Don't Make These MISTAKES When Replacing Your Riding Lawn Mower Deck Belt!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 มิ.ย. 2024
- Looking for a detailed video showing you how to replace the spindles, belts and pulleys on a riding mower? Watch this!
👉🏻 • How to change the belt...
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My name is Bre. I took two years of small engine repair at the local college. When I left school, I fell into a wonderful job at a local small engine shop where I worked the counter for a couple years. In 2010 my husband and I opened up our own small engine shop in central Arkansas where I am able to work alongside my family and best friends. We see over 2,000 pieces of small engine equipment every year, and answer 1,000's of small engine questions. We specialize in brands such as Briggs and Stratton, Kohler, Echo and Shindaiwa, but work everyday on MANY other brands like Stihl, Husqvarna, Honda, Craftsman, Remington, Red Max, Troy Bilt, Scag, Bad Boy, Hustler, World Lawn, Poulan, Mantis, Etc.. Hopefully, my experience I share, will save you Time, Money and Frustration in the future!
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Although very informative, these videos are for entertainment purposes. Please use all possible safety precautions when repairing and operating your small engine equipment. - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
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Terrific insight and advice. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Cheers from Montreal, Canada!
One of the most common culprits I find that causes the deck belt to jump off, is a filthy deck. And when I say a filthy deck, I mean one that’s got like 20 acres of grass and dirt buildup around the spindles and pulleys. Guy’s wash that deck off every so often, and you will experience far fewer cases of the deck belt jumping off.
Good advice, but not right after you mow. Wait til the bearings cool off or lifespan is shortened greatly. Shooting myself in the foot because I sell a lot of deck bearings lol.
I learned when I was way younger than I am now, that everything you said is to be true. But I did learn the hard way. Lol
Great video!
Just the info i needed.
Talking about the housing which I called "Mower Belt Guard" on the top - left side of the deck on a the John Deere riding mower. Yesterday after helping my son-in-law & daughter do some mowing, it came time to clean off the mower. Well we three spent over an hour just cleaning the top side of the lawnmower's deck. Yes, that is right, an hour.... Now they say they clean it whenever they get through mowing. I did the mowing, the lawn wasn't wet or any dew on it, pretty much dry. When I got through mowing we went to start cleaning it. Hosed off the the mower from the top and then down to bottom & wheels. No problems, we thought.
Was noticing debris kept coming out from under this "Mower Belt Guard". Turned the sprayer to the jet position and tried forcing the debris out this way. Finally the son-in-law laid down in the driveway and reached as far as he could and started puling hunk's of debris out from inside of the "Mower Belt Guard". He gave up then the daughter gave it a try for awhile. Then I got in there more determined to get this area cleaned out. Almost did, but gave up temporarily because son-in-law said he needed the grease a grease joint which was inside this area and in order to do this he needed to remove the "Mower Belt Guard". Then he would clean out the rest of the debris.
This morning I came up with an idea which would help in the cleaning out from the inside of the "Mower Belt Guard". And this modification to the guard would not interfere with its purpose or safety feature as well.
Now for the modification: Using an 1-inch hole saw, we drilled three holes, about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch from the bottom, around the edge of this guard, equally spaced out. By doing this, it will allow the water jetted from the nozzle to reach inside the guard at three different places to help in the removal of the debris build up. We spaced out the holes as best as we could. Now cleaning is WAY faster. Just thought it might help everyone else out. Those decks aren't cheap to replace especially when caused by rust which could have been prevented.
Where I used to mow, the grass grew great, but it was very sandy. I mowed for years and then the belt started popping off. Bought a new belt (yes, correct length) and it kept popping off. I changed all of the spindles and shafts. No luck, the belt kept popping off. Come to find out, because of how sandy it was, the motor pulley had wore down, so the belt was going deeper which meant the belt was too loose. I could have probably changed the pulley, but I decided to buy a belt half of an inch shorter and it worked fine for a few years and then started doing it again. I donated the tractor to our local church and got a new tractor. It was 20+ years old by then. Stay positive and stay safe!
Since “V” belts drive on their sides, a worn pulley can also cause belt slippage. Cement saws will often have this issue. The bottom of the drive pulley should not have a polished appearance, as that means the belt is bottoming out on the pulley and therefore the belt will be slipping to some degree on the pulley.
Finally, the voice of experience.
You are one heavy duty lady. I got a top notch drive belt from Gates, a kevlar belt, much better than the original one. It took three tries to get the right size, but fortunately, with light use, I could trade in the ones that were too short at the O"Reilly parts store.
