Very helpful video. My belt came off, probably due to grass build up under the front cover. 9 screws holding that cover on. Ridiculous. I would advise anyone with this problem to try removing just the front cover first. That's how I did it, and I had no need to remove the blade and cover underneath.
Man that was an awesome video! All the other videos skipped the part on how to get the cover off of the front pulley. Even the owners manual skipped that part. So a virtual handshake to you sir 🫱 , I appreciate your help and have a great day!
Thank You, Jeff. My son and I watched your video, collected our tools and repaired our Troy-Built Walk Behind Ourselves.👐💪 I'm proud to say that our mower deck was free of grass and dirt build up and that we had the Satisfaction of the Repair and we saved our family the cost of the repair 🔧
I just ran into this problem earlier today. I attempted to check under the top cover but couldn't get it off. I was running out of daylight, so I just pushed thru it. I'm glad I found your video, you had the same mower as I do and now I know what to look for. Thanks
Even though you have a Troy Bilt and I have a Craftsman, your drive cover comes off the same. It took me less than 20 minutes to put my drive belt back in place. Worked just fine afterwards. Thanks.
Your video was beyond helpful because I have no experience with repairing anything with an engine. It took me much longer than you but I finally removed all the bolts and removed the cover seeing that the belt had come off. Thank God I did not have to remove the blade. Thank you so much for this video!!!
Thanks so much for this tutorial! My hubby is ill and wasn't able to fix our mower. I was able to troubleshoot and replace the belt in about 30 minutes.
Exactly what mine looked like. Thank you so much for the help. Should get the rest of the season on the belt, replace it in the fall. That way it’s ready for next season. :)
The same thing was wrong with my troy bilt. I looked at your video and took my lawn mower apart and put the belt back on and it rolling now thanks alot my guy.
Started to cut my grass and self propelled stopped working. Your video was first one to pop up. Tells me everything i needed to know about taking apart to repair and i thank you. Every thing i work on i clean before i start to take apart.
I know this is an old vid and im necroing it. I just wanted to say thankyou for the video. it helped me in figuring out how to put the belt retainer back on. The only thing other then the clean it first comments I've seen over and over, is always pop the plug wire off the mower before ever turning it while under it. i dont care if there is an engine brake on it. The state at which most mowers are at when you get to having to repair stuff like this is normally under some neglect and years of wear. i wouldnt trust an engine brake to keep an engine that starts by turning the engine in the first place. Just my two cents. even if it was electric start and had a ground kill wire.
Thanks very much. I had the same issue and your video helped me a lot. I added my own little hack. I used a thin elastic band to pinch the belt to ensure it ran inside the pins and it was much easier to get the bottom cover on. Anything strong enough to pinch the belt but weak enough to break when you fire up the engine will do.
Shout outs to you dear Sir. I’ll keep this short. But same scenario here with the wheels not spinning. Exact same mower. I followed your steps and am happy to say she’s running fine now. However two of all the screws I removed don’t fit back in the outer top holes. Seem to be a bit thicker than the rest. Thanks a lot.
I would have shortened this video myself but it absolutely helped me fix my lawn mower. My belt had come loose. It was surprisingly difficult to find all the bolts due to the cut up grass covering everything. Thanks for making this video!
Jeff You did a very good job ...short & sweet ! I started her up Wheels didn’t turn...figured I’d be spending the day fixing instead of mowing the lawn. I watched your video, so with fixing & cleaning I was back to mowing within the hour. 👌
This video just happened to pop up and it is exactly what I needed. My wheel drive stopped a little while ago and I need to fix it but I heard a "clank" when the wheels stoped moving, hopefully it won't be too difficult to fix. II couldnot even begin to start messing around with it if mine was that caked with grass. WTH!
Thank you for this video. My one question is about tipping the mower on its side. I thought the oil (& gas?) would get into the engine in places you don’t want it. I guess I thought that was a no-no. I also may have just made that up! 😂 I’m definitely not criticizing. I’m here to learn. ❤
That is correct! that can happen if you leave the mower on it's side for too long. Tipping it to the carburetor/gas tank hole side is the safest way to do it.
