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Older Craftsman rider
Drive belt finally broke. I replaced it with OEM part
I don’t see any tension adjustments
It will now go on flat lawn but no longer up slight hills
Belt slipping or transmission finally gave up the ghost ? How would one tell?

Could you post the Model number of the mower? Should be on a tag under the seat.
Some mowers have 2 drive belts. On from engine to trans and one on the trans. Usually called a lower drive belt, IIRC.

Put rear end on jack stands with belt installed & give it a go. Also check idler pulleys for drive belt by removing them & check center bearings for wear by spinning them by hand. If you hear metal noise or rattling replace idlers Post 917....... model number from under seat & any numbers from transaxle.

917.376731 Model # plate

I didn’t notice idler where’s binding when putting on belt. I’ll check

Hmmm. 917.376731 is coming up as a push mower ?

Now Scrub it is a new type of riding mower....

917.376731

Scrubcadet10 said:

Hmmm. 917.376731 is coming up as a push mower ?

CRAFTSMAN 917.376731 OWNER'S MANUAL Pdf Download

View and Download Craftsman 917.376731 owner's manual online. 650 Series Briggs & Stratton Engine, Power-Propelled, 22'' Multi-Cut rotary lawn mower. 917.376731 lawn mower pdf manual download.

www.manualslib.com

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well

Piney said:

917276240

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Sorry. First post had wrong pic

Piney said:

well

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Click on Ground Drive & see idler pulleys, remove them items 50 & 52 & inspect for replacement, bearings may be worn out, make sure drive belt is OEM part. Let us know how it goes, thanks, Mark

Don't know what to tell you... could you post a picture of the model tag?

Check your belt size and routing. One or the other is suspect to me. Possibly belt is too long.

Piney said:

Older Craftsman rider
Drive belt finally broke. I replaced it with OEM part
I don’t see any tension adjustments
It will now go on flat lawn but no longer up slight hills
Belt slipping or transmission finally gave up the ghost ? How would one tell?

Click to expand...

With the clutch fully out (in drive mode) check under the tractor and see if belt is tight , should be fairly snug but not like guitar string tight , if loose belt may not be correct or when installing new belt the tension spring may have fell off or even broke , if it was working proper before belt broke it's more than likely a issue with the belt , also check the idlers pulleys for seized bearing and if belt is following proper routing ,

my usual check for proper belt tension is to remove the spark plug then try to turn the engine over by pulling on the drive belt
If it slips when the engine is on compression stroke then the belt is too loose

V-belt is a 1/2 x 82-5/8. They are fit very tight around the idlers on this model. Also this mower has constant pressure on the drive belt. I just did one this week where one of idlers bracket was bent
causing belt slippage.

Bracket item 47 was the one bent here and the idler nearly hitting the steering shaft.


It was locate along the belt as indicated by the arrow.


Also item 127 need be pull out and braced against item 142 as to pull to spring 128.

Thanks all for the tips. I’m on site this weekend. I’ll take a look at tge belt length and the various idler wheels

Spent more time under the beastie this weekend. Pulleys ok. Belt ok. Routing ok
I found a spring that put tension on the belts pully
It’s got a u shaped device that when in its “normal” position it doesn’t pull the spring. One side of it sticks in a hole in the frame and is thus doesn’t pull the spring. Perhaps it acts differently when the deck is in place ?
I pulled it out of its normal position. It seems to drive ok