Ferris IS2600Z Drive Belt Nightmare

[MParr]

You don't have one of these do you. Or your reading from a book not actually doing it.

A piece of 1/4” braided nylon cord or rope makes a good spring removal/install tool.

 

[Honest Abe]

I'll have to look in my shop; but, I think the manual package had a "Tool" inside for hooking on to the idler arm and pulling to release the tension so the belt can be taken off or put on .. .. .. I'll see what I can find.........

 

[neighborbill]

I'd like to know more about that.
Thanks

 

[neighborbill]

A piece of 1/4” braided nylon cord or rope makes a good spring removal/install tool.

Not sure how you mean to use it.

 

[MParr]

Not sure how you mean to use it.

Never mind. The cord works great on the deck tension springs.

 

[Tiger Small Engine]

You don't have one of these do you. Or your reading from a book not actually doing it.

I do own a Ferris 60” zero turn, and a Scag as well. The point is, I have worked on enough mowers to know there is a tensioner pulley on the drive belt on a zero turn, and a stiff spring gives it tension. I have a spring removal tool, but sometimes you have to use a ratchet strap and wire because the spring tension is too great.

 

[MParr]

I do own a Ferris 60” zero turn, and a Scag as well. The point is, I have worked on enough mowers to know there is a tensioner pulley on the drive belt on a zero turn, and a stiff spring gives it tension. I have a spring removal tool, but sometimes you have to use a ratchet strap and wire because the spring tension is too great.

And, some tensioning pulley assemblies have a square hole to accept a 1/2” pull handle and extension.

 

[neighborbill]

There has been so much discussion here that the real problem is getting lost.
After the tension "I" bolt to spring has been released and the belt has been mounted around everything except for the last pulley now comes the part where all the nice idea's are coming but the problem is..... you can't get to the pulley to stretch the belt around. It is buried under the battery box. You can't hardly see it, the spring, nor the eye bolt.
The way that the two of us finally got it on was with me in the back trying to slip the belt on the axel pulley while him buddy somehow got a hold of the tension pulley and pulled like hell. After that , we tightened the nut on the Eye Bolt for additional tension on the spring.
We did take off the nut from the eye bolt. (book said dont'). If we had I don't that we would have ever got it back into the position where it was. This is just one hell of a poor design.

 

[neighborbill]

More.... After you have loosened the spring tension, you are supposed to tighten the bolt until the spring is "Seven" inches long.
Who writes this stuff. You can't see the spring, it's buried under the battery compartment.

 

[StarTech]

After looking over the IPL it kinda looks like the battery and battery box has to be remove to access the spring area. As said it appears to be a poor design maintenance wise. Sorta like ATVs where you got a part a lot parts off just to get the carburetor out to service it. I spent over 1.5 hours just removing the carburetor and now after I cleaned and repaired carb it is going to at least another hour to get things back in place just to test things.