How To Repair A Broken Lawn Mower Belt

And how to replace lawn mower belts

What does a lawn mower belt do?

Lawn mower blades on a naught turn backyard mower aren't driven directly by a PTO (power have off) shaft or by an engine crankshaft. Instead, they're turned by a arrangement of pulleys which are driven by a chugalug that's powered past the electric clutch and the engine. Also kuch technical data? That'due south ok, you don't necessarily demand to know all of that, but what you practise need to know is that lawn mower belts wear, and if neglected, eventually break.

When to supercede lawn mower belt?

Patently, a cleaved zero plow lawn mower belt or broken lawn tractor belt results in the automated need for a chugalug replacement, but how tin you catch it before it fails while mowing and inconveniencing your weekend schedule? There's no definite corporeality of time that a mower belt is supposed to last, but increased mower employ shortens the interval in which a belt needs replacement. Simply put, more employ equals more than wear.

Additionally, faulty belts or mechanical failures like a seized caster can make lawn mower belts break prematurely. If yous're wearing through belts more frequently than what seems normal, you may be sourcing inferior belts, or are experiencing a mechanical failure in the form of a seized pulley, a burr (sharp metallic crude spot) on the caster, or some other interference along the path of the belt routing.

How to tell if a mower belt needs replacement

Visual inspection is all it takes to know if a mower belt is across its life, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist or experienced mechanic to come across the signs of habiliment that announced before an impending pause. The average homeowner volition be able to spot a wearing belt as long as they know what to expect for.

These signs bear witness when a mower belt could experience failure and needs replacement equally soon as possible:

1. The belt has southwardide wall damage.

Mower belt edges should be smooth and fifty-fifty throughout the unabridged length of the belt. If even a small portion of the chugalug is worn, it's at risk of breaking and should be replaced.

2. The belt has a glazed or burned sidewall.

Expect at the chugalug edge that contacts the pulleys. If information technology appears shiny, glazed or burned, it volition need to exist replaced.

iii. The belt is cracked.

If the belt appears brittle and is deteriorating to the point that information technology has cracks, even shallow cracks, it is at high chance of breaking and needs to be replaced.

How to supercede a lawn mower belt

Replacing a mower belt is easy and doesn't take besides much fourth dimension, even for those who don't have much, if any, mechanical experience. All it takes are a few wrenches, and about 1.5 hours on a Sat morning. Alternatively, if information technology's a procedure you're uncomfortable doing yourself, your local Ariens dealer will be glad to complete the service piece of work for yous.

Spotter the step-by-pace process on how to change a backyard mower belt on an Ariens IKON Ten or IKON XL of whatever deck size. Equally always, before you start service, park the unit on a flat, level surface, stop the engine, remove the key and wait for all moving parts to terminate and for hot parts to cool. Additionally, reread all the safety information in the operator's manual for your unit of measurement.

1. Fix the cutting height of the mower to its everyman position.

2. Remove the belt covers from the left and right sides of the mower deck.

iii. Pull chugalug out of the left spindle pulley to release chugalug tension on the mower belt idler spring.

four. Identify the mower belt idler arm and remove the hardware above the belt finger / guide the so the idler spring hook can be accessed.

5. With rubber goggles and an acceptable leap pulling tool, remove the spring from the idler arm assembly.

6. Enhance the mower deck to it'south highest cutting position.

7. Loosen the hardware retaining the idler assembly to the mower deck and remove the idler assembly. To remove the nut from the bolt, the bolt caput under the deck will need to be held in place with some other tool. Apply caution when reaching under the mower deck.

8. Render the mower deck to its lowest cutting position.

9. Remove hardware retaining the chugalug finger from rearmost idler caster and remove the belt finger.

10. Remove the chugalug from the clutch pulley located nether the engine.

eleven. Remove the belt.

12. Install the new mower belt effectually the spindle pulleys and the idlers on the mower deck. It's difficult to tell how the mower belt is routed in the picture beneath, so reference the diagram in the operator's transmission for your unit to see exactly how the chugalug should be routed.

Additionally, it's crucial the belt is installed in the correct orientation. Looking closely at the belt, yous can come across that the belt has a "5" shape, which gives ane side of the belt less surface area than the other side of the chugalug. Information technology's very important to install the belt then the side with less surface area is positioned against the spindle pulleys.

thirteen. Ensure the belt is against the rearmost idler pulley and reinstall the belt finger for that caster with its original flange nut.

14. Install the mower belt around the clutch pulley at the rear of the unit.

15. Return the idler associates to its original position. Ensure the large apartment steel washer is positioned between the idler and the deck, and ensure the pocket-size apartment steel washer is positioned on tiptop of the idler.

xvi. Raise the mower deck to it's higest position and reinstall the idler assembly hardware, but finger tighten only. DO NOT completely tighten the hardware. Then, move the belt under the idler caster so information technology's in the orientation shown in the image below.

17. Safely reach under the deck to access the idler arm associates bolt caput. Hold the bolt head in place and tighten the nut to secure the idler arm associates.

18. Lower the mower deck to its lowest cutting height.

19. Reinstall the chugalug finger into the idler arm. Then, while wearing condom goggles, reinstall the idler spring hook around the idler assembly.

20. Ensure the belt has tension and is correctly aligned in all pulleys.

21. Reinstall the spacer onto the idler assembly and secure with the original flange nut.

22. Reinstall the left and right belt covers with the original hardware.

Where to social club backyard mower belts

If your belts are worn and desire to try this procedure on your own, visit your nearest Ariens dealer for replacement parts, or source belts from the Ariens online parts store at parts.ariens.com. But over again, if y'all aren't comfortable completing this procedure on your own, visit your Ariens servicing dealer for help.

To larn which belts yous need for your mower, click here to watch our 47-second video that shows how to identify replacement part numbers on your unit and how to find them online.