Export thread

I have a 2019 CUB CADET ZT1 42" MODEL #17AREACS010 (zero turn) residential mower with 12 hrs on it. Bought it last yr round Sept. It's worked great until today. Yesterday I removed the deck, and replaced the blades (new blades never were very sharp). Put it all back together got blade belt back on by rolling belt onto (then loose) PTO pulley.

But unknown to me the blade belt tension spring holder bracket fell out of place (it just sits in a hole in the deck) while I tilted deck up to remove blades. Today when I went to mow the blades obviously did not turn when I engaged electric blade switch. So immediately I shut blade switch off and engine off and found the blade belt had come off a blade spindle pulley and the PTO pulley due to no spring tension. So I replaced the spring tension bracket to hold the spring in place.

Ok engine still off. I then put belt back on the blade spindle pulley and then attempt to roll the belt back onto the PTO pulley, but PTO doesn't turn at all. It's locked. Can't really get belt onto PTO with it locked. So I make sure my hydro-drive release pull levers are not pulled, but really I think they would only matter if the starter didn't turn over, which it does. My control levers were pushed all the way outwards then, so I set them to upright neutral position. But PTO was still locked. I can't ever remember having this happen. I cannot get the PTO to unlock no matter where I put the control levers. I can crank the engine, in fact I cranked it and drove it back in garage and shut it down. But cannot get PTO pulley to spin with engine off.

Anybody got any idea what I did wrong or what might have failed?

Assuming electric pto, they have a brake on them that can make turning the pulley difficult. I don't know why it would of turned easier previously.

Yep, electric pto.

I tell people everyday....DO NOT REMOVE DECK to replace the blades....if you do, you're doing way more work then you need to and you might run in to a problem after you re-install it!

i remove mine when i change the blades, easier to scrape all of the grass of the bottom of it to keep it from rotting out.

1RB2534 said:

I have a 2019 CUB CADET ZT1 42" MODEL #17AREACS010 (zero turn) residential mower with 12 hrs on it. Bought it last yr round Sept. It's worked great until today. Yesterday I removed the deck, and replaced the blades (new blades never were very sharp). Put it all back together got blade belt back on by rolling belt onto (then loose) PTO pulley.

But unknown to me the blade belt tension spring holder bracket fell out of place (it just sits in a hole in the deck) while I tilted deck up to remove blades. Today when I went to mow the blades obviously did not turn when I engaged electric blade switch. So immediately I shut blade switch off and engine off and found the blade belt had come off a blade spindle pulley and the PTO pulley due to no spring tension. So I replaced the spring tension bracket to hold the spring in place.

Ok engine still off. I then put belt back on the blade spindle pulley and then attempt to roll the belt back onto the PTO pulley, but PTO doesn't turn at all. It's locked. Can't really get belt onto PTO with it locked. So I make sure my hydro-drive release pull levers are not pulled, but really I think they would only matter if the starter didn't turn over, which it does. My control levers were pushed all the way outwards then, so I set them to upright neutral position. But PTO was still locked. I can't ever remember having this happen. I cannot get the PTO to unlock no matter where I put the control levers. I can crank the engine, in fact I cranked it and drove it back in garage and shut it down. But cannot get PTO pulley to spin with engine off.

Anybody got any idea what I did wrong or what might have failed?

Click to expand...

so you are saying the pulley thats supposed to be free spinning isnt turning? have you unplugged the wire to see if maybe your PTO switch is bad?

there should be no reason you cant get the belt back on whether the pulley turns free or not, something isnt right with the way your belt is run or you arent puling hard enough against the spring to get it on

Thanks for replys, last night I had envisioned all kinds of dilemmas. But it seems working ok this morning after I got the belt on another way. Still puzzled why at least two times in the past I was able to turn the PTO pulley with engine off and yesterday every time I tried to turn it (no matter what position switch or control handles were in) it would not turn at all.

But I found another way to reinstall the blade belt. It's not quite as easy but if I first remove the deck foot rest plate, then remove the right side spindle pulley cover. Then remove the blade belt from said right spindle pulley. Then get down under in back and lay said belt onto the PTO pulley. Then go back to the exposed right spindle pulley and pull diligently on the spring pulley while rolling the belt around said right spindle pulley till it goes on.

I cranked it up and everything works like it supposed to. Mowed with it today with the new blades. I looked closely at the PTO pulley on this model and it does not have the 3 adjustment bolts like some others I've seen that allow to adjust the PTO magnet gap. Not sure if they make the gap tighter new because of this (?) but when the gap wears too big that's it. I know now I can't rely on the PTO pulley to always remove and install the blade belt. But really not sure why sometimes the PTO pulley was turnable and sometime it's not.

Another thing of note here for anyone with similar Cub Cadets. If you like to flip your deck upside down to replace blades and clean the deck. The deck blade belt pulley tension spring hooks to an attachment bracket that rests in a hole in the deck, held only by gravity. And if you're not careful it will fall out and get lost. Fortunately mine was still laying on the deck but out of it's hole and caused my blade belt to come off the pulley yesterday. Otherwise I'd never have known any of this since the day before yesterday I removed and put the belt back by turning the PTO pulley. Go figure.