Thanks so much for posting this video. I was having problems with my riding mower and a mechanic helped me diagnose what needed done: both drive belts needed replaced. I found your video and it was great. You lead me through the process quite wonderfully. I followed exactly your instructions and now my mower is working again. Excellent instructions! Thanks so much. Truly appreciated.
Just wanted to say thank you! I have owned a similar Troy built mower for YEARS. Always drove it on ramps for cleaning and maintenance (always sketchy) your video likely saved me a fractured face and got my old mower running good as new! Thank you again!!!
This guy is good, beats the hell out of spending time and money for somebody that thinks they know what they're doing. I live 30 miles from a bigger town, gas money is not an option for them to come down take it fix it return it..
Brother you are the reason why You Tube exists. This video and the one about removing the deck saved me from having to take the mower to a shop. It also saved me a ton of time, head scratching and cussing. Great step by step videos. If you are ever in Atlanta, I will buy you dinner and a beer!
Thanks Nick. I had a work shirt on and I just flipped it inside out because I don’t think my work wants their name plastered all over TH-cam. I didn’t feel like going inside to switch shirts. Next time I will because it seems to have upset a lot of people, lol.
Don’t worry about it. Some people watch videos just to try to find something to whine about. The point is you do good videos and help a lot of people. Wear your shorts inside out as far as most people are concerned and just concentrate on the informative videos.
Nick White.... He probably did it intentionally as to not get pinched for advertising infringement. Maybe? People are sensitive and that's not a maybe. Be safe. Have a good holiday weekend.
Hey buddy , I work on mowers a good bit for mostly relatives and friends ( translates to I don't get paid for it) lol. At any rate sometimes at 55 I forget various characteristics of mowers and especially get puzzled when people have tried to modify the original design( which if engineered correctly I'm have no problem with it) which is often times a poorly rigged mess. So to my point. Someone changed the tensioner pully out for a different size ( likely to accommodate a stretched belt) but your very clear video footage with excellent camera positioning that allowed me to just get the visual I needed to back up my suspicions of the problem. Furthermore, your clear and basic instructions along with clear and well positioned video footage should assist any one ( even the novice) with this evolution. Kudos...great job and I hope you continue to be a good steward to your fellow lawn care enthusiasts. Thanks
He missed checking the pulleys for bearing wear. Not a problem if you have a mower as new as the one he was working on, but older machine probably need pulleys and/or the CVT bearings replaced. You're doing all that work under the machine, you might as well get the pulleys sorted!
@@TheOzthewiz True but maybe he just didn't think about it? What impressed me the most was his taking the time to place the camera exactly where we could actually see what he was doing. Most videos like this you can't even see what the guy was trying to work on & explain. So you're left with a waste of time. I always give people a Like simply because they took the time & effort to at least to try & teach us something.
Yes this helped immensely, I had to change the PTO cable so while the battery and supports are all out I noticed the drive belts looked really bad, both of them, so I said I need to change them while I have this access all open, but was a little perplexed on how to so your tutorial helped make this easy, thanks very much,
Hey flip. Thanks so much for this awesome video! Worked out perfectly in helping me replace my belts. I’m not mechanically inclined at all but you made this so easy for me and I greatly appreciate it!
I have never done this. But its that time of year and my pony wont budge. I will have to watch the other vid for the deck as well. Wish me luck! And good luck to others.
Excellent tips, thanks! I'll definitely consult this video when I change the belts on my old Toro later this summer or next year. I changed them a few years ago and had a hell of a time getting the old ones off.
Thanks for the excellent video. Figured I'd change the drive belts since I had the deck off to change that belt. Drive belts did not look that bad but decided to change . I went the cheap route and bought non OEM belts that were supposed to be a match for the OEM numbers. Nothing but problems with creeping and engaging the transmission. Put the old belts back on and the problems went away. The new belts seemed to match up in size but when I put them on they were extremely tight causing the transmission to be always engaged because there was not enough slack in the belts to let the variable pully to work correctly. They did seem to be a little thicker and slight wider. Your suggestion to only use MTD OEM belts is spot on. Lesson learned.
Thanks, I have definitely learned that there are some things in life you can go the cheaper, generic route, but belts are not one of them! A few extra bucks will save you some time down the road and a headache.
Same problem, bought an Amazon upper belt now variable speed isn't working correctly, should've gotten the OEM to begin with. Great videos! Thanks for posting Flip, they are a great help!
For unrelated reasons, I have difficulty working as a mechanic these days (although I spent a lot of hours on my creeper under U-Haul trucks working for that company as a twenty-something...), so I was thinking about having this done instead of doing it myself. I'm glad I did it myself, even if I had to get a stronger impact wrench to get the bolt out of the main drive pulley. I have no idea what they used to install that thing, but it did NOT want to get loose. Since I already had jack stands and a good jack, I didn't do the ramp thing. I have wheel chocks cut from 4X4 lumber (used a band saw and a drill press to cut the curve and make a hole for the rope to keep the pair of chocks together).
No problem, and yes I know, lol. I still had a work shirt on, so I just flipped it inside out. I'm not sure if they want their name all over TH-cam lol.