Yah, I would of power washed under it before I even touch it. Great vid there. Like the chickens 🐓. Brings whole new meaning to Taryl fixes all saying when he fixed something “there’s your dinner” 🍳 🥚
Very helpful, thanks. But the other guy is right too. You don't have to take the blade and bottom cover off.. just did mine in 5 minutes, thanks to both of you
I appreciate the video. In my attempt i must have tried more than a dozen times to get the cover off. I searched the deck over and over and could not find a hidden bolt. I could not get the cover off. Thanks anyway.
Jeff your the man! I haven’t tried this yet but I’m Closer then I was before trying to solve the issue. Hoping Chanel locks or something will work for the blade bolt.
I knocked the belt off one of these just by slamming the front end on the ground to try to kick out wet grass. We paid for it to be repaired that time, but I've replaced the belt once since then with this method.
Thank you!!! I fixed it the other day, I saw your video a few weeks ago for the second time a couple of months ago 🤔 remembered everything, no problem, except, I only had 2 screws on the guard, none underneath 👍 everything went too smooth, and there really wasn't too much debris, I clean the mechanics up with a little brake cleaner, pb blaster, hot soap and water, and bought a new blade, it's like it just came off the line, I changed the fluids, and baby is purring like a kitten, the front wheel drive is moving so good I think it lost its wobbly, and MORAL of the story, the belt was still like brand new, is that cool or what👍 THANKS AGAIN
Thoroughly enjoy your videos guy. Bought a used mower just like this for $20 just to tinker and found out the self propelled kills the engine when engaged. Can't wait to get into it and see what's up. Hey btw show more of your animals when you can. Very entertaining
Before you attack the belt issue, make sure it doesnt needing a couple of generous shots of WD40. I had that problem and the lubricant fixed the problem
Thanx. Your video saved me a lot of further frustration and time. Great job! By the way I think the design engineer for that mower also designed the hiding location of the oil filter on my Buick.
I inherited this mower from my brother and it has the same problem. I have replaced everything on the front axle, new missing axle clips, wheel bearing assembly, belt and drive cable. I even took the belt gear box apart and cleaned and added new grease to the gears Wheel gears are fine, no broken teeth. It still doesn't pull. Any more suggestions would be greatly appreciated... My county is so small, I have no repair shops to take it to . I loved the video.
Good video but I think that 8 bolts are so that it doesn’t break easily and it’s not that big of a deal lol. But your videos help me very much. Going to be using my new taught skills next weekend.
Great video Jeff, thank you , I’m gonna tackle this tomorrow as mine stopped working today. One question, how do you keep the oil from running out of engine when mower is on its side ? I’ve had this happen before
Proper maintenance done regularly goes a long way to preventing scenerios like this from happening. I am amazed that I rarely ever see someone raising the hood on their car and checking the oil when they are pumping gas at the gas station. All cars use oil and there is no such thing as a hermetically sealed combustion chamber. Neglect accelerates the wear process between the metal surfaces that must slide and rub and rotate against each other. You may not see the consequences of neglect at that moment but the time will come when expensive repairs are necessary to correct years of neglect.
Did this to one last week. More of a pain than it should be with all the screws. The previous gen troy bilts were so much easier. Two screws and be the cover was off and you could access the self propel. These, not so much.
Watched the video, was running out of daylight so I just cut the belt out and now it works like a regular push mow instead of a self propelled. Prefer that anyways tbh because when the wheels would self rotate they would always get all caught up in vines in the back of my yard and I’d have to stop mowing and remove them. Anyone that’s running out of daylight and the belt is bad just cut it out, much easier then trying to push through it!
Talk about a textbook example of the benefits of keeping your equipment clean.. (How many times did he have to flip it back over to find a bolt that was holding the top cover on?!)
That long, narrow piece of steel you bolted down in the center that use to cut grass once? Please tell us you replaced that for an extra $20 before you returned the mower back to the owner?
