Alaska-brand replacement riding mower belts?
#1
04-12-17, 05:29 PM
Alaska-brand replacement riding mower belts?
Anybody have any experience/opinions on Alaska-brand replacement belts for a riding mower? I'm finding some listed on eBay that claim to be kevlar and OEM for Murray mowers and they're quite a bit cheaper than any of the Murray-branded belts, pretty much half-price. And since they're kevlar, I figure they should be more durable than the Murray-branded belts.
Anybody ever used these, or know anything about them?
Anybody ever used these, or know anything about them?
#2
04-12-17, 06:45 PM
Forum Topic Moderator
I don't think they were ever a OEM supplier for Murray. They might make a replacement for OEM, but that's not OEM (wording tricks used by ebay sellers to attract visits from user search parameters). I believe most of Murray's belts were supplied by Gates. If it's Kevlar and exactly the right size, go for it.
Last edited by cheese; 04-12-17 at 09:12 PM.
#3
04-13-17, 02:03 AM
Member
I have had excellent success with Rotary kevlar belts. I have also had similar success with kevlar belts from Tractor Supply.
#4
04-14-17, 06:38 PM
...If it's Kevlar and exactly the right size, go for it.
Thanks for the advice, gents.
#5
04-15-17, 07:20 PM
Forum Topic Moderator
If a belt stretches, it's broken. Most Murray belt applications are a bit forgiving as to size, so if you get one that is 1/2" off, it usually makes little to no difference. Generally you would hope to err on the longer side, not shorter. Some other belt applications, especially with MTD products, are very picky about proper length to the 16th of an inch.
#6
06-27-17, 01:14 PM
The seller advertised the belt as 37x62, which isn't a size but the Murray-equivalent part number. Unfortunately, it was WAY longer than the same Murray part number, but I couldn't tell until I'd mounted it because I'd already thrown the old belt out. The Alaska-brand belt slipped so badly it was unusable so I went back to Murray-branded.
I even jury-rigged an extension on the actuator arm but the bell crank/idler pulley ran out of travel before it could move far enough to put adequate tension on the belt. Whenever the grass got even moderately thick, the blades would stop without the engine note ever changing.
Here's a comparison:
Alaska on the outside, Murray on the inside. The seller claimed he'd sold 55 identical belts as a 37x62 and had never had a complaint before, but unless I got the odd duck in the batch, I'm highly dubious of that claim.
It goes back to what you wrote earlier, cheese, ...if it's exactly the right size. AFAIK it's a great belt, it just isn't a suitable replacement for that Murray part number.
I even jury-rigged an extension on the actuator arm but the bell crank/idler pulley ran out of travel before it could move far enough to put adequate tension on the belt. Whenever the grass got even moderately thick, the blades would stop without the engine note ever changing.
Here's a comparison:
Alaska on the outside, Murray on the inside. The seller claimed he'd sold 55 identical belts as a 37x62 and had never had a complaint before, but unless I got the odd duck in the batch, I'm highly dubious of that claim.
It goes back to what you wrote earlier, cheese, ...if it's exactly the right size. AFAIK it's a great belt, it just isn't a suitable replacement for that Murray part number.
#7
06-27-17, 03:48 PM
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That is what many people fail and simply will not realize about belts. There are more measurements that just the length and width.
There is an OD length, OD width, ID length, ID width, which determines the shape of the V and how it fits in the pulleys.
Not sure how old your Murray is but unless it is really old, Briggs owns Murray and MTD manufactures Murray for Briggs. MTD has always been an OEM only belt in my experience.
There is an OD length, OD width, ID length, ID width, which determines the shape of the V and how it fits in the pulleys.
Not sure how old your Murray is but unless it is really old, Briggs owns Murray and MTD manufactures Murray for Briggs. MTD has always been an OEM only belt in my experience.