Thank for sharing. the seat on my troybuilt the inserts that u screw in to on my seat are just floating around in the seat u got a better solution than going to go buy a new seat
I found it easier to "crack" the nut on the transmission pulley, with the belt still on there and before I removed the spring. The tension on the belt was enough to hold it still. I was able to replace it without completely removing the battery that way.
Another thing to keep in mind when changing the belts (including the PTO belt), is to "clear" the inner part of the pulleys of any rust build up during storage. Using about 100 grit sandpaper will work fine. The rust build up (even minor rust) will accelerate the wear on the belts!
@@fixitFlip Rebuilding my 3 Build and Scrape Them engines, on my riding lawn mowers. There throwing out the decompression cam. WORK WORK and MORE WORK. These decompression kits are hard to fine The de. cam done messed up one engine! i had to replace on my pony/ I had a 25 hp KAWASUCKY ENGINE in my 260 Z That i put in a new 29 hp Build them and scrape them engine in. My gravely 260 Z ero turn, 60" cut! is a BEAST! A commercial riding lawn mower
@@fixitFlip Yes it is bro. Its a fast, and comfortable👍 Ridding lawn mower! She drives like a tank and handles like a Cadillac SMOOTH AND FAST. 12k is the price on a commercial ridding lawn mower. I got it for 8k NEW > Cause of the Cheap Kawasucky engine! 2 year later. THE RINGS BLEW OUT The ridding lawn mower is all AMERICAN MADE except the engine! That where i got a price break at. I replace the engine with a bigger 29 hp Briggs engine > If you got the money! You will love it to. go ahead and get the kawasucky engine! Later on, you can replace it like i did 👍 SAVE THOUSAND OF DOLLARS > SHE IS A BEAST NOW 😁😁
Geeeze the mower looks so new its hard to see how you need a belt. I have a similar MTD Pro model that is 23 years old and still working. Just now getting read for drive belt #3. I recall somewhere this level mower has a design life of 10 years. Nobody told me and I put few parts on it now and then. Its showing its age and still going. Most radical repair I had to do to mine was weld up the steering support housing. Stress cracks from all the miles!
Mower’s about 10 years old in that video. I had a manager at Tractor Supply tell me the average one lasts 7 years these days. Sad. Gotta take care of them.
I found it you can get the heavy duty V belts. They are heat resistant as well. Stretch less to 👍 Mine on my Pony is? Top belt is 5/8" x 37" V pulley, the bottom belt is 5/8" x 73" V pulley OEM is good to. but i prefer HEAVY DUTY The reason is> I PULL ALOT OF HEAVY LOADS ON MY TRAILER, WITH IT, PONY or UTV. 👍👍 I made a dump trailer out of a old Vacuum leaf trailer> Fiberglass the insides and bottom. painted it add new balloon tries and rims. SHE IS AWESOME . The best trailer EVER! For the yard, or Acreage.🤠 I have put 4k pounds of Oak wood logs in it ! NP for fire wood. These round that was cut 16" tall and 38 to 40" round I put 16 of them into the trailer. There around 300 pound per round. That is all that i'am going to pickup by hand. I don't want to break my back
@@fixitFlip Around 4800 lbs Yes it is way to much for a garden tractor 😎 But it pulled the load just fine. Until i was looking around the plate on the tractor that the ball was mounted to, was bent down about 1/2" But i'am still using it just fine. Not going to load it again like that
@@fixitFlip The gravely would handle it JUST FINE. IT GOT A STRONG FRAME. AND A STRONG PLACE FOR A RECEIVER MOUNT. I welding a ball mount on that beast
@@fixitFlip Me to! i brag on it all the time! It got a hydraulic Deck Lift to! Makes it SO NICE to Miss a rock or a log. or adjust your cutting height. Cheers buddy
Awesome video thank you. Question for you. As soon as I put mower in gear to go forward or reverse, I am getting a loud squeal, and then it stops once the mower starts rolling in forward or reverse. Would a worn drive belt cause that squeal, or would it be one of the drive pulleys causing it?
@@fixitFlip Just did some more research, and the drive idler pulley will squeal when they go bad, and act just like mine is doing. Going to replace the upper and lower drive belt too while I am making the idler pulley repair. Thanks!
@@snippits75 That's probably what I would do, too. If you're going to take the battery out and jack it up, might as well replace those all 3 of those things. Hopefully does the trick.
@@fixitFlip The squeal is fixed! I bought this mower used. The upper drive belt had the wrong belt installed plus the variable drive pulley spring was not hooked on the frame side. The belt that was on the upper drive was a ribbed belt, and should have been a smooth belt. Installed a Stens TrueBlue belt on the upper drive and a MTD on the lower drive belt. Used a new Stens for the deck belt. It was pretty easy to tell where the squeal was coming from. After I got the battery out, I hand turned the variable speed pulley, and it squealed. The drive idler pulley and variable speed pulley were both in good condition. Mower is running very good now.
Thanks Flip! My son hit a big half buried rock and snapped off and lost an assembly that was welded on. It looks like it was the tensioner, but, as a welded on part, it's not going to have a part number. So I'm trying to figure out what that assembly looked like, but I don't see it in any of the MTD assembly drawings. Do you know what it would be called or what it looks like?
