Shredding belts. Is my retractor arm on backwars?

d2jkxxek

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  • / Shredding belts. Is my retractor arm on backwars?
Wish you would have said that in your first post. It would have saved us a lot of time trying to figure out what you have. Each of the techs on this forum have worked on hundreds of deck models and trying to figure out what you have with faulty info takes up our time and we start guessing, which we hate to do. Then the model number you posted means nothing. You must realize we can only help you if you provide us with all information you have, not just bits and pieces. You will need to provide us with pictures to all parts of the deck. That is the only way we can best help you.
Thanks for letting me know. I really appreciate all you guys do, not just for me on this particular project but all of the good information across the long-closed threads. I only have gotten as far as I have because of what you all have given voluntarily (at least I assume you are voluntarily doing this out of the goodness of your heart).

I appologize for not including the information at the beginning that the deck had been replaced, I was of the understanding that it was still setup the same way as what is in the manual. (Both the user manually included and the much more detailed repair manual I found on-line, Which appears to be the same @StarTech posted earlier). Everything appears to be in the same location. I do find those diagrams difficult to read. There is a seperate diagram on the shell of the deck itself, which appears to be of whatever tractor that particular deck was orginally manufactured for as it shows 6 pullies versus the four I have on my machine. I had thought my inquiry was related only to the spring and the arm, from one of the earlier forum posts I foudn in my internet search I thought perhaps I had the arm in upside down, its coming from the top down into the hole on what I believe is called the deck idler bracket (part labeled 35 to part labeld 47 on the manual posted on partstree which I suspect is the same one from which @StarTech pulled the screen shot they posted above), but I don't see how I could fit it in the other way. The manual appears to indicate that I have it the right direction to me, but I'm old and can't see so well these days. The location of the spring is more difficult to see in the diagrams, but this looked the best i could find. I'm not actually the one who mows, my wife is due to my server grass allergies. Everytime its stopped this summer and she's had me inspect that arm has bounced out of the hole. It sure feels like there should be a cotter pin keeping it in place, but there isn't even a hold in the arm to put a pin.

Given what photo I provided previously, I had cropped it down to only show the portion that I thought was relevant after the website gave me an error that the image was too large. I can take it again after first making sure my camera is set to a lower resolution so that the file doesn't reach the file size limit. Is that all that I need is the same photo of the deck that has been disconnected from the rider, basically whats there just including the wider portions of the photo to include all of the parts in the photo, or is there more you need?
 

d2jkxxek

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  • / Shredding belts. Is my retractor arm on backwars?
Never heard of a Huskee LTD4200 but of course I don't see a ton of Huskee brand mowers. As IL said we need the model number from the serial number tag.
You are correct, It's an LT4200, not LTD, my memory has failed me again.

But I am pretty sure the connecting link is severely bent as the LH brake is in the wrong place and it is probably what is shredding the belt.
Thank you so much for this insight. By chance would you mind pointing out which parts you are reffering to?Maybe by downloading my original photo and editing it such to circle what you are talking about? I don't see anything with those names when I look at the manual posted on partstree (or the numbers referenced there)?

Well neither 2019 LT4200 shows that spring on the deck. Looks like someone just stuck it on it as it may not even belongs on that deck.

Well I put the spring there. The part I ordered was:

thumb.png

MTD 732-04629

EXTENSION SPRING

Which I believe is the part that broke, and I attempted to put it where I thought the diagram was describing in the link above. It is certainly possible that I am way off.

Thank you so much for you giving your time to help the less mechanically inclined like myself. I've already learned so much on this forum and working on this silly lawnmower so often this year that this computer nerd is starting to see the appeal of doing mechanical work oneself and the affection my grease monkey father had had for it. I really wish he were still with us, as @Rivets had said it would be so much quicker with you standing right next to me and being able to see what I see rather than days of asynchronous back and forth.

Edit: Well, now that I compare that photo with my receipt, it looks like I may have actually got the

MTD 932-0384 Extension Spring, .62" X 6.12"​

 
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d2jkxxek

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  • / Shredding belts. Is my retractor arm on backwars?
A belt shreds when it is running against some thing that it should not .
On decks then most of the time it is because the belt is on the wrong side of a belt keeper or even a brake ( on manual PTOs )
I believe mine has a manual PTO, a spring tightens and releases from a cable (similar to those connected to bike hand-brakes) that is driven by the enage/dissengage lever.

I when I put the new belt on, I had felt like it shouldn't be going around the square piece feels like it should not go here in green.png

But there is near 0 room between that and the pulley and no matter how I tried I couldn't squeeze the belt in there.
 

Rivets

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  • / Shredding belts. Is my retractor arm on backwars?
To install the belt you need to loosen the bolt that holds the pulley on so you can insert the belt between the belt guide, square piece, and the pulley. Then tighten the bolt back down. Next remove the spring in your picture and move the tensioner arm until both brake pads are in contact with the pulleys. If you notice there is a slot on the tensioner arm, nest to the belt guide. One end of the spring will go in that slot. You will then have to find where the other end of the spring goes to keep the brake pads tight to the pulleys. When everything is installed correctly the PTO lever will move the tensioner arm, moving the pads away from the pulleys. The springs pulls the brake pads back against the pulleys when the PTO is disengaged.
 

bertsmobile1

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  • / Shredding belts. Is my retractor arm on backwars?
And that "square bit is called a "belt keeper" it's job as you have found out is prevent the ble passing between it and the pully so when the deck is turned off and the belt goes slack it does not jump off the pulley
And if you ran the belt over the outside that will shred the belt in almost no time
Same story for brake pads, the belt has to go between the pad & the pulley
 

d2jkxxek

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So now its time to get a new belt, again. Is ordering the cheap ass one on Amazon straight from China again, or does it really make a difference to get a genuine MTD one?
 

d2jkxxek

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  • / Shredding belts. Is my retractor arm on backwars?
well a year later and I am no better off, but to amswer my own question above, a legit MTD was definitely tge right choice. I've had the belt smoking a couple times, and it still functions.
 
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