Sure enough, belt slipped off. Had just finished changing the busted pull cord, twice. Only to discover self-propeller wasn't working. Running just fine now. Saved the cost of buying a new mower three times in the past 3 years with a little research and repair work. Self-repair should always be a consideration, before jumping right to total replacement, 👍
if you'd cleaned the lower side of the deck beforehand, then you probably would have seen all those bolts the first time. just a suggestion, you might share with your viewers the sizes of the sockets needed for the relevant fasteners. I would have tested the operation of self-propel before putting everything back together.
![Troy-Bilt Self Propelled Lawn Mower Problems and Belt Change [Won't Propel]](/img/n.gif)
Very helpful video. My belt came off, probably due to grass build up under the front cover. 9 screws holding that cover on. Ridiculous. I would advise anyone with this problem to try removing just the front cover first. That's how I did it, and I had no need to remove the blade and cover underneath.
How can u see to put the belt in under the cover? It can slip on?
Thank you. Between the video and your comment, I made quick work of it
If you clean before you start work I find it makes it easier to find the problems. 5 minutes of cleaning!
Yes, it bothered me that he worked around the compact grass the whole time 😩
@@sarahsindo4048I try to have 5/6 jobs to wash at one time and let dry for the next day of work
Clean is the best way to fix it
💯
Just about can't believe he didn't clean the front drive area, & didn't clean too well underneath!! 😱
Would’ve had that mower cleaned like new before calling it fixed.
Man that was an awesome video!
All the other videos skipped the part on how to get the cover off of the front pulley.
Even the owners manual skipped that part.
So a virtual handshake to you sir 🫱 , I appreciate your help and have a great day!
Thanks friend! I am happy it helped
Thank You, Jeff. My son and I watched your video, collected our tools and repaired our Troy-Built Walk Behind Ourselves.👐💪 I'm proud to say that our mower deck was free of grass and dirt build up and that we had the Satisfaction of the Repair and we saved our family the cost of the repair 🔧
good job you can fix anything if you are thoughtful about it!
Save a little time...play this at 1.5; every word is understandable. Helpful information.
I just ran into this problem earlier today. I attempted to check under the top cover but couldn't get it off. I was running out of daylight, so I just pushed thru it. I'm glad I found your video, you had the same mower as I do and now I know what to look for. Thanks
Great video, exactly what I needed to see to get my mower's drive fixed!
Even though you have a Troy Bilt and I have a Craftsman, your drive cover comes off the same. It took me less than 20 minutes to put my drive belt back in place. Worked just fine afterwards. Thanks.
Thanks for commenting, good to know
Your video was beyond helpful because I have no experience with repairing anything with an engine. It took me much longer than you but I finally removed all the bolts and removed the cover seeing that the belt had come off. Thank God I did not have to remove the blade. Thank you so much for this video!!!
Glad it helped
Good for you! Take all the time you need. ❤
Thanks man. I know this is a small problem, all things considered, but people like you make a difference
Glad to help, thanks for the nice comment!
Thank you, my man. It's good people like you that post videos like these for the common good of humaninty. Really, thank you.
Glad I could help!
Saved me $600 - thought I was going to have to buy a new mower. Thanks Jeff!
good job! Thanks for watching
Thank you so much!!! This video was perfectly done, easy to follow, and helped me save my Mother from buying a new lawnmower! Thank you again!!!😀
Great to hear!
Thanks so much for this tutorial! My hubby is ill and wasn't able to fix our mower. I was able to troubleshoot and replace the belt in about 30 minutes.
great job, thanks for watching
Exactly what mine looked like. Thank you so much for the help. Should get the rest of the season on the belt, replace it in the fall. That way it’s ready for next season. :)
Great to hear! Glad it helped, good job!
Solved the problem, thanks! Had tried once before & think I missed avoiding the guides, it didn’t work. Appreciate the good help!
Glad it helped!
Thank You! Great video!