They are top grade, had patience to help me, so this is a reference if you want to try this for yourself.
Pretty pup
Just replaced my belt on my zero turn after it broke. Guess I waited too long. I was amazed at how much better it sounded after the new belt was on. Cut a lot better too.
I learn something today about belts not stretching, but wearing out from the inside. Thanks.
When Tyral fixes all is working on a mower and the phone rings .He always says that Money calling 😊
I fix small engines for family/friends, and the OEM belts always seem to hold up better than the generic belts from TSC and other places.
That's true, the only problem I have is paying a premium for a stock type belt over a Lowe's belt. A Lowe's belt is around $20 a stock belt are as much as $70 . It comes down to do I want to spend $20 every 2 years, or $70 every 2 years? I prefer $20 every 2 years verse $ 70 . Just my opinion. Now YOU might get 3-4 years from your belts, and that's great. I have to change mine every 2 years. For the extra money, it's not worth it for me.
@@bertgrau3934
Verse?
@@patrickflohe7427
$70 verse $20
All right all ready.....new belt same as the old....Geezzzz !👍
Before I bought a cub cadet I looked at the reviews and a common thread was that the belts jumped off. I ended up buying one and the first time I used it the belt came off. After a couple more times I drove the mower into the barn and laid down on the concrete where I could get a good look at the belt arrangement. With the deck in the upper position the belt was barely above level. In the lower position the belt ran downhill quite a bit to the deck. Thinking back the belt came off when I disengaged the blades with the deck in the lower position. Once I realized that it was only a matter of raising the deck before disengaging the blades and no more thrown belts.
Hmm I’ll have to try that on my cub cadet when I get home today, as it’s driven me nuts for YEARS. My solution was always to engage/disengage the blades slowly.
That is a safety issue as you might hesitate to disengage the PTO in an emergency when the deck is down if you know the belt will need to be restrung.
These belts are different than automotive belts. People think a belt is a belt. That's why people want a smaller one, because automotive belts do stretch. Great channel!
Naw - same deal. They wear just like described here.
Yeah, cut one in half, and you'll find they either have steel wire or kevlar cord in them. Neither will stretch.
I love that you named your dog Echo! I love Echo power equipment myself.
The "take away" from this... Size *does* matter according to the Chickanic!! 🤣
Great to be the shop owner. You can have a beer on premise while making TH-cam videos!
OEM parts commonly fit and function better than less expensive aftermarket parts as a rule. The key is finding a retailer that sells and service quality brands. Service them in the off season too. Saves frustration when you need to use it.
Very helpful.
You also have to be careful when buying aftermarket belts. Someone will list an 88 inch belt as a replacement for a MTD 88.5 belt.
Yep, with no fancy measuring tool, I know I have been sold too short belts thru online sales... I could barely engage the belt drive lever and ended up killing an idler pully 😢
Mine was maybe a quarter-inch too long. You could tell by the occasional burning smell as it slipped, particularly when raising the deck above three inches. The cut quality had also suffered.
The belt I tried to replace it with was too small, and it actually did spin the blades even with the PTO off. Both belts were listed as being the proper size. No more off-brand belts for me, despite the OEM one being four times the price.
@@larryjohns8823 😢
Chain and sprocket conversion kit.
Great information!! Thanks. Just broke the belt on our RC airplane club's zero turn. Just took it to the Gravely pros. Mowed with my Toro this week.
Great info...perfect spring time content
One thing I did to my belt guards was to modify them in such a way to make it easier to clean without taking them off every time I wanted to clean it up by just blowing all the crap out and worked fine I have an LA145 John Deere I bought new in 07 I think don't remember but still going strong just replacing the normal wear stuff
I tried the same thing, to get the debris out, but even with lots of large openings, I still have to remove the guard to clean it out.
Love you videos, you have saved me money in the past
Chickanic spreading knowledge, love it , lawn maintenance is finally picking up in upstate new york, it can snow up here on mothers day and of course Halloween, new york
Whoa Your "phone again" and your "oceans" give me an idea for retirement work.
That was an excellent video (as always) but I never would have thought this to be the case about old vs new belts. Thank you!
Here in East Texas there is a lot of sand. The sand gets stirred up when cutting and gets on the belt. While using the sand erodes the V of the PTO pulley and the spindle pulleys. This lets the belt run deeper in the pulley and allows poor quality of belt contact. Then the belt doesn’t turn the blades well in deep grass.
I always learn something from this channel. Thanks!
