How to Replace a Ground-drive V Belt

Place the riding mower on a level surface and set the emergency brake. Open the engine or tilt the seat back to gain access to the battery. Disconnect the negative battery cable with a socket. Turn off the main fuel petcock valve from the tank to the carburetor. Set the attachment clutch in the "Disengage" position. Set the motion control lever to neutral. Place the mower deck lift lever in its lowest position to drop the deck.

Pull the belt against the engine drive pulley, then pull upward on it and slip it off the pulley. Unclasp the small clutch retainer spring from the pulley bolt. Detach the big retaining spring and then slide the collar sleeve off. Shove the housing guide out from the bracket. Remove the anti-sway bar where it connects to the chassis bracket, by removing its retainer spring.

Pull the retainer springs off that hold the rear suspension arms to the rear mower deck bracket. Disconnect the front link arms that hold the front of the mower deck to the chassis. Pull the lift lever to put the suspension arms at full height.

Slide the mower deck out from the bottom of the tractor. Tilt the mower deck and prop it up with wood blocks. Use a stiff cleaning brush to remove all mud, twigs and grass clumps. Wipe the top of the deck and undercarriage with a rag.

Un-thread the belt from around the idler and mandrel pulley. Place the new belt around the mandrel pulley and idler pulley first, then stretch it up to the drive pulley and loop it into the pulley grooves. Make sure the V part of the belt rests inside the pulley.

Use the lever to raise the suspension arms on the deck. Push the deck back under the tractor. Lower the suspension arms and replace all the retaining springs in reverse or the order in which you removed them. Slide the sleeve back into position and secure it with the spring. Reattach the spring to the anti-sway bar. Shove the housing guide back into its bracket.

Raise the mower deck with the lever. Reconnect the negative battery cable with a socket. Turn on the fuel petcock valve. Start the engine and engage the main drive lever. Test-drive.