belt slipping on my lawnmower

[hotroddal]

i have put together a racing lawnmower, which I intened to race B/P class next year when I am 16, anyhow, it has a 16 hp twin cylinder briggs engine and a 3 speed tranny, evrytime i go to ride it i always can hear the belt squeeling or the engine reving out when i got to takeoff, it calms down once i start going and isnt as bad but it still slpiis, i have put a veryheavy dutty clutch spring on there, i have added 2 extra belt tightners under there and the bugger still slips, so do any of you have an ideas how i can get it to quit squeling, and slipping.

[Ordo]

What is the condition of the pully on the crank? Had similar problem with mine, except it was the lower pully that drives the deck. The pully had a groove worn into it so bad that the belt only makes partial contact. You might try a belt that's alittle wider. I just changed the pully, belt and it works like new.

[hotroddal]

nope, that couldnt be the problem because the pullts are brandnew.

[3 weelin geezer]

Did you try oiling the belt to get rid of the squealing?

[sblt500r]

are you sure the clutch is releasing all the way?

[hotroddal]

yes the clutch is relesing all the way, and no i havnt oiled the belt and i dont think that would work,all that would do is just make it slipmore.

[TrikeKid]

new belt maybe?

[jeswinehart]

I have seen snowmobliers use stuff in a spray can to stop slippage and I have used a spray can type of stuff called belt "dressing" to stop squealing auto belts.
Probbly ask the counter guy in your favorite auto parts or snowmoble dealer what they have available.

john

[Jason Hall]

You might not have the rite ratio try going to a smaller pulley on the engine, or a bigger one on the trans. It sounds like it needs to have a little more low end gear (I know you don't have gears, but I hope you know what I'm talking about). If the ratio is not rite then when In low gear out of the gate, It would be like dumping the clutch in 3rd gear on your trike on pavment, the clutch will slip. In your case its the belt slipping. If you change the pulley on the engine to a smaller one, or bigger on the trans, you will loose some top speed. But thats the price you have to pay. Its hard to have the best of both worlds when it comes to gear ratio, unless you can add an overdrive gear. :w00t:

[Howdy]

Did you try oiling the belt to get rid of the squealing?
:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
Oiling a belt will not stop it from slipping.

If you set at running the pulleys as you have it set up, then go to a local hardware, farm supply store, industrial supply, or automotive store and pick up some "Pine Tar" ( it works best ), or some belt dressing. Belt dressing is ok but Pine tar works GREAT. When I was growing up we had a buzz saw ( 38" blade ) that we cut wood up with. The saw was driven by a old flat 6-7" wide belt. Yea, it was a old fashion set up, but it worked VERY well. Any how put a little bit of pine tar on the belt where it rides in the pulley. Your slipping should stop right away. ;)

Heck, if you have a Pine tree around your place you might just try some sap from it. That should do the same thing, and it's cheaper. ;)
Howdy

[hotroddal]

ill try some "pine tar" if i can find someone who sells it. Thanks for all the help.

[3 weelin geezer]

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
Oiling a belt will not stop it from slipping.



No, it wont. BUT it will stop the squealing. :lol:

[hotroddal]

well, i tried some belt dressing and tha made it slip even more, and my dad said if i was to use pine tar it would work too good and make the bely not to slip when i push the clutch in, so i didnt want to try that, i will try an even shorter belt.

[bigredhead]

Is your alignment perfectly dead on ?

[hotroddal]

well ill have to admit it, my allignmenet isnt perfect but nuthin is perfect, the alignment is really close to almost perfect.

[Howdy]

well, i tried some belt dressing and tha made it slip even more, and my dad said if i was to use pine tar it would work too good and make the bely not to slip when i push the clutch in, so i didnt want to try that, i will try an even shorter belt.

Your dad is correct! Pine tar is VERY sticky.
Howdy

[TeamGeek6]

May be over horsepower for the belt, check out internet for belt drive manufacturers, they should have tables to figure allowed power.

[OldSchoolin86]

I'm going to have to lean towards one of 2 things.

1) Like Mr. Hall said, you may have the mechanical advantage set up wrong (aka gearing). What ratio are you trying to run?

2) You might be making too small of a belt do too big of a job all together.

[sblt500r]

whats the width of the belt? if your useing a 1/2 inch that could be your problem. not enough surface area on it to grab with that amount of horsepower. a 5/8 belt or if you can get it a 3/4, but it might not be avalible in your lenght. but you might have to also change the pullies to fit a bigger belt.

[hotroddal]

well i figured out the problem, the problem was that the bely was 2 inches too long(thats why i had to add a few extra tentioners), also the belt was only a half inch, so it was riding too far down in the pulleys, so i whent to the store got a belt 2 iches shorter, and 5/8 wide, now she really rips ass, thnks for all your help.

[hotroddal]

well sice im getting all my raw power out of my engine cuz the belt aint slipping anymore, it goes so darn good and has so much power i recked another transmition, i rode around town today for about 5 minutes, i whent back home then and got some water and was gona ride some more right when i wa gona make her fishtale and gun the throttle at the end of my dirt drive way, half way into my fishtale, i stopped going, i had sheired a keyway on my sprocket, well so i toook the sprocket off and guss what else happened?........i had cracked the shaft derectly in half, also the only piece holding the broken shaft in place was the sprocket, anyhow luckily sice i have been meesing with riding lawnmowers, i aquires quite a few transmitions, so i slapped another trnny in there and now she works great, anyays, i have whent threw 3 different transmitions, the first one i stripped the teeth off all 3 forward gears, so that was shot, the second one, i cracked the casing at the bottom of the tranns, and the 3rd one i broke the sprocket shaft in half, so im going on my 4th trannt, ill have to se how this one holds up.

[bigredhead]

Get a trike tranny bolted to that sucker !! lol...

[hotroddal]

well, i whent to take the mower for a spin around town and i didnt even get out of the driveway with it, i got about 1 foot and it quite going, i had sheared another sprocket keyway, darn it!!, i gota find some super heavy duty keyways, and transsmitions for this thing, i think its cracking out to much power for thi stuff to handle, i think i might just make a few different keyways outa some chunks of rail road iron, when the keyway sheared it rounded out the inside of the sprocket also so now i gota get a different sprocket now too, i will get this lawnmower to be bulletproof one of these days.

[bigredhead]

Is there enough metal there to grind the shaft square ?

Or if you have spare parts.. weld the sucker on there, not great if you have to take things apart later on ... but it will hold with weld !! lol....

I think you have to totally re-think the attack plan ... how do the big guys do it on race circuits ?