Love your Channel and that 1977 Corvette ❤❤
I know, because I have seen it, that people often put their belts on incorrectly, and that they don’t put the guides and guards on.
However, mine is not on incorrectly.
The Scott’s L1742 / John Deere L100 42” mower deck is an incredibly simple belt routing….It’s pretty hard to mess that up, but I also have the manual showing me, in case I’m a moron.
I mean, V side of belt in the V grooves, flat side on the flat, and it’s routed per the picture / instructions.
It doesn’t just appear to be too loose, it is too loose.
It falls off just driving around the yard, if it is not engaged.
It slips when trying to engage….especially if I don’t have the mower deck lifted up.
When I got my hands on this thing, it was way out of adjustment, so I set it up exactly per the factory instructions.
I found the pivot points for the blade brakes had rusty bushings, springs, etc.
That inhibited movement.
It stood to reason that this affected their movement, and it obviously had a negative affect on belt tension.
I replaced the bushings, springs, even washers and bolts, so things could move freely.
I replaced the one missing the belt guide, (your machine in the video didn’t have this guide, or even the holes for it….I think it is only on the 42” decks, and maybe earlier decks at that) and also changed the belt guide / shield on the left side…..there is only one, on this mower deck. Later or larger ones have one on the right side too, and I suspect it’s because belts get thrown off.
I’m starting to wonder if the engine is on slotted holes, and someone moved it farther back, because it’s not seemingly possible to get the correct belt tight.
I also wonder if maybe the belt pulleys might not all be correct?
One pulley is possibly too small?
-It just doesn’t seem possible that worn parts put that much slop into the system.
I’m left to wonder if the bellcrank needs to be replaced, but doesn’t seem sloppy enough to cause this.
Also, maybe the cable has stretched.
Most of these parts have been cheap to replace, but with that and the hardware, I’m over 400 bucks into this, and I’m doing the labor.
The bell crank with pulley is over 45 bucks, if I do that.
I think you said the cable is at least that much.
Not sure where this ends, but this thing has become the bane of my existence.
I learned that years ago working on heavy equipment. This particular piece had a surpentin belt that required an OEM belt on it. I tried 3 different belts and each one lacked 3/8 " one way or the other. ( Longer or shorter ) to put on. NONE of them would work. So I had to drive 75 miles to the equipment dealer to get it. The belt was twice the price and not to mention the down time. Big down time loss , hundreds of dollars. Since then have an OEM spare in the truck. That's what they call a Bought Lesson. Great video.
yup been there done that...out grew the tee shirt. There were even some pieces of equipment when we had to tear a 'bunch' of stuff off to get to the belts to change them we would cable tie a spare set of belts in place so when the time was right we would just cut the old belts off and have the replacements in place to slide on. Sure save a lot of work when out on the job site and down time was costly.
But yeah...having the right belt makes a difference...almost all the time. (I have seen car fan belts jerry rigged to get out of the 'wilderness' a couple times...lol)
as a mower mechanic also...always amazes me how a half or even a quarter in can make a big difference
Thank you. Superb explanation.
Another tip particularly for those folks that are working on older mowers. If it's constantly throwing belts, check the deck in and around where the idlers mount on the deck. While I'm not a pro small engine guy I've worked on alot of units and what I've seen alot on older MTD stuff with stamped decks is the deck will start pulling or cracking around where the idlers are pulling the whole thing out of alignment. At that point you have to fabri-cobble something together to reinforce the deck but keep the idler at the same height. Usually a piece of plate steel is welded onto the bottom of the deck with a hole through it for the idler and a longer bolt. Sometimes depending on the setup it might take some figuring to get everything right but you gotta get the alignment on the idlers right. If not it will throw belts forever.
Great video as always!! Thanks!!
Thanks Bre
I have learned to engage belts at low RPM and then throttle up, then throttle down before disengaging the belt.
Echo is a great name for a mower shop dog!
Great tip thx always learn something from you, take care
Thank you much. Such usefull information. Take care.
You are so right, I don't know how many of those J.D 100's come in with the belt gaurds missing!!
Great video tip. You are so right. Sooo many folks miss understand the belt systems. Thanks for another great video. 😊
Makes sense, thanks for the great vid as always, 👍👍
Good explanation of belt wear verses belt stretch. Thanks for sharing!
Awesome content today! I recently changed the spindle bearings and pulleys on my D105. I also got a new belt, the exact correct size! Seemed the best time to do it!!!
hey hey thank you so much on the advice i've always thought the belts stretch now i have a better understanding have a great weekend Chickanic
Thank you, I love that you share your knowledge with the masses. I wish I had found you a long time ago.