Can you tell me where the part is in relation to other parts? If you watch my video on removing the deck, maybe you would see it? th-cam.com/video/tKNqokiNo00/w-d-xo.html
This was 2 years ago. I bought a zero turn but now it won't start. The right side blade would have hit the rock, as he was turning right, going up a hill at an angle - as i recall. Weird thing is, I took a picture of the 3 holes where rivets that held the missing assembly in place tore through the red, slightly curved piece of sheet metal, but I crawled back where it's at and the deck is black, so I cant figure out where on the machine that was. I just know I took the picture from under the mower, at ground level. I just can't get at the machine without some help moving stuff. The picture of where the missing assembly was attached shows 2 holes, one right above the other, about 2-3" apart, and a third hole parallel to the middle point between the other two, about 4-5 inches away. I just don't see anything red that'd hit the ground or get yanked off by the belt when the blade hit the rock.
I used an after market lower belt now I have trouble with the tranny. I think the belt is a tad bit small and the mower appears to be in gear at idle and therefore have to shut it off to change gears. I have the OEM belt ordered and have to do the job over. Hope this solves the problem.
Hello flip, just wanted to first start out with thanking you for all your contributions to the community. Im not really well versed with mechanics, I followed your video and replaced my upper transmission belt after it repeatedly popped off. it was surely ready for it. however after i installed the new one, my mower feels slow ? or like its not shifting ?maybe i tightened something to much or not enough ? any help would be great. it goes just doesnt seem to move like it did
OEM they were about $40 each off Troy Bilt's website. I'm sure you can find them cheaper on Amazon. I have links in the description under the video if you want to check them out.
Shit me and my brother Lombardo got that one today 2007 good shape twin cam needs belts replaced this video was helpful but was a bit different but still helped out a lot
I changed my belt and pulley swapped mine. But now it grinds whenever I try to put it into forward or reverse. I might have knocked something loose. But I have a feeling the clutch/brake isnt doing its job any ideas?
Right after asking, we realized putting a breaker bar on the flywheel bolt & using the steering column to hold it in place, we could use a breaker bar & loosen the bolt on the drive pulley enough that we could finish getting it out with the impact driver.
@@craigb9417 You literally responded with what I was going to say. I have a 24" breaker bar from Harbor Freight that never seems to let me down. Glad you got it off.
I replaced the deck belts and the transmission belt, now I can’t start the engine! Is that possible I did not tighten enough the bottom nut under the engine? The battery is new, and all wires are good including the spark plug. Any suggestions?😢
did you tilt the mower on its side? if so it probably flooded the engine cylinder with oil take out the spark plug and crank the engine over and blow out all that oil out of the cylinder replace the spark plug and start engine.... i just did this to my mower lol
Great vid but I am curious though. Your Pony looks fairly new and your belts need replacing already? Why? My Pony is 15 yrs old and my drive belt just broke today. Of all YT vids I watched yours was the best 2 thumbs up BTW Sub'd
Thank you! And my Pony is definitely not new, ha ha. 10 years old. Bought in 2012. Just tried to take pretty good care of it. I have a review video of all the things I have done to it when it was about 8 years old.
Applies to Bronco....kinda....Bronco has a set of 2 pulleys in the middle...guess the pony doesn't have these, so I had to a find a seperate video to show how the belt routes thru middle pulleys.
Problem is my Pony throws belts so easy every time I disengage the cutting blades. All the belt guards are in place, but I can literally reach under the cutting deck and EASILY with 1 finger push the belt off the pulley. I ordered a new 96.5 inch belt and the same issue. I feel like these mowers need a smaller belt than is suggested by MTD or the manufacturer...anybody else with this issue?
@@fixitFlip to be honest no it is not and I also did not have the front drive pulley wire belt holder attached correctly. I'll give it another go and report back.
Okay, sounds good. Some of the aftermarket belts out there tend to get thrown off because they just vary just by a fraction or so. True story. @@colomacountry
Crescent wrench = Knuckle breakers. I've already got a split in my thumb from the wrench. Lol I think... The guy that was helping me asked me to put the pipe wrench on steering column to hold it still. I did and of course it slipped and got my thumb, then he needed the pipe wrench I told him there is blood all over it, I showed him I wiped it off on my jeans he asked me if I had herpes or anything. I said NO, I got a cut my thumb that's why there's blood on it. Don't ask silly questions and you won't get silly answers.
@@fixitFlip: You and I both buddy on organizing. I've got to get a set of sockets & wrenches the ex renter took all of my tools. If I weighed more than 93 lbs. I would go after her for taking my freaking channel locks. My channel locks meant a lot to me.
About 73 people. I had a work shirt on and I just flipped it inside out because I don’t think my work wants their name plastered all over TH-cam. I didn’t feel like going inside to switch shirts. Next time I will because it seems to have upset a lot of people, lol.
Gentlemen you do not have to remove the deck nor Polly release the spring and just pull the belt off the tension pull and other not the trans Polly less then 15 minutes down
Thanks so much for posting this video. I was having problems with my riding mower and a mechanic helped me diagnose what needed done: both drive belts needed replaced. I found your video and it was great. You lead me through the process quite wonderfully. I followed exactly your instructions and now my mower is working again. Excellent instructions! Thanks so much. Truly appreciated.
You're welcome and thank you for the kind words. Glad I could help with the project!
