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I have a cub cadet model 13ala9tsa10 xt1lt42b
This is my first riding mower I got last year and now I'm getting ready for first time mowing this year. This is a silly question but putting the battery back in, the neg. screw won't tighten up. It has a square washer but no matter where I put it, the screw won't tighten. Thank for any help.

Simple fix, just get a new nut and bolt. Doesn’t have to be a square head.

Rivets said:

Simple fix, just get a new nut and bolt. Doesn’t have to be a square head.

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I have more respect for people like you with all your experence than any know it all modern day mechanic.
I'll try explaining it better. The battery has screws that tighten down the pos and neg cables. I tighened the pos with no problem but the neg comes with a square nut but no matter how I try, the screw won't tightem.

I’m confused, why wouldn’t replacing both nut and bolt solve the problem?

Rivets said:

I’m confused, why wouldn’t replacing both nut and bolt solve the problem?

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Rivets this mower takes the AGM battery like ATV's

ron815 said:

I have more respect for people like you with all your experence than any know it all modern day mechanic.
I'll try explaining it better. The battery has screws that tighten down the pos and neg cables. I tighened the pos with no problem but the neg comes with a square nut but no matter how I try, the screw won't tightem.

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I suspect that you lost the nut that slides in the slot below where the wire and bolt passes through to tighten down. Also if the nut is there I have used various objects to hold the nut up so the bolt will catch the threads if they don't reach low enough to catch the nut


for an example of what it should have

I’m bad.

And sometimes it just take a longer screw due the number of thick terminals the screw is passing thru but normally as IL said you got hold the nut up so the threads can catch.

Rivets said:

I’m bad.

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You are just getting old and forgot to do what I am constantly harping on. We must look up the equipment when the OP posts the needed info. Personally I have now quit asking for this info and just will not respond to posts without the needed info...Save me a lot time and headaches; although, I am going to get a couple more 200 caplet pills bottles tomorrow morning. I am about out and just don't to hit those other bottles on the shelf in the shop.

I got enough headache problems in the shop now anyways. Working on that ZD331P engine will take some time as I got first clean all the oily dirt off the engine for a UV test. Done got half a 5 gallon off it already.

I want to thank everyone for their replies. Probably not allowed but I can't wait for Nov. to get that thing out of the WH.

StarTech said:

And sometimes it just take a longer screw due the number of thick terminals the screw is passing thru but normally as IL said you got hold the nut up so the threads can catch.
View attachment 68138

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Take a small screwdriver and put it under the square nut to hold it so you can begin threading and tightening the screw to the square bolt.

This seems like the perfect place to re leave the 1st thread or two from the screw .