Awesome footage always keep stepping and fetching 💪 💪
My 30'' Columbia shredded the belt after two mows. According to a YT post, because of a design flaw, the belt slips off when the deck is dropped too low. At that acute angle, the blade belt is prone to slippage from jarring of the deck. i.e. uneven lawns or hitting rocks. My belt was wedged around the pulley spindle 3 layers deep. It hasn't happened again in the last four seasons.
Loved how clean that desk was.
Watched late at night with two fans going in the room. Tv volume was down low, with captions on. I hear the phone and it sounds just like mine. I immediately jump to check. Then I come back, resume the video, & hear the phone ring again.
I had to reset the deck belt on my 2 year old Ariens ikon xd today. It was loaded with crap under the plastic shields, so the pulleys were crying out to be free! It was a pretty easy fix and the belt is still ok. I usually don't let stuff build up in there for that reason. I blow the junk out with a leaf blower, & then follow up with a quick spray of the hose. A clean machine's gonna work better. I do my best to keep stuff maintained too!
I'll have to give mine a check next time I pull the deck for blade sharpening. Only have replaced it one time when I forgot to install the other side over the pulley- it sheared as soon as I engaged the PTO. Maybe 6-7 years old now, maybe 170 hours on it.
What a great video! You are so precise in your explanation! I learn something from you wether I want to or not! 😂☮✌🏻
Short sweet and Accurate love it
I learn so much from you.
You are the BEST. I learn so much from you. Thank you for your efforts.
Hey Brie, no wonder you are so popular and have one of the best small engine repair channels on TH-cam. Your persona is so personal, direct and spot on. No wonder you were included in those recent 2 personal videos with Steve and Dony, both CANADIANS! Good to have an AMERICAN in the upper crust small engine repair escalon! Good to see you also drink beer, must have seen Steve's trademark videos! Thanks again, Brie for your excellent videos. They have helped me immensely in repairing my equipment. Cheers, eh. Norm, Toronto 🍁🍺🍺.
Good info. Thanks!
I learned long ago when I need a belt, I buy two. I’ve learned the hard way
Good to know info, thanks.
That girl taught me more about belts in 10 minutes than I learned in 50 years self taught! Nice to look at, too. Keep the vids coming. You guys really have a big following of mower repairs. Thanks for info.(are you sure belts don't stretch?)lol
I didn't know that good info you are a genius Bre.🇺🇲🇺🇲
Thanks so much for the video! I am glad that you did this one. I don’t know how many times I have heard people say that the belt is stretched! Now I can tell them to watch your video! Thanks again and keep up the great job!
Good video ! So true. Not only do the belts fit properly the OEM belts tend to be of superior quality and give much longer life .
Great video!
Thanks for the info Bre great video. Take care of yourself and family and be Blessed ❤️❤️👍.
Thanks I needed to know that good information you know your onions 👍
Love how you pre positioned your icy cold beverage lol!!
Great video I agree 100% with her. In my younger days, I learned ONCE that you don't need a close belt, you need THE BELT. Excellent advice as always.
Nice Vette! I prefer the 1968 model (with added fender flares and side pipes) ....my father was a frame, alignment and body man who could do it all.....I mean ALL (including A/C Cobras body working with lead filler...not plastic). Being my dad taught me frame straightening and alignment I got to align many Corvettes when I worked in the automotive business from 1975 to 1989. My dad's shop was nick named "The Corvette Shop" because we did so many vettes adding flares, tilt front ends and all kinds of mods. My father passed in 2017 but I am looking forward to seeing him in heaven very soon (judging by world circumstances), I know my dad was born again (me too) so I have no doubt and can't wait to see my dad again. His first name was Adam and I was first born & with my mother calling him Adam and them both telling me to call him "dad" I was a confused little boy. Sooo... I made up my own name for him...... "Dad-um".... say it out loud and you'll get it! LOL Thank you for your videos.
I love your shop bre, it reminds me of the one my fiend had in the 80's and 90's that i worked as a mechanic.👍👍
It is not just the width of the belt but the depth will vary as well from manufacture to manufacture
The is the best video I've seen in 2023! Wealth of information, specially since I have a JD. Carumba you rock Bre!!!
I have a Craftsman T1800 with a 42” deck. I bought two new blades to put on it, before I took off the blades I checked the play in the spindle bearings one had play so I took off the belt pulley half of the ball bearings were missing. Had to order spindle but the deck belt was in stock. The mower is about seven years old still had origin belt & spindles.