Just wanted to say thank you! I have owned a similar Troy built mower for YEARS. Always drove it on ramps for cleaning and maintenance (always sketchy) your video likely saved me a fractured face and got my old mower running good as new! Thank you again!!!
No problem, and glad to hear it! Mine is 10 years old. If you take care of them, they last a while!
This guy is good, beats the hell out of spending time and money for somebody that thinks they know what they're doing. I live 30 miles from a bigger town, gas money is not an option for them to come down take it fix it return it..
@@reneelosie2644 Thank you, Renee. I appreciate the kind words.
@@fixitFlip:
You are very welcome.
Have a great memorial Day.
Have a great memorial Day Matt Grant and family.
Brother you are the reason why You Tube exists. This video and the one about removing the deck saved me from having to take the mower to a shop. It also saved me a ton of time, head scratching and cussing. Great step by step videos. If you are ever in Atlanta, I will buy you dinner and a beer!
Sounds good to me and glad I could help!
I know right dude... I fucking Love TH-cam. If there is a video on it I can do it
@@KnightOfChrist1978 Absolutely. I use it for lots of stuff too.
I turned my shirt inside out and it gave me some more power to help get these belts replaced thanks to this video!
Works every time. Just keep the pants on.
@@fixitFlip Don't tell me what to do! Also thanks for the video!
@@dandavis2447 Point made. You do you. And you're welcome.
A solid 9 video...I would give a 10 but I'm taking 1 point off for having your shirt on inside out.
Thanks Nick. I had a work shirt on and I just flipped it inside out because I don’t think my work wants their name plastered all over TH-cam. I didn’t feel like going inside to switch shirts. Next time I will because it seems to have upset a lot of people, lol.
The shirt. Lmao
Don’t worry about it. Some people watch videos just to try to find something to whine about. The point is you do good videos and help a lot of people. Wear your shorts inside out as far as most people are concerned and just concentrate on the informative videos.
Nick White.... He probably did it intentionally as to not get pinched for advertising infringement. Maybe? People are sensitive and that's not a maybe. Be safe. Have a good holiday weekend.
Flip I really like the ramps.
Thanks dude, exactly what I needed. Waay better than the official Troy Bilt video with similar content because you told the wrench sizes.
No problem. Thanks for the kind words.
Hey buddy , I work on mowers a good bit for mostly relatives and friends ( translates to I don't get paid for it) lol.
At any rate sometimes at 55 I forget various characteristics of mowers and especially get puzzled when people have tried to modify the original design( which if engineered correctly I'm have no problem with it) which is often times a poorly rigged mess.
So to my point. Someone changed the tensioner pully out for a different size ( likely to accommodate a stretched belt) but your very clear video footage with excellent camera positioning that allowed me to just get the visual I needed to back up my suspicions of the problem.
Furthermore, your clear and basic instructions along with clear and well positioned video footage should assist any one ( even the novice) with this evolution. Kudos...great job and I hope you continue to be a good steward to your fellow lawn care enthusiasts.
Thanks
Wow, very kind words there. And comments like these are what keep me going with these videos. I'm glad I could help!
The best instructional video I've seen on mower repair! Thank you for your excellent work! Camera, editing etc.
Wow, thank you for the kind words!
He missed checking the pulleys for bearing wear. Not a problem if you have a mower as new as the one he was working on, but older machine probably need pulleys and/or the CVT bearings replaced. You're doing all that work under the machine, you might as well get the pulleys sorted!
@@TheOzthewiz True but maybe he just didn't think about it? What impressed me the most was his taking the time to place the camera exactly where we could actually see what he was doing. Most videos like this you can't even see what the guy was trying to work on & explain. So you're left with a waste of time. I always give people a Like simply because they took the time & effort to at least to try & teach us something.
Yes this helped immensely, I had to change the PTO cable so while the battery and supports are all out I noticed the drive belts looked really bad, both of them, so I said I need to change them while I have this access all open, but was a little perplexed on how to so your tutorial helped make this easy, thanks very much,
No problem, glad I could help!
Hey flip. Thanks so much for this awesome video! Worked out perfectly in helping me replace my belts. I’m not mechanically inclined at all but you made this so easy for me and I greatly appreciate it!
No problem and that’s great to hear! That’s why I do it! If you don’t mind, hit the “like” button for me! It helps the channel.
I have never done this. But its that time of year and my pony wont budge. I will have to watch the other vid for the deck as well. Wish me luck! And good luck to others.
Good luck with the project!
I am gonna do my belts tomorrow, and it looks like a fairly easy job. Thanks for the tips.
No problem. Hope it goes smooth for ya.
Thanks Flip, today i made your ramps and changed both belts following your video. Great stuff mate - all the way from Oz !
That's awesome! Comments like this keep me going. Thanks and stay safe down unda!
Thanks so much for a very informative video. It would have taken me so much longer without it!!
No problem, glad I could help!
Excellent tips, thanks! I'll definitely consult this video when I change the belts on my old Toro later this summer or next year. I changed them a few years ago and had a hell of a time getting the old ones off.
No problem. Glad I could help.
Very informative. Thanks for the clearness and suggestions to make this process smooth as possible.
Thanks and no problem. Good luck with the project.
