G'day acme0007, re your post, put it here so we didn't hijack mowingmans thread, your post is ........
" Not trying to highjack just looking for answers. I have a carlton 4012 with the 33hp Kubota. Last fall it over-heated, cracked head. Finally saved up enough this spring to fix it. Ground three stumps, main belt did something and chewed it up. Ordered new belt no dealer here, $100 plus. Ground out one stump, belt started smoking and took off cover, mother $#%$$$%%^^%, belt blew a band. Tried to use it the way it was and the adjuster for belt tension cracked in half, the turnbuckle thing on the right below motor. Put the handy Vise Grips on and clamped in place long enough to finish the job.
What the hell is this thing blowing belts for? The machine only has 178 hours on it. This is the third belt and now I need a new one thats 4 at over a hundred bucks. I aligened the two pullys with a straight edge, and thought the tension was correct. Could it be that the keepers are too close? I can't take it to the dealer their isn't one anywhere close at all. I can't afford belts like this, my vermere never once went through a belt. I am very pissed!
Anybody else have this problem?
Thanks Acme"
Acme........A pet subject that caused me a lot of grief also, went through as many belts with the same problem of the outside V peeling off and also had the V belt tension adjuster break in the thread at about the same hours as your machine.
If you read earlier in this thread I mentioned bigstumps putting me on the right track. The crux of it was when we put the machine into gear with the lever it only applies tension to one side of the slides and the pulleys used by the V belt go out of alignment.
To check what I'm trying to say, take the engine/jack shaft pulley cover off and check alignment out of gear. Then put it in gear and see where its at then.
Its probable that the pulleys are way out and this makes the outer V belt ride up and off the pullys, not sure if front or back or both, and in no time the nice new belt has peeled off the out V belt, ie one of the six. Been there, seen that..:msp_sad:
Readjust so that when in gear the V belt pulleys are aligned.
Does that make sense, hoping you can understand my descriptions of what was wrong with my SP 4012.
Mine also chopped out the shaft bearings (replaced all four) at around your hours. The local agents after talking to Carlton in the US reckoned I was OVER GREASING the bearings.
I now run the jack shaft/cutter shaft poly belt firm, but not hugely rigid like the specifications seem to indicate and the multi V belt just tight enough that its not slipping when under hard work conditions. I reckon overtight belts were putting to much tension on the bearings which didn't help longevity of them.
The multi V belt has just been replaced after about 200hrs on it and I reckon the amount of slack in the 4 x shaft bearings indicates they are on the way out again, ie after 200hrs also approx.
I saw a pic. of a new Bandit stump grinder here recently, it had no drive belts and a hydraulic drive motor direct on the cutter wheel shaft. You might drop some HP running the hydraulic motor perhaps, I'm no expert, but the savings in replacing bearings, belts and pulleys has to be a good idea.
Hope this has helped, I am indebted to bigstumps for the initial help that got me on track.
(Also some discussion on....
http://www.arboristsite.com/large-equipment/55964.htm )