Absolutely 100 percent!!!
O'Reilly Auto parts has Gates brand belts which are very good belts. Got them to interchange the John Deere part number and bought the Gates equivalent...no problemo!
first time i'd heard the dogs name.i thought DOGKANIC was a good choice.keep filling my brain with useful information.
Thank you for teaching me something today. I ran into this issue a few years back.
Guuuuurl you are the BEST!!!! I have watched 5 days worth of blah,blah blah,,,,, and your demeanor and explanation of systems keep it damn SIMPLE!!!!!! Got your site Saved my New Freind!!!!! Thanx!!!!!
Great vids and I strongly approve of your choice in beer.
You are a rockstar thanks for sharing 🔥
I have always thought the belt was stretching over the years. This proves that the belts do not stretch. I really like your belt size checker.
Just switching over from snowblower mode to lawn cutting mode on Martha, My Deere, today. I'll closely inspect and lube the deck while it's out. Thanks for the video, Bre! ❤❤
Martha was Paul's dog 😊
You are a Beatles fan! Does anyone else name their mower or tractor?
@@MLenninger I name all my vehicles... LOL But not all after Beatles' tunes!
You lady "know the ropes" ! :) Have a great weekend.
Love your channel. I had a neighbor and while mowing he would engage his blades 25 to 30 times. Yep, you could hear the belt to ERRRRR. lol
Yep belt guards. I've been working on my John Deere deck all morning and without the belt guards the belt will jump off for sure.
The frustration I feel when all the lawnmowers in my life tear up and I KNOW that taking them to someone to have them fixed will cost more money than I have cannot be expressed in words! The whole neighborhood knows because my yard looks completely ratchet next to my neighbors freshly cut and manicured yard and it's not because I'm lazy or don't care but because every time I turn around something is wrong with one or all of my mowers. And I don't have the money to pay someone to fix them. So thank you for what you do. You have taught this ole girl a few things!
Everyone on my street has a lawn tractor and sometimes I feel like it’s slightly ridiculous like it’s to bad we couldn’t all get together and just share one or two! With that said if a neighbours mower breaks down we all jump in to mow their lawn until it’s fixed.
Nice video good advice
That is so good to know I'm having problems with my belt Sears 42 it's deck they sold me a larger belt all I will have to do adjust the cable I will take the belt back off and get the right one I will take it back to the shop get my money back lead there and never go back thank you for telling me that😁😁😁
Your example mower uses a PTO system that tightens the belt to make it spin. For that kind of system it makes sense that the belt length would be critical. It needs to be the right length to have enough tension to grab the pulleys while the PTO is engaged and enough slack that when the PTO is disengaged the belt doesn't contact the engine shaft pulley and get gnawed down. However for systems where the PTO is not based on a mechanism to tighten the belt but instead the belt is a fixed tension and there is a clutch to engage the engine to drive the blades, it seems like that case the belt length wouldn't be as critical.
Also the guards aren't necessary to keep the belt from falling off.
Very Informative. Changed my John Deere belt last year and had the same thought. Thanks to your video, I got the proper belt.
Excellent information! Thank you! Just replaced the belts on our rider, hope I did it right. Otherwise I’ll be doing it again, but will be wiser because of your video.
Fascinating! So, I can't just stretch a section of inner tube in a pinch to replace my mower belt? Huh.
Also, TCB. Take off a couple of weeks. You could release a "Best of" edited video with some safe advice from the past. Like the one about ethanol in gasoline from one hose pumps.
Thank you for your thoughtful and insightful videos. I feel we live in the age of junk at the highest price. Your videos are very educational and help form purchasing decisions. Appreciated!
I've been running my JD LA145 for 5 years now without the two black plastic deck belt guards with no problems. It makes changing the belt a lot quicker when needed and also eliminates the loose grass that always seems to get packed in there. Makes blowing off all the loose grass off the top of the deck when finished mowing before putting the mower away. And yes I always make sure the pulleys are not spinning before I step off the mower. In fact it is easier to see that the blades have completely stopped spinning because you can see the tops of the outer spindle pulleys and make sure everything has stopped. I wish you would so a video on what you do about the crappy Tuff Torq transmissions that all the JD LA1xx series mowers use and the known issues they have when they start slipping or just not moving the tractor when going up slight hills. I'm sure you've seen those issues in your shop.
Wow. Nice Workload! Pipeline city...