Thanks freind
Just watched your video and had to replace the blade and the belt had come off. Everything is fixed and running great. Thanks for the help!
Glad it helped, good job!
The same thing was wrong with my troy bilt. I looked at your video and took my lawn mower apart and put the belt back on and it rolling now thanks alot my guy.
Right on
Started to cut my grass and self propelled stopped working. Your video was first one to pop up. Tells me everything i needed to know about taking apart to repair and i thank you. Every thing i work on i clean before i start to take apart.
I know this is an old vid and im necroing it. I just wanted to say thankyou for the video. it helped me in figuring out how to put the belt retainer back on. The only thing other then the clean it first comments I've seen over and over, is always pop the plug wire off the mower before ever turning it while under it. i dont care if there is an engine brake on it. The state at which most mowers are at when you get to having to repair stuff like this is normally under some neglect and years of wear. i wouldnt trust an engine brake to keep an engine that starts by turning the engine in the first place. Just my two cents. even if it was electric start and had a ground kill wire.
Thanks very much. I had the same issue and your video helped me a lot. I added my own little hack. I used a thin elastic band to pinch the belt to ensure it ran inside the pins and it was much easier to get the bottom cover on. Anything strong enough to pinch the belt but weak enough to break when you fire up the engine will do.
Nice work!
Thank you for this information! I had to watch a couple of times just so I got it right!! I couldn’t have done it without you!!
good job!
Same problem finding ALL 8 bolts stopped and TH-cam 'd and WALLA THANK YOU!!!
Just fixed my mower with this video , awesome job thanks again.
good job!
Shout outs to you dear Sir.
I’ll keep this short. But same scenario here with the wheels not spinning. Exact same mower. I followed your steps and am happy to say she’s running fine now.
However two of all the screws I removed don’t fit back in the outer top holes. Seem to be a bit thicker than the rest. Thanks a lot.
I would have shortened this video myself but it absolutely helped me fix my lawn mower. My belt had come loose. It was surprisingly difficult to find all the bolts due to the cut up grass covering everything. Thanks for making this video!
Glad it helped
Even after your video, I had to flip mower over a few times to remove the 1000’s screws…. Thanks for video, belt came off front pulley.
Jeff
You did a very good job ...short & sweet !
I started her up
Wheels didn’t turn...figured I’d be spending the day fixing instead of mowing the lawn.
I watched your video, so with fixing & cleaning I was back to mowing within the hour. 👌
Right on
Ditto. Thanks for the great video!!!
Thank you! I fixed my lawn mower because of this!!! My neighbors are thinking I’m a professional mechanic 😆
Good job, my neighbors thought the same thing. LOL!
This video just happened to pop up and it is exactly what I needed. My wheel drive stopped a little while ago and I need to fix it but I heard a "clank" when the wheels stoped moving, hopefully it won't be too difficult to fix. II couldnot even begin to start messing around with it if mine was that caked with grass. WTH!
Thank you sir me and my girlfriend followed your instructions and we replaced that belt.
Great job!
Finally some one with a dirtier mower than mine!!🤣🤣 great video!
Saved the day. Don't know if I would have ever found all the bolts to remove the drive cover. Thanks!
What a good cleanup job. Top shelf mechanic.
Thank you for this video. My one question is about tipping the mower on its side. I thought the oil (& gas?) would get into the engine in places you don’t want it. I guess I thought that was a no-no. I also may have just made that up! 😂 I’m definitely not criticizing. I’m here to learn. ❤
That is correct! that can happen if you leave the mower on it's side for too long. Tipping it to the carburetor/gas tank hole side is the safest way to do it.
Thanks for making this video... Just watched it and fixed my mower.... best how to video on TH-cam I've watched
Wow, thanks!
I had the drive cable break on mine.... Thanks for saving me some time.
Thank You, Jeff, you showed me all the mistakes I made. you are a good teacher.
glad it helped. Thanks friend!
Thanks Jeff, you’re a true lifesaver.
Thank you... a very useful video. Helped me conquer my self propellant problem with the Troy- Built I have.
