How to Put a Cutting Belt on a MTD Yard Machine

Park the MTD Yard Machine riding mower on level ground, set the parking brake and turn the mower off.

Lower the lift lever to the lowest position to force the mower deck towards the ground.

Locate the PTO pulley under the motor of the MTD Yard Machine. The pulley has a mounting plate behind it. Pull off the two pins protruding from the mounting plate with pliers. These pins prevent the drive belt from coming off the PTO pulley.

Pull the drive belt off the PTO pulley as you manually rotate the pulley clockwise with one hand.

Lift the mower deck to its highest position via the lift lever.

Locate the long spring on the left rear of the mower deck that connects between the mower deck and the transmission mounting plate. Pull the spring off the transmission mounting plate with a spring pulley. This releases the idler pulley on the mower deck.

Locate the two linkage rods on the front of the mower deck, then remove the hairpins that hold them to the underside of the Yard Machine tractor. Lower the linkage rods downward so you can get the belt around them.

Remove the hex bolts that hold the pulley guard covers onto the mower deck with a wrench, then place the guard covers off to the side.

Draw a diagram of the belt routing around the pulleys on the mower deck to make installing the new belt easier.

Remove the old belt from the pulley system on the MTD Yard Machine mower deck, then install the replacement belt. Again, use the diagram to make the process easier.

Reinstall the pulley guard covers, reconnect the lift linkage on the front of the mower deck and reconnect the spring to the transmission mounting bracket.

Lower the mower deck to its lowest position via the lift lever. Stretch the belt forward and place the belt over the PTO pulley. Press the guide pins back into the mounting bracket.