Thanks for the excellent video. Figured I'd change the drive belts since I had the deck off to change that belt. Drive belts did not look that bad but decided to change . I went the cheap route and bought non OEM belts that were supposed to be a match for the OEM numbers. Nothing but problems with creeping and engaging the transmission. Put the old belts back on and the problems went away. The new belts seemed to match up in size but when I put them on they were extremely tight causing the transmission to be always engaged because there was not enough slack in the belts to let the variable pully to work correctly. They did seem to be a little thicker and slight wider. Your suggestion to only use MTD OEM belts is spot on. Lesson learned.
Thanks, I have definitely learned that there are some things in life you can go the cheaper, generic route, but belts are not one of them! A few extra bucks will save you some time down the road and a headache.
Same problem, bought an Amazon upper belt now variable speed isn't working correctly, should've gotten the OEM to begin with. Great videos! Thanks for posting Flip, they are a great help!
i lost my drive pulley bolt.what size is it?thanks
I was happy when I saw a little grass on the transmission. 😅😊
Excellent video!!
Thank you!
Much appreciated Flip! I am changing out the lower drive belt today.
Awesome, hope the project went well!
@@fixitFlip It did! Got the belt on and mowed my lawn. Felt especially accomplished today.
For unrelated reasons, I have difficulty working as a mechanic these days (although I spent a lot of hours on my creeper under U-Haul trucks working for that company as a twenty-something...), so I was thinking about having this done instead of doing it myself.
I'm glad I did it myself, even if I had to get a stronger impact wrench to get the bolt out of the main drive pulley. I have no idea what they used to install that thing, but it did NOT want to get loose.
Since I already had jack stands and a good jack, I didn't do the ramp thing. I have wheel chocks cut from 4X4 lumber (used a band saw and a drill press to cut the curve and make a hole for the rope to keep the pair of chocks together).
Glad to hear you got it done! Always feels a little better to get a project like this done yourself. I'm sure the jack worked just fine.
The best explanation yet. Thanks. PS. Your shirt was inside out!
No problem, and yes I know, lol. I still had a work shirt on, so I just flipped it inside out. I'm not sure if they want their name all over TH-cam lol.
Thank for sharing. the seat on my troybuilt the inserts that u screw in to on my seat are just floating around in the seat u got a better solution than going to go buy a new seat
I did a video on my seat coming loose a looong time ago. See if this helps at all: th-cam.com/video/xXBJvmnuqB0/w-d-xo.html
the evidence speaks for itself - it pays to keep the mower clean to make the repairs less odious
Bingo!
You are an excellent teacher. Thanks much.
No problem and thank you for the kind words!
Excellent, thanks so much, saved me an enormous amount of time....and frustration!
Glad I could help!
Thanks! (if it works I'll send more!)😁
Thank you! Good luck with the project! 👊🏻
Very thorough and easy to see under the mower!
Thank you!
dude. those ramps are top notch. You should have gotten those pattened and manufactured in hard plastic.
Thanks, man. Sometimes I wish I would have done that!
slick rick with the ramps over here
ayyyyy
Thanks!
Wow, thank you so much!! I appreciate it a lot!
I found it easier to "crack" the nut on the transmission pulley, with the belt still on there and before I removed the spring. The tension on the belt was enough to hold it still. I was able to replace it without completely removing the battery that way.
That works too!
Another thing to keep in mind when changing the belts (including the PTO belt), is to "clear" the inner part of the pulleys of any rust build up during storage. Using about 100 grit sandpaper will work fine. The rust build up (even minor rust) will accelerate the wear on the belts!
Great tip!
Prety dope brother i like that and i love the home made ramps
Thank you sir!
Excellent video. Thanks for sharing
Thank you and no problem.
idk what happen to my comments. GREAT VIDEO well done 👍👍
Bee!! Thanks brotha, where ya been??
@@fixitFlip Rebuilding my 3 Build and Scrape Them engines, on my riding lawn mowers. There throwing out the decompression cam. WORK WORK and MORE WORK. These decompression kits are hard to fine The de. cam done messed up one engine! i had to replace on my pony/ I had a 25 hp KAWASUCKY ENGINE in my 260 Z That i put in a new 29 hp Build them and scrape them engine in. My gravely 260 Z ero turn, 60" cut! is a BEAST! A commercial riding lawn mower
@@426superbee4 I hear ya on the work. Kawasucky?? Lol......That 60" gravely sounds like a lot of fun!
@@fixitFlip Yes it is bro. Its a fast, and comfortable👍 Ridding lawn mower! She drives like a tank and handles like a Cadillac SMOOTH AND FAST. 12k is the price on a commercial ridding lawn mower. I got it for 8k NEW > Cause of the Cheap Kawasucky engine! 2 year later. THE RINGS BLEW OUT The ridding lawn mower is all AMERICAN MADE except the engine! That where i got a price break at. I replace the engine with a bigger 29 hp Briggs engine > If you got the money! You will love it to. go ahead and get the kawasucky engine! Later on, you can replace it like i did 👍 SAVE THOUSAND OF DOLLARS > SHE IS A BEAST NOW 😁😁
@@426superbee4 That's wild. A lot of dudes I know that do full time landscaping swear by the Kawasaki engines!