Glad it helped, good job!
Yah, I would of power washed under it before I even touch it.
Great vid there. Like the chickens 🐓. Brings whole new meaning to Taryl fixes all saying when he fixed something “there’s your dinner”
🍳 🥚
I always clean up the the units first before I work on them. Never know if there's poison ivy mixed in with the grass or not...
good point!
Very helpful, thanks. But the other guy is right too. You don't have to take the blade and bottom cover off.. just did mine in 5 minutes, thanks to both of you
How did you do it?
Thank you so much much! I have the same problem. Your video tell me how to fix it. I almost go to by a new lawn mower. This one I have it since 2007.
Glad it helped
The chicken cut scene was worth the watch! Lol
I appreciate the video. In my attempt i must have tried more than a dozen times to get the cover off. I searched the deck over and over and could not find a hidden bolt. I could not get the cover off. Thanks anyway.
I just watched your video and it was just what I needed to know. Thanks
Jeff your the man! I haven’t tried this yet but I’m Closer then I was before trying to solve the issue. Hoping Chanel locks or something will work for the blade bolt.
Did exactly as he said, with same mower, and it works again!
Worked like a charm. Great video and instructions.
Glad it helped
I knocked the belt off one of these just by slamming the front end on the ground to try to kick out wet grass. We paid for it to be repaired that time, but I've replaced the belt once since then with this method.
Thank you!!! I fixed it the other day, I saw your video a few weeks ago for the second time a couple of months ago 🤔 remembered everything, no problem, except, I only had 2 screws on the guard, none underneath 👍 everything went too smooth, and there really wasn't too much debris, I clean the mechanics up with a little brake cleaner, pb blaster, hot soap and water, and bought a new blade, it's like it just came off the line, I changed the fluids, and baby is purring like a kitten, the front wheel drive is moving so good I think it lost its wobbly, and MORAL of the story, the belt was still like brand new, is that cool or what👍 THANKS AGAIN
nice work
Thank you so much👍. I love how honest you are in it. Very cool👍
thanks for watching friend!
Thank you Jeff I Watch your Video and Replaced Self Propelled Cable It Help me Lot
awesome I am happy it helped
Thoroughly enjoy your videos guy. Bought a used mower just like this for $20 just to tinker and found out the self propelled kills the engine when engaged. Can't wait to get into it and see what's up. Hey btw show more of your animals when you can. Very entertaining
Thanks for watching! more animals it is!
Before you attack the belt issue, make sure it doesnt needing a couple of generous shots of WD40. I had that problem and the lubricant fixed the problem
Good tips Mike
Just what I needed, thank you!
Happy to help!
Thanx. Your video saved me a lot of further frustration and time. Great job! By the way I think the design engineer for that mower also designed the hiding location of the oil filter on my Buick.
Glad it helped!
..... Well done Mate, I wish I had your L4, L5 Disks. I have to work on everything at standing height.
I'm gonna have to get more work tables for sure
Great vid, glad you cleaned the deck!
This video was very Helpful. Thank you so much. Great Job!
Glad it was helpful!
I inherited this mower from my brother and it has the same problem. I have replaced everything on the front axle, new missing axle clips, wheel bearing assembly, belt and drive cable. I even took the belt gear box apart and cleaned and added new grease to the gears Wheel gears are fine, no broken teeth. It still doesn't pull. Any more suggestions would be greatly appreciated... My county is so small, I have no repair shops to take it to . I loved the video.
Thanks much. Very good tutorial.
I miss the jams! Thanks for the vid Jeff 👍
That is all I needed to hear! I will bring them back!
Jeff's Little Engine Service you guys are AWESOME!
I had the same problem with that front cover didn't see those bolts underneath. Thank you.😂
Glad I could help
Good job. Thanks for tutorial 👍
Thanks Frank!
Great video sir. Much appreciated
Glad it helped
Just fixed mine same exact way in 2 minutes, thanks for the tutorial, made it very easy!
Two minutes...my ass!
