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Allo everyone! New member here that has come to recognize quality and wanting to stop spending my money on cheap belt driven lawn mowers. I picked up this running tractor for $100 and am looking to restore it to it's former glory. I've already yanked a dead citrus tree out of the ground with it...and was very impressed of the mower's tenacity. I'm hooked. :biggrin:
I live in FL. We don't have all the needs of you northerners and small farm mid-westerners. I have a 1919 house w/ a nice piece of land in the city that used to be utilized properly to grow food etc... I feel the need to re-utilize it in the way it was intended. I'm looking to have this GT help me do that. I've got a tiller for this GT as well.
I'm an accomplished mechanic on top of being an EE. So far, I've rewired the spaghetti monster and bought a used mower deck in better shape than mine in hopes of cutting a stamped metal portion out of it in order to replace a bad section of mower deck that came with it. I have plans of powder coating the deck/rims, cleaning it all up, and making something beautiful out of it.
The brass float in the carburetor got a hole in it, flooding it. I cleaned it up and solder the hole closed. In the process of trying to get the gas out of it via fire and identify the hole (speed up the process) I learned a valuable lesson. :wink: The fire got inside and quickly got the rest out, enlarging the existing hole in the process. *DOH!* :ashamed: Oh well, the world needs bad examples to learn from. :smile:
In the process of trying to put the float back on, the needle valve dropped out. I heard a couple bounces...never to be seen again. I must have spent about 6 hours on my hands/knees with flashlight/scissors in my hands searching the grass. My neighbors surely think I've gone crazy. It's brass so...no magnet to help. I then bought a used metal detector thinking that nobody would be selling this little old part and that I could resell the detector when I'm done. Well now...that led me on a wild goose chase. Hours later I haven't found it and have more time accumulated on my hands/knees.
After a coworkers suggestion at giving ebay a shot, I gave it a try. I'll be damned. One of only a couple hits came up with a needle valve kit for a Kohler engine that is VERY close to mine for $10 with shipping. It looks exactly the same. It may be slightly a different length but I can adjust for that.
Anyhow, I'm looking for some help in finding parts. I need the v-belt for the front PTO. It connects the front drive pulley to the PTO pulley. It's so old that Ariens website doesn't support it. The manual doesn't give me a part number.
Can anyone help me? I'd be happy to share my trials/tribulations in exchange. :biggrin: I'm also very helpful in solving electrical/mechanical issues.

You've probably got a 931XXX series tractor? Most all of them that had an electric PTO clutch used Ariens part number 072111 belts. The PTO belts work out to be part number 4L340 in the aftermarket. If your engine has the brass float, it probably has a Kohler carburetor. If it has, the carb kit is Kohler part number25-757-02-S. The float is Kohler part number 25-757-03-S. The float bowl is Kohler part number 235448-S. Later Magnum engines used the Walbro carb and they had a plastic float.

cashman said:

You've probably got a 931XXX series tractor? Most all of them that had an electric PTO clutch used Ariens part number 072111 belts. The PTO belts work out to be part number 4L340 in the aftermarket. If your engine has the brass float, it probably has a Kohler carburetor. If it has, the carb kit is Kohler part number25-757-02-S. The float is Kohler part number 25-757-03-S. The float bowl is Kohler part number 235448-S. Later Magnum engines used the Walbro carb and they had a plastic float.

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Thanks, Cashman!:thumbsup:

I'm not sure exactly what model it is as the plate has been painted over it seems. I found a picture of somebody else's that they were selling. He says his model # is 93024. Would that make a difference in the part numbers you gave me? Do you know offhand what the differences are between the 931xx and the 930xx?

My biggest challenge is fixing the mower deck inexpensively. It's rusting on top.

Is yours a single cylinder or a twin cylinder engine? The 930 series will probably be different? I'll look this weekend to see if I have a parts manual for the 930 series. I used to sell Ariens during the late 1970's. I've still got a 1982 931 series with the Kohler KT-17 twin. I know they used the Kohler K-361 OHV engine prior to that. Is yours a hydrostatic or gear drive transmission? I'm like you, I've got a great tractor (400 hrs) but the mower deck is shot and don't have much use for it anymore.

find the model numbers of your engine and you might be able to put it into sears parts direct if they used that model in one of their tractors then it will show you diagrams of all of the parts for that engine. but if you find your model number that can help you locate parts anyways. just plug it into google and you can find stuff for it.

I can't find any parts list for a 930 series tractor. They go from 929 to 931 series? If you still have the old belts, take a tape measure and measure the outside edge of the belts and that will get you close to the size belts you'll need.

cashman said:

Is yours a single cylinder or a twin cylinder engine? The 930 series will probably be different? I'll look this weekend to see if I have a parts manual for the 930 series. I used to sell Ariens during the late 1970's. I've still got a 1982 931 series with the Kohler KT-17 twin. I know they used the Kohler K-361 OHV engine prior to that. Is yours a hydrostatic or gear drive transmission? I'm like you, I've got a great tractor (400 hrs) but the mower deck is shot and don't have much use for it anymore.

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It's the Kohler K-361 OHV engine with hydrostatic drive.

metz12,
The engine model # doesn't help me get the external drive belt.

I don't have the old belts.

Thanks for all the help. I've taken measurements that are close enough to be the belt you originally posted, Cashman. Thanks!!

sorry, i was thinking for future purposes. and you need the measurement of the belt itself? you can wrap a rope around the belt routing and then measure your belt and get the right belt at tractor supply, ebay or amazon. its a v belt correct?

The Kohler part #'s for the carb parts should be good. The Ariens GT's were actually a Sperry-New Holland design and Ariens didn't change them much over the years they were built. They were badged as a Gravely at one time also. I think you could find most of the Ariens part numbers for it in the 931 series parts manuals. Don't know about availability though?

metz12 said:

sorry, i was thinking for future purposes. and you need the measurement of the belt itself? you can wrap a rope around the belt routing and then measure your belt and get the right belt at tractor supply, ebay or amazon. its a v belt correct?

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I bought a couple 34" belts (2 pulleys) for the front crank to front PTO pulley. I go out to install them and discover that the idler pulley is right up against the front axle encapsulation tube. There's no way of getting the belt around the pulleys. I've got the manual for the tractor and it doesn't mention anything about installing these belts. WTH? Anybody know anything about installing these belts??
Another thing, the 2 pulleys on the engine crankshaft don't appear to line up (straight, about an inch offset) with the 2 pulleys on the PTO shaft. They're offset. *scratching my head*

If I remember right, you have to completely remove the front PTO shaft assembly to install the belts. Make sure that the lower pulley hasn't slid forward. I think there is a snap ring that holds it onto the PTO shaft. I've changed those belts before on mine but was years ago. I'll try to eyeball it tonight and see if it jogs my memory.