Geeeze the mower looks so new its hard to see how you need a belt. I have a similar MTD Pro model that is 23 years old and still working. Just now getting read for drive belt #3. I recall somewhere this level mower has a design life of 10 years. Nobody told me and I put few parts on it now and then. Its showing its age and still going. Most radical repair I had to do to mine was weld up the steering support housing. Stress cracks from all the miles!
Mower’s about 10 years old in that video. I had a manager at Tractor Supply tell me the average one lasts 7 years these days. Sad. Gotta take care of them.
Better than the video I just watched where the fellow took off the entire fender assembly! Too much work for just a belt!
Yeah, no thanks on that.
Will this be the same for mtd yard machine 42inch deck this pony is the closest I’ve found that looks just like one
Should be very close. MTD makes both mowers so should be very similar.
Had to change the upper belt. Thanks
No problem!
I found it you can get the heavy duty V belts. They are heat resistant as well. Stretch less to 👍 Mine on my Pony is? Top belt is 5/8" x 37" V pulley, the bottom belt is 5/8" x 73" V pulley OEM is good to. but i prefer HEAVY DUTY The reason is> I PULL ALOT OF HEAVY LOADS ON MY TRAILER, WITH IT, PONY or UTV. 👍👍 I made a dump trailer out of a old Vacuum leaf trailer> Fiberglass the insides and bottom. painted it add new balloon tries and rims. SHE IS AWESOME . The best trailer EVER! For the yard, or Acreage.🤠 I have put 4k pounds of Oak wood logs in it ! NP for fire wood. These round that was cut 16" tall and 38 to 40" round I put 16 of them into the trailer. There around 300 pound per round. That is all that i'am going to pickup by hand. I don't want to break my back
4000 lbs is a huge load!
@@fixitFlip Around 4800 lbs Yes it is way to much for a garden tractor 😎 But it pulled the load just fine. Until i was looking around the plate on the tractor that the ball was mounted to, was bent down about 1/2" But i'am still using it just fine. Not going to load it again like that
@@fixitFlip The gravely would handle it JUST FINE. IT GOT A STRONG FRAME. AND A STRONG PLACE FOR A RECEIVER MOUNT. I welding a ball mount on that beast
@@426superbee4 That is beast mode. Love Gravelys.
@@fixitFlip Me to! i brag on it all the time! It got a hydraulic Deck Lift to! Makes it SO NICE to Miss a rock or a log. or adjust your cutting height. Cheers buddy
Awesome video!
Thanks! 👊🏻
Thanks bro! Nice video!
Thank you!
great video, many thanks!!
Thanks and no problem!
Awesome video thank you.
Question for you. As soon as I put mower in gear to go forward or reverse, I am getting a loud squeal, and then it stops once the mower starts rolling in forward or reverse. Would a worn drive belt cause that squeal, or would it be one of the drive pulleys causing it?
No problem. If I had to guess I would say a loose belt or the idler pully.
@@fixitFlip Just did some more research, and the drive idler pulley will squeal when they go bad, and act just like mine is doing. Going to replace the upper and lower drive belt too while I am making the idler pulley repair. Thanks!
@@snippits75 That's probably what I would do, too. If you're going to take the battery out and jack it up, might as well replace those all 3 of those things. Hopefully does the trick.
@@fixitFlip The squeal is fixed! I bought this mower used.
The upper drive belt had the wrong belt installed plus the variable drive pulley spring was not hooked on the frame side. The belt that was on the upper drive was a ribbed belt, and should have been a smooth belt. Installed a Stens TrueBlue belt on the upper drive and a MTD on the lower drive belt. Used a new Stens for the deck belt.
It was pretty easy to tell where the squeal was coming from. After I got the battery out, I hand turned the variable speed pulley, and it squealed. The drive idler pulley and variable speed pulley were both in good condition. Mower is running very good now.
@@snippits75 Awesome, glad to hear it!
What the actual size of the belts length wise? 40in, 41in etc
Upper trans belt is 35.25 in.
Lower drive belt is 34.13 in.
I have links in he description.
Thanks Flip! My son hit a big half buried rock and snapped off and lost an assembly that was welded on. It looks like it was the tensioner, but, as a welded on part, it's not going to have a part number. So I'm trying to figure out what that assembly looked like, but I don't see it in any of the MTD assembly drawings. Do you know what it would be called or what it looks like?
Can you tell me where the part is in relation to other parts? If you watch my video on removing the deck, maybe you would see it? th-cam.com/video/tKNqokiNo00/w-d-xo.html
This was 2 years ago. I bought a zero turn but now it won't start.
The right side blade would have hit the rock, as he was turning right, going up a hill at an angle - as i recall.
Weird thing is, I took a picture of the 3 holes where rivets that held the missing assembly in place tore through the red, slightly curved piece of sheet metal, but I crawled back where it's at and the deck is black, so I cant figure out where on the machine that was. I just know I took the picture from under the mower, at ground level. I just can't get at the machine without some help moving stuff.
The picture of where the missing assembly was attached shows 2 holes, one right above the other, about 2-3" apart, and a third hole parallel to the middle point between the other two, about 4-5 inches away. I just don't see anything red that'd hit the ground or get yanked off by the belt when the blade hit the rock.
