# White Outdoor Tiller belt issues



## Country Boy

I have a White Outdoor (MTD) rear tine tiller here in the shop that is vexing me. Problem is that it keeps breaking or shredding the drive belt, and I am at a loss to explain why. OEM or aftermarket belts break the same. Some are straight clean breaks, other times the belt shreds into a million pieces. It has been doing this since new and the customer is really getting peeved that it doesn't work (and I don't blame him). There is no indication of the belt rubbing on anything, the idler pulley is lined up and turning freely, and the pulleys are lined up perfectly and are smooth. My next step was to try a 5/8" belt on there, but it will have to be a cogged one as the engine pulley is very small and a regular 5/8" belt will not bend around it well. Currently it has 5/8" pulleys but MTD runs a 1/2" belt in them. Any ideas?


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## jhngardner367

My tiller did this,also.I ended up changing the small pulley to a slightly larger one,and the problem went away.I haven't noticed any difference in the way it tills,either.I think the smaller pulley allows the belt to jam,and break.


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## Country Boy

I'll have to look at that pulley and see about changing it. Thanks jhngardner!

I did cut back the tin shroud that covers the gear selector area in two spots because the paint was rubbed off there, and I wasn't sure if it was from the belt or the side cover. I ordered a Goodyear Kevlar belt and will give that a try. What I don't like about this thing is that the pulleys are so far apart that when you release the belt tightener, the belt becomes very loose and sloppy and sort of flops around under the cover. I'm wondering if it isn't rubbing on the screws for the cover or something when it is slowing to a stop loose like that. What strikes me as odd is that some of the belts were clean breaks almost as if you had cut them with a knife, yet other times the belt would just shred like crazy. I spent almost 45 minutes on it yesterday just checking pulley alignment and looking for any spots the belt could be rubbing. The guy's garden is stone free, and the soil is very sandy and loose, so I doubt that obstructions or overloading of the tiller are to blame. He uses this for tilling between the rows after the garden is up, and he has a bigger Troy-Bilt Horse that he uses for rough tillage in the spring and fall.

I've called a few MTD dealers in the area and no one has had any issues with these things, and our parts distributor only sold 4 of the OEM belt in the last year. They hadn't heard anything, and they checked with MTD to see if there were any bulletins out there, but found none.


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