One of the major components on your mower, which requires frequent checks and maintenance, is your drive belt. If you ensure that you pay proper attention and care to this, it will guarantee the long term durability of your mower. It would also improve how efficient your mower’s overall performance is. And we say this from numerous personal experiences.
Changing the drive belt may sound difficult. You get easily dissuaded. Reading manuals sometimes feel like reading a lengthy “Terms and Conditions” page, but it is necessary, to say the least.
And if you’re like me with an appetite to get things done, by yourself, or merely under necessity with no other options, then this straightforward, concise how-to guide on replacing and maintaining the drive belt on your zero turn mower is just for you.
Replacing Your Husqvarna Zero Turn Mower Drive Belt: Step by Step Guide
Step 1: Set Parking Brakes
To remove your drive belt; first, you must not only ensure that your parking brake is on, but also that your mower itself is parked on a leveled surface with no inclination that may cause sudden movements.
Step 2: Bolts
The next step is to remove the bolts from the belt shield, which is the casing in which the driving belt is enclosed. Removing the bolts should ensure the casing comes off easily.
Step 3: Belt Configuration
Once the casing comes off, you should see the drive belt and, most importantly, mentally note how it is routed and configured so that you may have a perfect guide once it’s time to replace it.
You may also go a step further from a mental picture by taking an actual picture for better reference.
Step 4: Removing the Belt
To remove the belt, you must first move the idler arm to ensure looseness and then go ahead and remove the belt by gently pushing it over the top of the housing pulleys.
Step 5: Replacing the Belt – Wrapping the Pulleys
Once you’re done with the cleaning, maintenance, or total replacement of the belt, proceed to open the engine shaft again and then wrap the deck belt around the clutch pulley just as it was your earlier and in your picture.
Step 6: Idler Arms
Push in on the idler arm that was moved earlier (to ensure looseness) and once you’re done routing the belt, release the idler arm to its natural position to ensure fastening.
Step 7: Final Check
Confirm to see if your final routing configuration is the same as it was earlier in your picture. Make sure there aren’t any knots or hard twists on the belt.
Step 8: Replace Encasing
Carefully replace the encasement removed earlier on the belt housing and make sure the major bolt spaces fall on the right surfaces.
Step 9: Replace Bolts
Replace and fasten the bolts on the drive shield casing.
And You’re Done. Check out this video below for a more in-depth how-to.
We hope you enjoyed our guide on how to replace the drive belt in your Husqvarna Zero Turn Mower. Feel free to leave comments below on your success and the challenges you faced below.
FAQs
What Does a Drive Belt Do on a Lawnmower?
No matter how lawn mower is operated, they all have a belt that runs from the drive wheels to the engine. The belt is used to transfer power from the engine to the wheels, and when the belt is not tight, the mower will not move forward or backward as it should.
Why Does My Deck Belt Keep Breaking?
The most common cause of the deck belt breaking would be an idler or mandrel pulley not lined up properly or the bearings going out and making the pulley wobble, or the belt is getting rubbed somewhere. Check the pullies on the deck to make sure they turn freely and are not loose and wobbling around.
What Causes a Mower Deck to Vibrate?
If the mower vibrates when you engage the cutting blades, there might be a problem with the blade drive system. Deck vibration can be caused by an unbalanced blade, worn pulley or mandrel, bad blade belt, or debris caught inside a pulley. Loose nuts or bolts on the pulleys, mandrels, or blades can also cause vibration.
Why Does My Lawnmower Keep Throwing the Belt?
A retaining bolt for the pulley has come loose, or you have bad bearings. Make sure all pulleys are still rotating smoothly. If one has bearings that have gone south, the pulley could be cocked, which will throw the belt. So, check the spindle bearings and check the tensioner pulley and the idler pulley if it has one.
How Do You Adjust a Tensioner Pulley?
Turn the adjustment bolt on the side, top, or bottom of the pulley counterclockwise with the ratchet and socket until the accessory belt is loose enough to remove. Tighten the tensioner pulley by turning the adjustment bolt clockwise with the ratchet and socket until the belt is tight.
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Rob started his passion for lawn care before he was 10 years old when we would regularly help his grandfather tend to his yard in Jupiter, FL which got him involved with learning all about St. Augustine and Floratam grasses.