The belt of your lawnmower will deteriorate with extensive use over time, and replacing it is part of good lawn care mower maintenance. Here’s how you can change riding lawn mower belts yourself.
Step One: Follow Instructions
While some mowers allow for the belt to be changed without removing the deck of your mower, you’ll likely have a much easier time replacing the belt with the deck off. Consult your lawn mower’s manual and carefully follow the manufacturer’s directions to remove the deck.
Step Two: Remove the Old Belt
Once the deck has been removed, you’ll want to press the idler arm handle to release the tension in the belt. You’ll then be able to remove the belt from the pulley. Some riding lawn mower belts have a belt stop assembly. These are easy to remove with the help of a ratchet, socket, or hand wrench.
The old belt can be a great way of identifying the belt type and size you’ll need if you aren’t already aware. Generally, you’ll need a V-belt for a riding lawn mower.
Step Three: Put the New Belt On
When you’re putting the new belt on, ensure you insert the V side into the pulley grooves. The new belt should also be routed the same as the old one.
Step Four: Put Everything Back Together
The last step is to put everything back to the way it was. Don’t forget to put tension back into the belt by pulling the idler arm pulley handle again!
You can check out FDI Drive for new riding lawn mower belts!
