How to Change the Belt on a Front Propelled Lawn Mower

Front-propelled lawn mowers use a drive belt to power the two front wheels, taking much of the work out of cutting the grass. With the mower pulling itself along, you just have to walk behind it, steering in the direction you want to go. Over time the drive belt may stretch or break. The front-wheel drive will not work until the belt is replaced. This relatively simple repair can be done at home to save the time and expense of hauling the mower to a repair shop.

Screwdrivers
Work gloves
Pliers
New belt

Instructions

- 1
  Pull the wire off the tip of the spark plug before repairing the mower.
- 2
  Remove the screws holding the transmission cover to the front of the mower deck, using a screwdriver while wearing work gloves. Remove the cover to expose the drive belt and a pulley mechanism connected to the front axle.
- 3
  Loosen the screw in the top of the pulley to relax tension on the drive belt.
- 4
  Pull the pulley back toward the engine to slip the drive belt off the pulley.
- 5
  Tip the mower on its side so the air filter on the side of the engine faces upward. The air filter is a cylinder with holes in the bottom or sides, depending on your model.
- 6
  Pull the drive belt off the pulley underneath the lawnmower blade. On some models, you may need to remove the nut holding the blade on the drive shaft, using pliers, to remove the drive belt.
- 7
  Slide the new belt onto the drive shaft on the underside of the mower and seat the belt on the pulley.
- 8
  Push the belt through the slot on the mower deck and stretch the belt over the tension pulley on the top of the mower deck. Seat the belt on the pulley and tighten the screw in the center of the pulley to restore belt tension.
- 9
  Attach the transmission cover over the belt and pulley on the top of the mower deck and secure with screws.
- 10
  Push the clip on the engine wire back on the spark plug tip.

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