[Mikaman]

The main drive belt on my RZT50 has failed three times in the past 4 years. On one occasions, the belt broke. On two other occasions, the belt stretched so much that it came off the pulleys. The dealer replaced the belt each time with a new, OEM belt -- but it keeps failing. I use the mower a normal amount (sorry, I don't know the hours, it's in the shop, but probably less than 200 hours total -- in other words, 3 belt failures in less than 200 hours, belt only lasts about 60 hours!) The dealer says he has called Cub Cadet tech support and they have no suggestions. He has inspected the pulleys for misalignment, dings, cuts, etc and says they are perfect. I always apply the parking brake when storing the mower, which supposedly releases the tension on the drive belt.

Any suggestions? I have seen "kevlar" belts for sale (non-OEM) but someone told me they are junk, made in China, and even worse than the Cub Cadet OEM belt. But at this point, I'm tempted to try a Kevlar belt -- anything to try to solve this problem! Of course the belt always fails just when I really need the mower, very frustrating.

Any advice appreciated.