lifetime, so I figured 14 years was good run. BTW, I did get 12 years on my friction plate, but everyone will most likely have different time intervals as usage will end up dictating longevity both both friction plates and belts.


Why?
My belts on my Craftsman are around 15 years old, look decent.
I bought another just in case, but I won't put it on till the other one is shot.
If it is not broke why fix it?
I also have a new spare plug and friction wheel in my parts box for when the need arises. I think it is good to have another friction wheel as when they go you can damage the plate real quick. Resulting in and expensive part compared to the friction wheel.
By the way did you mean 12 years on the friction wheel? Instead of the friction plate? The friction wheel will screw up the plate, as long as it doesn't the plate should last a long time?

The only reason I could see is that one might not have a warm place to change it when it goes.

If I was giving away a good machine, or selling it cheap I would tell them to get a belt and friction wheel to have on hand. (and a new plug) 
And when the time came, give them a hand replacing it so in the mean time they will learn how.
They should be taught the basics anyway, like the correct way on adjusting things. And what to keep an eye on.

It is nice to have a backup blower to finish the job.

Now that the season is coming up, I am keeping my eyes opened for a third blower. Looking for an old Ariens. Another classic. 
But it will have to be a good deal, and with a bigger bucket then I have now.


----------



## Smolenski7 (Nov 24, 2010)

PolarNorth said:


> I just was in the same situation with the same question Smolenski7, I have 2001 Ariens withe original belts, so I gave them an extreme careful look this past week and finally determined while they looked fine and I didn't need to replace them, they would eventually fail at the most inopportune time, so I swapped out yesterday.* I kept reading 5-8 years for belt lifetime, so I figured 14 years was good run. BTW, I did get 12 years on my friction plate, but everyone will most likely have different time intervals as usage will end up dictating longevity both both friction plates and belts.*



I think I've heard the same thing, but that really doesn't make any sense to me. I know when talking about lawn tractors, the life expectancy of anything is always measured in hours, not years. Why don't snow blowers come with hour meters? That seems to make so much sense to me. How many hours should a guy expect out of a belt or friction wheel? 

There are so many guys around that swear by their 20 year old blower, but when it comes right down to it, they only put 3 - 4 hours on it per year. With that type of use, it better last longer than 20 years! At least in my opinion.


----------



## AL- (Oct 27, 2014)

I have three older snow blowers and checked the belts for cracks and wear myself. Unless the previous owner told me he had installed a new belt I would not take a much of a chance on a belt even if he told me they were good. I thought one of the belts on my Bob Cat was quite good until I took it off and found it cracked quite bad in only one place. If you check the belts carefully and tell the buyer what you found that is honest. If you tell the buyer you have two small cracks that should clue him in a lot. For $100 dollars you hardy expect two new belts. Sounds like the friction wheel is not a problem.


----------



## PolarNorth (Sep 7, 2015)

Big Ed said:


> Why?
> My belts on my Craftsman are around 15 years old, look decent.
> I bought another just in case, but I won't put it on till the other one is shot.
> If it is not broke why fix it?


Because the temperature was 68 degrees which seems much more favorable to me than the alternative of having a failure when it's 10 degrees out, plus I hang my old belts up ready to be pressed into service if the need arises. I prefer to perform maintenance on my terms whenever possible.



Big Ed said:


> By the way did you mean 12 years on the friction wheel? Instead of the friction plate? The friction wheel will screw up the plate, as long as it doesn't the plate should last a long time?


Yes, I was thinking friction wheel and apparently typing plate.


----------



## 94EG8 (Feb 13, 2014)

A lot of times the belts will look fine until you take them off and really inspect them. You can almost count on a belt to be cracked somewhere.

If you have a flat spot of chunk missing out of a belt it's hard on bearings as the belt thumps when the damaged section goes by. That's the main reason to change them early, that and you can do it on your terms.


----------



## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

It would be really helpful if you posted some pictures of your belts and the friction wheel as then you would get a more specific answer on what everyone thinks their condition is.

The problem with two exactly identical snow blowers owned by neighbors is the person behind the handle bars. One guys careful and operates cautiously and the other guy waits until the machine stops throwing snow and there's smoke coming out before he chooses a slower gear or looks for something jammed in it.
One goes 25 years with only gas, oil and an occasional spark plug and the other is shot the first winter.

This thing (Troy in photo) was still under warranty when they did this to it. They had no idea the reason it had such poor traction was it was broken. They used it less and less and finally got a new one and this was handed down to me, by then out of warranty.

The best way to tell if something is good is to thoroughly inspect it and when in doubt replace it.
With your friend, I'd go with full disclosure, give him your best guess on condition and leave it up to him to replace them now or see if he can get 2-4-8 years out of them. Or if you're the "mechanical guy" throw in the offer to replace them for him now, not middle of winter :wacko: if he buys the parts on top of the $100. $100 isn't much for a blower in good shape and I can't see you putting new stuff on it just to sell, but .... your choice.


----------



## 10 fingers (Sep 6, 2015)

Thanks Kiss4aFrog for the thoughtful reply. It seems to me what kills a belt is wear, abuse, and time. What I was trying to ask if a belt looks OK but is 20 years old is it reaching the end of its life? To my eye they look OK other than the one gouge on the friction wheel which maybe isn't too bad?


----------



## dbert (Aug 25, 2013)

It's probably just an illusion from the head on angle of the camera, but the friction wheel looks recessed. It obviously isn't because there is no wear other than the on the rubber.








Oh, and your belts look fine to me.
Could be worth having spares in the garage at this point however.


----------



## Kielbasa (Dec 21, 2013)

I checked my belt about a month or so ago. It has been on my machine since 2011 when I repowered. I went from a 3/8" belt up to a 1/2" belt. From what I can see with it still on the machine, all I see is a bit of the wear to where the size is stamped on the back/outside of the belt. I do not see any cuts or cracks. I will take it off to check it further. This is with about 31:15 of time on the belt.


----------



## Grunt (Nov 11, 2013)

To check a belts over all condition, I take the belt off the machine, twist the belt so the small section is facing away from you and then bend the belt. You are bending the belt opposite of it's normal curvature. Cracks would indicate the belt is dried out and will probably fail soon (JMO). In my poor drawing below. You pinch A & B together to see if any cracks develop at point C. I hope this makes sense???


----------

