Alright in about to lose my mind

[Russell King]

Glad you got it on!

I would buy a longer belt next time just since there is so much room for adjustment.

I had to get a shorter belt for my old Nissan Frontier since the “correct “ one was loose with the adjustment bolt at maximum tension position

 

[RBsingl]

The simple "fan" belt can be a pain.

I despise tasks requiring removing/installing the deck belt for my midmount 72" deck on my Deere 955 because it has an extremely strong spring tensioner for the very long belt and they didn't incorporate any good points on the deck to pull or apply leverage to the tension arm. I have been tempted to weld on a small bracket so that I can use one of the large turnbuckles I use for tower guy wires to pull the idler arm in to release tension. Once the belt gets a little wear on it, you can work it on by rolling it on to one of the outer spindle pulleys by turning the pulley with the PTO selector set to rear allowing the mid PTO to freewheel but with a new belt you have to fight with a poorly designed idler/spring tension bracket.

Most cars for years have been dead easy to replace a belt by putting a ratchet or breaker bar on the idler to remove tension and before that it was a simple matter to swing the alternator or other tension adjustment to get the belt on before applying tension. I hope I will find that the 72" deck on the Kubota front mount mowers isn't as big of a pain-or at least the idler pulleys Kubota uses are more robust. Deere's idler pulleys on this deck are the only ones without zerks and they like to spit bearing pieces out at the most inopportune time

 

[Chanceywd]

Husquavarna 2754 had a lever you moved and latched to de-tension the belt, a pretty nice design.

Just reminded me of many years ago when whirlpool washers had a belt before the coupling. Always failed and didn't spin out leaving it full of water. You had to get the clothes and water out, unhook hoses and drains, lay it on it's back to get at the belt. Then there was one bolt thru the belt loop you had to take out with a spacer. What a PIA that was.

Bill

 

[jkrubi12]

Vigo:

Kudos to your excellent computer abilities! That pic you posted with the added arrows & captions is one of the best problem-solver pics I've ever seen! NICEEEEEEEEE!

 

[GreensvilleJay]

re: belt length. Just because 'they' say it's the 'correct' belt doesn't mean it's the 'best' belt, that's why some of us have suggested a slightly longer belt for next time. The picture in post #32 shows the tensioner does appear to have a lot more travel outward,so a longer belt will work. There's no way a properly sized belt would ever need to be forced up and over pulleys. The guy on the assembly line has a few SECONDS to do this operation...so there has to be a way it can be done.

On certain yellow brand of snowblowers, it's faster and easier to remove the tensioner pulley than to install the belt the way the manufacturer says. After 35 years with fix riders and blowers', you learn a trick or two.
One make has a 3/8 square hole in the tensioning arm( a zero cost to them),makes it GREAT to get belt off and on using ratchet in the hole for leverage.

Trying to figure out why 'it doesn't go on' by seeing a few pictures isn't the same as being there which makes it difficult.

In the end ,the belt went on and you know what a PITA something 'simple' can be. Hopefully others with the same series of tractors can benefit from this 'thread'.

 

[RBsingl]

One make has a 3/8 square hole in the tensioning arm( a zero cost to them),makes it GREAT to get belt off and on using ratchet in the hole for leverage.

That is a great thought Jay and something I should have thought about doing to my Deere deck. It would be even easier as a retrofit to drill and tap a hole for a bolt in the tensioning arm and use a breaker bar/socket on it.

With the new Kubota mower, I won't be using the Deere deck much but this winter it is going to get an addition to its tension arm to make it easy to release. The official instructions from Deere are to remove one end of the tension spring for belt replacement but that is not a fun process and would be unnecessary with just a little smarter design just like the radiator drain port could have been on the right side of the bottom tank which is wide open but instead is on the left side hidden within all of the other plumbing and pieces in that location.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

to remove/install tension springs, I run a length of paracord/ engine pull cord, through the end of the spring. Then wrap around hand and pull straight back. 'trick' is to get into the correct position to be able to pull back AND flip the belt off/on. Once on or off, simply pull the cord out of the spring eye. For really strong springs, you can tie a knot in the cord, and use a wrench as a lever to pull against the deck side. Gotta think ahead and be sure wrench won't slip off ! One of those , once you see it done, you kick yourself for not figuring it out before , ideas.

 

[RBsingl]

to remove/install tension springs, I run a length of paracord/ engine pull cord, through the end of the spring. Then wrap around hand and pull straight back. 'trick' is to get into the correct position to be able to pull back AND flip the belt off/on. Once on or off, simply pull the cord out of the spring eye. For really strong springs, you can tie a knot in the cord, and use a wrench as a lever to pull against the deck side. Gotta think ahead and be sure wrench won't slip off ! One of those , once you see it done, you kick yourself for not figuring it out before , ideas.

Thanks! Where were you and your excellent ideas a few years ago when I was struggling and cursing

Rodger

 

[GreensvilleJay]

I was in MY garage 'struggling and cursing'..... At 69 I only fix my machines and the 99 yr old neighbours.

The cord around spring thing was shown to me 40 years ago by the guy who fixed 'scratch brush' making machines. Those springs were HUGE compared to deck springs !

 

[lugbolt]

Cord works ok

I made my own out of an S-hook, a coat hanger, and an old screwdriver handle. Have another one specifically made for the ZD decks it's just a coat hanger with two loops, one on each end. One end gets a screwdriver or prys or whatever I have handy and the other end goes on the spring. Some of them a good prys can fit through the pull loop and you can use it to pry the spring over. Trick on any of these is to make it pull at just the right angle, and THEN, make SURE your pulling loop is on the tag end of the spring once the spring is over it's anchor point. If it's on the wrong side you get to try again or cut the puller loop off. Hence, why I use a modified S-hook.