Thanks for the 3 videos. I struggled with the drive pulley atop the clutch. I couldn't get it to come down at first. I sprayed some penetrating oil on the shaft and up at the pulley and and let it sit for a while, then tapped on it a bit with a pry bar, then it slid down nicely - far enough to get the new belt on. It was all downhill from there. These videos gave me the confidence to git-er-done. :-) 1.5 hour job
Paul, my pulley slides down now, but I want to take it all the way off so I can replace the oil seal. Can't seen to get the pulley to go past flush with the end of the spindle. Any advice?
I removed the 4 bolts for the motor then lifted the motor slightly. Got pulley above the tabs so I could change the belt. The pulley was pretty seized and I didn't have time to wait for penetrating oil to do its thing. End of season I may see if I can get it to come loose and use a thin layer of anti seize. I removed the pulley on the transmission with a battery impact with socket adapter to give me the slack in the belt to get it off around the front pulley.
I just had my fun with this. Was mowing with this model and the mower just stopped. The Extension Spring has come off, and the belt was old, loose. Here’s some tips, assuming you have already removed the deck. To get the 5/8” nut off of the clutch assembly, I opened the hood/cowling and took off the grill/cover directly above the clutch assembly and put a pair of vice grips on the large 1”+ nut, with the vice grips pointing to the right, the same side as the gas pedal, and nearly resting against the gas tank. Put the vice grips on tight. I then put a large diameter cheater pipe over the vice grips. I was able to lay on my right side (on the right side of the mower with my head toward front) and with my left hand hold back the cheater pipe while turning the 5/8” nut towards me with a ratchet and cheater bar. You can’t get the belt over the rear fan without taking the nut off that holds the plastic fan in place. You have to start the belt at the fan end under the battery. The nut, and fan, will also turn as you try to get it off. I tried putting vice grips on the pulley with no luck, hoping it would allow me to loosen the nut. You may eventually ruin the pulley or fan doing this. The belt can be slid over the fan and on to most of the pulley, but a metal plate is in the way on the right side (looking down through removable battery tray) and the space between that plate and the pulley is about half the width or thickness of the belt. So, I took a long cold chisel with a blunt end (blunt or wide so as to not cut into or damage the belt) and a wooden mallet and gently tapped the belt into the gap or space in between the plate and pulley. I was lucky that the main clutch assembly and drive belt pulley slid off the shaft. Make sure to disconnect the wire assembly going to the clutch. If these two pulleys won’t readily come off, all that I can recommend is spraying WD-40 or anti-seizing oil on the shaft, wait, and tap on them where you can. When you do get them off, steel wool the shaft and anything else with rust on it, and apply grease or lithium grease to all parts that touch or rotate, etc.
Thank you for the tip!! I have a 2011 LTX 1046 KW. Taking the grill cover off exposed the 11/16th bolt. Had my son hold that end while I got at the 5/8 bolt holding on the pulley and PTO with a breaker bar. Bolt came out super easy, and the pulley and PTO slid right off.
Had to use an impact wrench to remove the shaft bolt, and then the clutch assembly slid off. The drive belt pulley was more of a challenge, so I made a quick trip to HF to get a set of 3 pullers for about $17 and it came off easily. If you don't have a 3 jaw puller set, get one, they're invaluable! The shaft was a bit rusted, so I'm going to apply a light film of anti-seize when I reinstall the pulley and belt.
Steve Baka See my post above. You can use a pair of vice grips on the nut above the drive pulley, the nut that turns when trying to loosen the 5/8” Drive pulley nut, and a cheater bar over the vice grips. While lying on my right side, I held the cheater bar with my left hand and pulled on a ratchet with a cheater bar on the 5/8” nut with my right hand. It can be done. Spray the 5/8” nut and or shaft with WD-40 or anti-seizing oil first.
Danny - thanks for making these videos! Supremely helpful! If you have the Kawasaki engine I would definitely go with the Cub Cadet drive belt that you can find on amazon. Others seem to not fit.
I didn't want to damage my pulley so I bent the tabs and put some pool silicone to remove the belt and followed the video directions to reinstall (a chisel/large screwdriver)
How did you remove the bolt at the center of the cluth assembly to drop the clutch? I know that it's a 5/8 inch bolt but how did you get leverage to loosen the bolt while preventing the bolt from spinning with the motor shaft? Would a impact wrench remove the bolt without the bolt from spinning?
If I could send a picture of where it hooks, I would. One end hooks into a hole in the metal bracket or tensioner. You should see some wear or abrasions on the correct hole. The other end runs parallel to the frame of the mower and into a cut out in the metal plate that all of the pulleys attach to, the ceiling so to speak. It doesn’t fit into a hole, but rather a rectangle cut out in the ceiling. I could see a mark at the edge of the cut out where the spring had been.
As a follow up to my comment: The only way I was able to get the clutch bolt removed was to use an impact wrench to remove it. Also, although the video shows the drive pully sliding off easily, mine would not. I tried using a gear puller which just bent the pully. Then I heated the drive pully with an acetylene torch I was still not able to get it broke loose. I ended up having to remove the hood, and the front shield over the muffler, and the 4 bolts that fasten the engine to the frame. Then you can lift the engine up enough to get the pully above the frame and loop the new belt up from below onto the pully before lowering the engine back onto the frame.
Thanks for the 3 videos. I struggled with the drive pulley atop the clutch. I couldn't get it to come down at first. I sprayed some penetrating oil on the shaft and up at the pulley and and let it sit for a while, then tapped on it a bit with a pry bar, then it slid down nicely - far enough to get the new belt on. It was all downhill from there. These videos gave me the confidence to git-er-done. :-) 1.5 hour job
Paul Howell Glad they were of help to you.
