A little history, my experience and why I'm posting this.
We purchased our Huskee back in 2008 but it's my understanding it's a 2007 model. We've replaced the deck spindle belt (the belt that wraps around the three spindles and turns the blades) 2 or 3 times since purchase and the PTO (blade engage) belt 15 times or more. We keep 2 yards place a large size lot, plus the roadside to each, mowed so it's a workhorse. There's a 3rd belt that drives the transmission (or engages it or whatever) that has been on since the factory. The last time I had to drop the deck I noted that the belt was probably on it's last legs as there were bits and pieces of it missing yet it was still intact and working as it should. Well, recently, at the 629 hour mark to be precise, the belt finally gave out while mowing and I was dead in the water, so to speak. I looked and thought it had broken as I could see it on one side of the transmission pulley but not the other, but when I finally went to fix it, I realized it had simply deteriorated so much it had slipped off and twisted (or vice versa). The odd thing was the outside (flat part) of the belt was still intact like it was made out of Kevlar or something. Anyways...
Having never replaced this belt, I went online to see what I could find out about it, hoping to find step by step instructions or a video showing how to replace it. My concern was that the belt and pulleys were all mounted at the interior most of the mower and I was concerned about my ability to replace this with reasonable ease. The fact that I couldn't find anything specific online for my particular model was troubling. I found plenty of links to similar models to make me think "I need to take this to a pro", 28 step process' to replace it, upper and lower trans drive belts, etc, including links to "service manuals" from gaming companies "free" so long as you provide credit card info to validate your address (wth?). I finally decided the best thing I can do is just dive in and find out for myself. I've done most every repair on the mower so far (spindles, starter problems, etc.) so I can surely handle this as well. And that's just what I did. For the benefit of others who own this particular model, I wanted to share this information to let you know that you, too, can handle this repair. I was easier that I had anticipated, but your experience will, no doubt, vary.
So, here's my version of "Replacing the transmission drive belt on a Huskee Supreme SLT 4600H, 13AX615H730 (2007)".
Things you'll need to do:
1) Drop the deck and remove the battery and tray.
I've dropped the deck on this mower enough that I know it by heart. In short, first remove the PTO engaging belt from the motor mounted pulley assembly, then disengage the PTO cable from the engagement lever and frame, then disengage the rear mounting points (spring loaded pins) and finally disengage to front mount and carefully slide the deck out of the way.
Disconnect and remove the battery and tray.
2) Now you can get a good view of what you're dealing with. Under the battery you'll see the transmission pulley with the plastic fan mounted to it. You don't have to remove the pulley, just the fan, and it comes off by removing the 3 small bolts.
Looking underneath the mower about midway, you'll see three pulleys; 2 on the right hand side of the mower and one on the left (left and right as if sitting in the seat, not as you look at it from underneath). The one on the left is V grooved and stationary. Of the two on the right, one is V grooved and one flat, one (and maybe the other?) is spring loaded and I assume this is where the tensioning/release takes place. Each of these is easily accessible now and you don't need to remove anything (except maybe the old belt if it's still on) to put on the new belt.
Looking at the front immediately below the engine, you'll see the now vacant large pulley where the PTO belt mounts. Above that pulley, there's a smaller pulley where the transmission drive belt mounts. That pulley, when installed, is encased with built in belt guides (front and each side) that are a part of the metal framework for the mower. Dealing with these pulleys were my main concern going in and was hoping that I could snake the new belt onto the front pulley without removing it, but that idea obviously went out the window when I saw the structure. Both the large (PTO) pulley and the smaller transmission drive pulley are one piece and is mounted to the crank (or whatever you call it) of the engine. If the engine's turning, these pulleys are turning. Though I never found a procedure specific to this model, the research I did online was correct in that you'll need either an impact wrench to remove the single bolt or someway to hold the shaft still while removing the single bolt. You try to turn the bolt and you in turn turn the engine, too. One procedure recommended pulling a plug and inserting a rope to stop the piston from moving, but that sounded like the potential for more trouble. A strap wrench was mentioned, and I tried that, but I wound up using a large pair of vice grips and bracing it against the mower framework for stability while I tried to loosen the bolt. This was hindered by the remnants of a couple of broken PTO belts wrapped around the shaft, but this eventually worked. I also removed the left control arm (two nuts) and the left PTO pulley guide (one nut) for work room. Again, removing these pulleys was my main concern going in as this was an 8 year-old machine with 629 works hours on it and this bolt had never been removed, but I was pleasantly surprised how easily this was done, both the removing of the bolt and the ease at which the pulley assembly was pulled off after that.
Once you have these three areas (rear, middle and front) clear, you can remove the old belt, if needed, and install the new one.
3) Installing the new belt (this is the easy part).
First, snake the new belt from mid way of the mower through he framework, etc., to the front where it will mount on the engine pulley. