Woods 59 CF2 Belt Won't Stay On (Woods59, Throws)

[lakesurfer]

Actually, Thanks to this amazing forum, I think my issue is fixed but wanted a searchable title for others to find. I want to summarize what solved (for now) the issue, and contribute an idea for a Belt Tensioning Tool that is simple and cheap.

Here's the link that got me on the right path. https://farmallcub.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=101480&hilit=Woods+belt

Many thanks to those users!! @tenn terry t ; @tmays ; @ntrenn ; @tst ; and @Scrivet


My situation:

I had a standard Woods 59 with a genuine Woods 4152 belt that mowed great for two seasons. THEN I bought, restored, and installed a Fast Hitch, which is not compatible with the original Woods 59 setup, and is a major PITA to remove and install, IMO. So when I learned that my deck would coexist with the Fast Hitch as long as I had the drive and bracket hardware for a Woods 59 CF2, I bought, restored, and installed THOSE.

I was feeling good about life, "happily" mowing away, but was dismayed that the new belt (a foreign made B206 Amazon special) would not stay on under load.

I had just disassembled every piece of the assemblies for prep, paint, and lubrication, so I knew the bearings were all in good shape.

Of course, the real first step is getting the twists right. 3/4 twist on the left and 1/4 twist on the right. Seems weird but it works.

I just finished the troubleshooting process (I hope) and mowing the lawn (YES!). Here's what I learned from the manual AND THIS FORUM!:

1. Don't skip the pully alignment step in the manual. Don't know why I did at first...D'oh!
2. The idler pulleys should be close-ish to the middle of their range. Left one should be just above middle. Right one should be just below middle. (My special tool image does NOT show this correctly.)
3. Belt has to be nearly "banjo string tight" as one smart use put it, when the deck is UP, so when it goes down, it's even tighter.
4. MOST IMPORTANT: A new belt may need to "break in" become flexible enough to adapt to all those weird twists. After completing steps 1-3 I let it run with the PTO engaged for over an hour. After that, I mowed the lawn with no issue.

As I type now, I am letting it break in some more. I will check the tightness again and adjust if needed afterward.

Tightening the pulleys is a bear. I'm probably not the only one to think of this, but a slight modification to a cheap HF C-Clamp made a super easy tensioning tool.