Paul, my pulley slides down now, but I want to take it all the way off so I can replace the oil seal. Can't seen to get the pulley to go past flush with the end of the spindle. Any advice?
I removed the 4 bolts for the motor then lifted the motor slightly. Got pulley above the tabs so I could change the belt. The pulley was pretty seized and I didn't have time to wait for penetrating oil to do its thing. End of season I may see if I can get it to come loose and use a thin layer of anti seize. I removed the pulley on the transmission with a battery impact with socket adapter to give me the slack in the belt to get it off around the front pulley.
Thank you
I just had my fun with this. Was mowing with this model and the mower just stopped. The Extension Spring has come off, and the belt was old, loose.
Here’s some tips, assuming you have already removed the deck. To get the 5/8” nut off of the clutch assembly, I opened the hood/cowling and took off the grill/cover directly above the clutch assembly and put a pair of vice grips on the large 1”+ nut, with the vice grips pointing to the right, the same side as the gas pedal, and nearly resting against the gas tank. Put the vice grips on tight. I then put a large diameter cheater pipe over the vice grips. I was able to lay on my right side (on the right side of the mower with my head toward front) and with my left hand hold back the cheater pipe while turning the 5/8” nut towards me with a ratchet and cheater bar. You can’t get the belt over the rear fan without taking the nut off that holds the plastic fan in place. You have to start the belt at the fan end under the battery. The nut, and fan, will also turn as you try to get it off. I tried putting vice grips on the pulley with no luck, hoping it would allow me to loosen the nut. You may eventually ruin the pulley or fan doing this. The belt can be slid over the fan and on to most of the pulley, but a metal plate is in the way on the right side (looking down through removable battery tray) and the space between that plate and the pulley is about half the width or thickness of the belt. So, I took a long cold chisel with a blunt end (blunt or wide so as to not cut into or damage the belt) and a wooden mallet and gently tapped the belt into the gap or space in between the plate and pulley. I was lucky that the main clutch assembly and drive belt pulley slid off the shaft. Make sure to disconnect the wire assembly going to the clutch. If these two pulleys won’t readily come off, all that I can recommend is spraying WD-40 or anti-seizing oil on the shaft, wait, and tap on them where you can. When you do get them off, steel wool the shaft and anything else with rust on it, and apply grease or lithium grease to all parts that touch or rotate, etc.
Thank you for the tip!! I have a 2011 LTX 1046 KW. Taking the grill cover off exposed the 11/16th bolt. Had my son hold that end while I got at the 5/8 bolt holding on the pulley and PTO with a breaker bar. Bolt came out super easy, and the pulley and PTO slid right off.
Had to use an impact wrench to remove the shaft bolt, and then the clutch assembly slid off. The drive belt pulley was more of a challenge, so I made a quick trip to HF to get a set of 3 pullers for about $17 and it came off easily. If you don't have a 3 jaw puller set, get one, they're invaluable! The shaft was a bit rusted, so I'm going to apply a light film of anti-seize when I reinstall the pulley and belt.
You can use the parking brake to hold that tensioner back I think.
Thank you! The drive pulley is what I was trying to figure out.
How the hell do you get the drive pulley off. It just spins??
@@stevebaka2043 man. The struggle is real. Working on one now and am about to bend tabs.
Steve Baka See my post above. You can use a pair of vice grips on the nut above the drive pulley, the nut that turns when trying to loosen the 5/8” Drive pulley nut, and a cheater bar over the vice grips. While lying on my right side, I held the cheater bar with my left hand and pulled on a ratchet with a cheater bar on the 5/8” nut with my right hand. It can be done. Spray the 5/8” nut and or shaft with WD-40 or anti-seizing oil first.
Danny - thanks for making these videos! Supremely helpful! If you have the Kawasaki engine I would definitely go with the Cub Cadet drive belt that you can find on amazon. Others seem to not fit.
I didn't want to damage my pulley so I bent the tabs and put some pool silicone to remove the belt and followed the video directions to reinstall (a chisel/large screwdriver)
It would have been nice if you showed how to get the clutch to stop turning when tryin to get bolt off without air tools
And if the drive pulley is seized to the crankshaft as in 90% of the time?
I removed the 4 bolts for the motor then lifted the motor slightly. Got pulley above the tabs so I could change the belt.
How did you remove the bolt at the center of the cluth assembly to drop the clutch? I know that it's a 5/8 inch bolt but how did you get leverage to loosen the bolt while preventing the bolt from spinning with the motor shaft? Would a impact wrench remove the bolt without the bolt from spinning?
See my reply above.
I've been through countless videos. Nobody seems to show where that spring hooks into.
If I could send a picture of where it hooks, I would. One end hooks into a hole in the metal bracket or tensioner. You should see some wear or abrasions on the correct hole. The other end
runs parallel to the frame of the mower and into a cut out in the metal plate that all of the pulleys attach to, the ceiling so to speak. It doesn’t fit into a hole, but rather a rectangle cut out in the ceiling. I could see a mark at the edge of the cut out where the spring had been.
You know belt size or part # ?
Without showing how to remove the clutch this video is just about useless. How do you remove the clutch bolt without letting g the engine spin?
As a follow up to my comment: The only way I was able to get the clutch bolt removed was to use an impact wrench to remove it. Also, although the video shows the drive pully sliding off easily, mine would not. I tried using a gear puller which just bent the pully. Then I heated the drive pully with an acetylene torch I was still not able to get it broke loose. I ended up having to remove the hood, and the front shield over the muffler, and the 4 bolts that fasten the engine to the frame. Then you can lift the engine up enough to get the pully above the frame and loop the new belt up from below onto the pully before lowering the engine back onto the frame.
I got a medium sized pair of channel locks in there to hold the shaft. I agree, it is difficult, but do-able.
Stringed Services See my post above.