Yeah, that is a strange one. There is a pulley guard that sits in a series of holes kind of how you are describing.@@johns1577
Check out the belt guard at the :58 mark th-cam.com/video/tKNqokiNo00/w-d-xo.html@@johns1577
I used an after market lower belt now I have trouble with the tranny. I think the belt is a tad bit small and the mower appears to be in gear at idle and therefore have to shut it off to change gears. I have the OEM belt ordered and have to do the job over. Hope this solves the problem.
Yep, this is one of a few jobs where I only trust the OEM! Thank you for the super thanks!!
Any chance of getting a pic of how the belt feeds through the 2 pulleys coming off the crank shaft.
@@beulah199 I would take a picture for you but I sold this mower about 2 years ago! There are some shots under the mower at about 5:50 mark
Hello flip, just wanted to first start out with thanking you for all your contributions to the community. Im not really well versed with mechanics, I followed your video and replaced my upper transmission belt after it repeatedly popped off. it was surely ready for it. however after i installed the new one, my mower feels slow ? or like its not shifting ?maybe i tightened something to much or not enough ? any help would be great. it goes just doesnt seem to move like it did
Is it an OEM belt? Are all the pulleys spinning freely or is one of them seized or worn?
@@fixitFlip Thanks for the reply brother. I actually figured it out after my question lol the clutch peddle of all things was a bit stuck
@@chriskraves8301 Ahh, that will do it too! Glad you got it figured out!
Very informative, your work is much appreciated.
Glad I could help.
Great video
Thank you.
Hey, do you still have this mower? I could use some help figuring out what's wrong with mine.
I do not. Sorry. Been using my Cub Cadet the last couple years.
absolutely perfect. Thanks
Wow, thanks for the kind words. and you're welcome.
Very good Video!
Thank you!
Great video, thank you.
Thanks and no problem.
How to know when the drive belt or the deck belt needs to be replaced?
You will either feel it slipping or sometimes it just breaks. You can also look at see when it starts to dry rot/split.
@@fixitFlip thank you
@@itsyurb0ylayy4 No problem.
You can use a trampoline spring tension hook "not sure of the legal name" as opposed to string. That's what I did, much easier/quicker.
Good tip. Always welcome.
Question on top drive belt. On mine for some reason it is rubbing the lift arm for the deck on the right side. What would cause that?
Main thing is to put never zee on pulley and nut on rear star shaft to make it easier to get nut of and on, can tie deck arms up also
put what on there?
Nice ramps
Thanks.
What size belts did you use?
Just ordered belts for a 42 inch deck Troy Bilt off their website. They are linked under the video.
Awesome video, helped me out a great deal today👍👍 Thank You
Thank you and glad I could help.
Great video but if I ever get stuck id just turn my shirt inside out for good fortune
It's worth a shot.
Thanks! The upper belt took 25min.
No problem. Glad you got it done.
What is the cost of all those new belts and sizes of the .
OEM they were about $40 each off Troy Bilt's website. I'm sure you can find them cheaper on Amazon. I have links in the description under the video if you want to check them out.
Shit me and my brother Lombardo got that one today 2007 good shape twin cam needs belts replaced this video was helpful but was a bit different but still helped out a lot
Glad it helped somewhat!
I changed my belt and pulley swapped mine. But now it grinds whenever I try to put it into forward or reverse. I might have knocked something loose. But I have a feeling the clutch/brake isnt doing its job any ideas?
How do you take off the front pulley if the belt snapped off and the pulley has nothing keeping it tight to take that big bolt off?
It shouldn't matter if the belt is on or not, especially if you have an impact.
The pulley just spins; the engine doesn't hold it in place for a ratchet or an impact.
@@davetordero1172 This is what mine does - very annoying
What are the belt part numbers
There are links under the video to each belt and the part numbers are listed there on Troy Bilt's website.
Any recommendations for removing the drive pulley when you can't get it loose with an impact driver (24v Kobalt)
Right after asking, we realized putting a breaker bar on the flywheel bolt & using the steering column to hold it in place, we could use a breaker bar & loosen the bolt on the drive pulley enough that we could finish getting it out with the impact driver.
@@craigb9417 You literally responded with what I was going to say. I have a 24" breaker bar from Harbor Freight that never seems to let me down. Glad you got it off.
On the upper belt, which pulley gets the belt last?
Transmission pulley. On the right with the nut still off.
@@fixitFlip Thanks
No problem.
I replaced the deck belts and the transmission belt, now I can’t start the engine! Is that possible I did not tighten enough the bottom nut under the engine? The battery is new, and all wires are good including the spark plug. Any suggestions?😢
did you tilt the mower on its side? if so it probably flooded the engine cylinder with oil take out the spark plug and crank the engine over and blow out all that oil out of the cylinder replace the spark plug and start engine.... i just did this to my mower lol
How much for the pile of lumber?😃 Seriously, thanks for the tips and advice!
$300!! No joke. 2x12 12 footers to rebuild some stringers
bronco stops moving when going uphill.. is that the upper or lower belt or something else
Could be either drive belt slipping or the transmission starting to go.
I did it by removing the floor panel and rear fender assembly , much easier .
Interesting. Thanks for the input.
Well Done!!
Thank you!
does this work on a 2015 13wv78ks011 model?
Yes, mine's a 2012, so should be very similar!
Thanks man!
No problem!
