Hi Everyone, I have an "older" Craftsman tractor, 42" deck, model number is 917.271554. It's been chewing up deck belts lately. I know SOMETHING is out of alignment, just not sure what. I'm getting some binding raising and lowering the deck and it will chafe the belt on the guard at one of the idlers when running, throwing it occasionally until it finally chews through it. I did replace one of the pulley brackets recently because I bent it (long story), so maybe I didn't line that up right, since there are no guide marks or tabs? anyone have a photo of this particular deck to help me figure out what's off?
I would start by removing the deck and check each one of the pulleys and spindles. When was the last time any of them have been serviced or replaced? Worn pulleys or spindle bears, plus worn tensioner arm would all contribute to your problem.
