im 2 minutes into the video and im busted up laughing lol i love the way you explain things, and use "garage talk". We're not talking to kindergarteners here!
This was easy thanks to you posting this video. I’m a single woman and it was a life saver for me to be able to fix my riding mower by myself thank you 😊
Watched other vids that had you dropping the deck... groan! Then found yours, removed the pulley plastic shrouds like you said, and got her done quickly. Thanks!
Thank you for this video. I really, really didnt want to take the deck off, and after looking at it, didnt think i needed to. You just proved me right. I believe i can do this. 😊
Mine is roughly 20 yrs old and still running great; it's really a great little tractor with a lot of power; does a good, quick job on my large back lawn. Thanks for this video- this is a bit easier than the way I've done it- but I don't like crawling around on my elbows while reaching under the tractor, and I have a crank hoist, so I lift the front of the tractor to make access a little easier. But I hadn't thought of threading the loop up the middle like that- it makes sense , and it's very easy that way- but when you're hot and sweaty and cursing because the belt just snapped and you're trying to finish a mowing*, clear thinking like this can escape you, so thanks again! *I always have a spare belt on hand.
thank you brother for the effort. video was surprisingly easy to follow. saved me a LOT of time and effort. Hardest part was getting that plastic cover off. One tip - to get that new belt over the last pulley, just turn one of the blades by hand for extra torque. My tractor was the Craftsman LT1000 v twin , 22 years old still running. Thanks again Ed
I'm glad it helped you out, Ed Definitely, turning the blade and using it like a lever is a great tip. This tractor is still running, too but I gave it to my next-door neighbor when his tractor seized up. Thanks for your kind words. Cheers, Greg 👊😎
Great video! My mower has been sitting in my storage container because i thought i was going to have to take the damn thing apart. Wish i saw this video 2 months ago. You have yourself a new fan!
THANK YOU for this video! All the other videos on this topic make it sound so complicated that I was afraid to even try to do it myself. I followed your video and was able to get it done no time! I am grateful! (Side note: Ladies - Yes, you CAN do this!)
Thank you! I ended up removing the guards just to get to the pulleys as you demonstrated & unfortunately the guides on my model are not spring guides so I ended up having to loosen the smaller pulleys but in the end, it works. Your video was easy to follow. Plus I enjoyed the added humor. Have a good rest of your weekend
Mr Quantum Phaser sir , you are the BOSS!! Lol. To begin , I just loved your attitude. You remind me of my pops. Lol. Screw the BS and crap ! Get straight to it and knock it out ! I love that ! Lol. All these other dang videos trying to get me to take apart the whole ENGINE just to replace the belt. Nope. I have this exact mower. Followed your exact instruction, and I’m mowing just fine !! Well done sir. Thank you for this.
Glad it helped you out! Sorry about the crap video quality, it was one of my earliest videos and I never imagined all these years later it would still be useful. I gave that tractor to my neighbor years ago but weird that video lives on... 😁👍🚀
Thank you so much for this video! I'm finding it necessary to do more and more of my own simple repairs, and your tutorial gave me the confidence to try this on my own.
I like the idea of not having to remove the entire deck to change belts. That's Awesome. I have to replace a broken pulley so , unfortunately, I have to remove the deck. It's for a Craftsman GT5000 48-inch. I've been putting it off for months and I feel guilty lol
Your method works great..... my problem was after I fixed that the welding on the belt drive gave way. Got it re-welded and we are up and running. Thanks
I watching to many videos and I feel like I got lost they make it vary hard and I give up but I watch your video and it's really so easy . You really make me day God bless
Great video Sir. I saw so many videos that people stated you needed to remove the deck. They were wrong and your video proves that. Thank you for taking the time to make the video.
Thank you for your kind comments. I wish I had someone to hold the camera when shooting this, it would have come out better. I also had no idea that this many people would watch it. 😜
so i watched another video first kinda freaked out and then i saw your you made it very easy and i feel less like a girl who isnt getting her lawn done. city girl gone country acre of property with grass to my knees in places. you made me feel as though i got this lol
I wish I had done a better job of filming it. I didn't know this video would get so many views. When I put it up, I had maybe 50 subscribers.😂 I'm glad it helped you out though. Cheers, Greg 😎
thanks for this video. would you please show me how to replace the interlock brake switch? do i have to remove the deck? i have model 97288070. i am frustrated and my grass has not been cut for 2 months. i'm at my wits end and hate this mower. thanks.