Great vid but I am curious though. Your Pony looks fairly new and your belts need replacing already? Why? My Pony is 15 yrs old and my drive belt just broke today. Of all YT vids I watched yours was the best 2 thumbs up BTW Sub'd
Thank you! And my Pony is definitely not new, ha ha. 10 years old. Bought in 2012. Just tried to take pretty good care of it. I have a review video of all the things I have done to it when it was about 8 years old.
If I'm just changing the Trans belt do I need to take the deck off
That's the only way I've ever done it but there is a guy here in the comments saying you don't have to take the deck off for whatever that's worth.
Thanks!!
No problem!
My pully spindle doesn't slide, even though it has the two belt grooves. Its a 42in. Troy Built Pony or you think its just frozen?
Yeah it could be just seized up.
what if the nut is rusted and stuck?
I would use some PB blaster and a long breaker bar.
How did you get the bolt out of the front pulley? Mine is stuck.
impact wrench
I have the same question. I’m using an impact and it’s still not coming loose.
Can I buy your U-Haul lifts if you can make me some? And how much do you charge?
I should have patented it a long time ago when I first built them. I don't sell them unfortunately. I get asked a lot tho. Maybe I should.
My engine pully bolt won’t come off and I’m using just about anything and it still won’t come off
Using an impact wrench? Try a long breaker bar and some PB blaster?
@@fixitFlip if I try to do that, the pully keeps moving on me and Idk what to do to keep from that pully moving so I can use a breaker bar
@@rcguy3205 Yeah that's a tough one. Some pulleys have that hole you can stick a screwdriver in but this one you really need an impact.
I bent my screwdriver trying to remove the nut with the screwdriver as a lock.
👀
If you don't go oem on drive belts they will not work right.. they will not pull the tractor or make it continue to pull after stopping.
Agreed! I always go OEM with drive belts.
I would never but a mower without deck wheels.
Yeah, considered adding them at one point. Don't have this mower anymore.
Applies to Bronco....kinda....Bronco has a set of 2 pulleys in the middle...guess the pony doesn't have these, so I had to a find a seperate video to show how the belt routes thru middle pulleys.
Oh ok. Sorry about that.
Problem is my Pony throws belts so easy every time I disengage the cutting blades. All the belt guards are in place, but I can literally reach under the cutting deck and EASILY with 1 finger push the belt off the pulley. I ordered a new 96.5 inch belt and the same issue. I feel like these mowers need a smaller belt than is suggested by MTD or the manufacturer...anybody else with this issue?
Is it an OEM belt?
@@fixitFlip to be honest no it is not and I also did not have the front drive pulley wire belt holder attached correctly. I'll give it another go and report back.
Okay, sounds good. Some of the aftermarket belts out there tend to get thrown off because they just vary just by a fraction or so. True story. @@colomacountry
Did u know your shirt was inside out, seen the tag😅
Yes I know, lol. I still had a work shirt on, so I just flipped it inside out. I'm not sure if they want their name all over TH-cam.
Ótimo, muito obrigado.
No problem.
i think you missed the belt keeper during your install.
Not sure what you mean.
It’s a metal loop on the underside. I used you instructions but my belt kept jumping off, the belt keeper seems to be helping for now 🤞
Ahh, gotcha. @@gautamsatya7811
I can use this
Great!
Crescent wrench = Knuckle breakers. I've already got a split in my thumb from the wrench. Lol I think... The guy that was helping me asked me to put the pipe wrench on steering column to hold it still. I did and of course it slipped and got my thumb, then he needed the pipe wrench I told him there is blood all over it, I showed him I wiped it off on my jeans he asked me if I had herpes or anything. I said NO, I got a cut my thumb that's why there's blood on it. Don't ask silly questions and you won't get silly answers.
Oh geez, and yes, crescent wrenches are knuckle bleeders. I could have swore I had a 7/8 wrench. Got to get my tools more organized.
@@fixitFlip:
You and I both buddy on organizing. I've got to get a set of sockets & wrenches the ex renter took all of my tools. If I weighed more than 93 lbs. I would go after her for taking my freaking channel locks. My channel locks meant a lot to me.
@@reneelosie2644 I hear that. Can't have too many wrenches/pliers.
Has anyone else asked why your shirt is inside out?
About 73 people. I had a work shirt on and I just flipped it inside out because I don’t think my work wants their name plastered all over TH-cam. I didn’t feel like going inside to switch shirts. Next time I will because it seems to have upset a lot of people, lol.
@@fixitFlip awesome. Thanks.
Is your shirt inside out? 🤣
Yep. Had my work shirt on. Too lazy to go inside to get a new one. Don't think they want it plastered all over TH-cam.
Gentlemen you do not have to remove the deck nor Polly release the spring and just pull the belt off the tension pull and other not the trans Polly less then 15 minutes down
This mechanic has his shirt on inside out .
This mechanic is aware. Had a work shirt on. Didn't feel like changing it.
LMAO 🤣
I do that crap all the time lol
@@MartinXRP Had no idea it would blow people's minds like this, lol.
Yes no doubt
Hey, your shirts inside out.
Yep. Had my work shirt on. Too lazy to go inside to get a new one. Don't think they want it plastered all over TH-cam.
@Fix it Flip good thinking