That was a lot of grass. Glad you fixed it . thank you sir
Great job Jeff!!! Informative and entertaining...thank you
Glad you enjoyed it!
You don’t screw around! No pun intended. Good video!
Thanks friend!
Thank very much Jeff!!
Thanks friend
Thank you so much!! You saved me big $$$. Video nice and clear, great instructions.🎉
Glad it helped!
Thank you so much for this video.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks a whole lot! Couldn't find the bolts to get it off, too much old grass. Was driving me 🤪
Glad it helped
Great video, very helpful.!👍
Very Helpful Video - THANK YOU!
Glad it was helpful!
Good video but I think that 8 bolts are so that it doesn’t break easily and it’s not that big of a deal lol. But your videos help me very much. Going to be using my new taught skills next weekend.
Thanks for watching and for the comment Brandon!
Very informational. Thank you.
Thanks for watching!
This was so helpful. I was hoping it was debris but it was belt. I hate taking gazillion things off. 😂
Great video Jeff, thank you , I’m gonna tackle this tomorrow as mine stopped working today. One question, how do you keep the oil from running out of engine when mower is on its side ? I’ve had this happen before
It is not good to leave the mower on its side for more than 20-30 seconds. Lifting it from the front is the best practice.
Thanks Jeff👍
Proper maintenance done regularly goes a long way to preventing scenerios like this from happening. I am amazed that I rarely ever see someone raising the hood on their car and checking the oil when they are pumping gas at the gas station. All cars use oil and there is no such thing as a hermetically sealed combustion chamber. Neglect accelerates the wear process between the metal surfaces that must slide and rub and rotate against each other. You may not see the consequences of neglect at that moment but the time will come when expensive repairs are necessary to correct years of neglect.
That's a fact Jack!
Well done 👍 that’s a very useful video, thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Very good video thanks!
Thank you!
Did this to one last week. More of a pain than it should be with all the screws. The previous gen troy bilts were so much easier. Two screws and be the cover was off and you could access the self propel. These, not so much.
Watched the video, was running out of daylight so I just cut the belt out and now it works like a regular push mow instead of a self propelled. Prefer that anyways tbh because when the wheels would self rotate they would always get all caught up in vines in the back of my yard and I’d have to stop mowing and remove them. Anyone that’s running out of daylight and the belt is bad just cut it out, much easier then trying to push through it!
Talk about a textbook example of the benefits of keeping your equipment clean.. (How many times did he have to flip it back over to find a bolt that was holding the top cover on?!)
I’m a retired mechanic automotive or small stuff. Always clean before doing anything.
good tip. I don't normally clean customer's filthy lawnmowers unless they are willing to pay me to do it, I just fix 'em!
Great video. Do you have a part number for the belt? I need to do this on my mower.
This is perfect! Thank you!
Glad it was helpful
That long, narrow piece of steel you bolted down in the center that use to cut grass once? Please tell us you replaced that for an extra $20 before you returned the mower back to the owner?
Thanks for the help Brother! 🇺🇸👍
You bet! thanks for watching
Thanks for the vid and rock them socks and sandals. Had to show my daughter so she sees I’m not the only one
LOL!
Great video as always!
I appreciate that thanks
I would pressure wash first. Thanks that will help me to fix my belt.
Be careful water and lawnmowers don't get along too well...
I use a pressure washer or air compressor on my push mower and riding mower after I use them.
great job
Right on boss, very helpful 👍 thanks!
Sure enough, belt slipped off.
Had just finished changing the busted pull cord, twice. Only to discover self-propeller wasn't working.
Running just fine now. Saved the cost of buying a new mower three times in the past 3 years with a little research and repair work.
Self-repair should always be a consideration, before jumping right to total replacement, 👍
good job!
if you'd cleaned the lower side of the deck beforehand, then you probably would have seen all those bolts the first time. just a suggestion, you might share with your viewers the sizes of the sockets needed for the relevant fasteners. I would have tested the operation of self-propel before putting everything back together.
Good tips!