Thanks! Good to know the deck doesn’t need to be dropped to replace the blade belt. We plan to replace the drive belt and the blade belt. That does mean dropping the deck right? I’ve counted up to 7 cotter pins that need to be pulled to drop the deck. How do you tension/tighten the belt after putting it on?
Yeah, for the drive belt you have to drop it. Take a few shots of the sides and front, sometimes it's helpful later as a reference when you are putting it back on.
I have a dyt 4000 with the push-pull blade engage button. It goes on the same I assume.....is there a lever on the bottom side that takes the tension off or does the button in the blades off position do that? I thought it would be worth a shot asking as I cant find any vid explaining the process for my exact mower .....they all show deck removal. Nice vid btw
No sweat, did the same thing when I changed it the first time. I took the whoke thing apart! 🤣 When I figured out this trick, it was pretty cool, just wish I filmed it better, i was new to RU-vid and never would have guessed it woukd get this many views!
turns out I'm still a jack ass though. I went to start mowing and rubber smell w/smoke started coming through the hood and I immediately stopped. turns out the right side of the belt was on a second clip! 😆🤣😂 I was so pist, it ate up a little of the belt. BUT! now I know to look a second time 😆
Had issues w/ rear center rod and a bracket on LH side when I did this....may have screwed up a step, dunno. FYI to anyone else with this problem, its a hell of a lot quicker to pull a cotter or two & do what you have to, than to try and figure out what the hell went wrong! Stellar advice on the left guard though....removed two of the torx screws, broke off the third and pitched that mother!
Are the belts from AutoZone inferior? Think I'm trying the gates from O'Reilly.the autozone ones break about twice a cutting season.thanks for the info
The Gates Green Belts are some of the best belts I've used, it's true that there are belts out there that don't even last a season. It is super important to keep your deck clean, especially around the spindles and Belt guides. Debris and grass will prematurely tear a belt up and wear it down. Also don't forget to grease the spindles, makes them last 10x longer.
I have the 95x1/2 belt but it won't go over the second drive pulley. Is this caused by the guide pulleys being out of position to allow for slack. I have a problem in that my blades do not disengage when I drop the actuator down, I have to shut the machine off to stop them. how far apart should the guide pulleys be when there is no belt on it? mine are quite close together and I think that is the reason it won't fit or the blades stop.
What if a part of the belt that shredded into a thin stran is stuck on the center pulley? I cant pull it out. When I pull the stran the middle pulley pulls back. It is stuck in there. Should I just cut it at the pulley at the closest part and hope it throws it out after I get belt on?
My belt is completely taught without the tension engaged. I did not miss any retention tabs or route it incorrectly. It is so tight I believe the blades will instantly engage even with the tensioner down so I am afraid to start it. I am fairly certain I was given the wrong belt. Nothing else makes sense to me.
I don't understand the bit where you said you tensioned it with the lever? What lever? Where? Please advise.. I have to replace my belt on my own and do not want to drop the deck all the way off if I don't have to thanks
He meant the lever that engages the actual blades. It's not a special lever just for tensioning the belt. Its the lever on the right of the steering wheel that you lift up that goes to the right and makes the blades turn. Hopefully that helps even though you made this comment a month ago.
What was the length of the belt? I have a DLS3500, it has a 917 model number, I'm thinking the length would be the same, I got the belt that was supposed to go on it, but it's too short, and I'm 100% sure I have the routing right
I actually just replaced it with another gates belt. It seems to last longer than the craftsman belt. The knockoffs on eBay are very thin and break or stretch quickly. in the end, you get what you pay for. :-) Thanks for commenting! Cheers, Greg
I have a 917 series tractor that the 144959 belt is supposed to fit but it's too long (about 5-6 inches.) Does anyone have any ideas how to fix?? I know there's an adjuster on the rod but it cannot adjust enough. The routing of the belt isn't the problem either.
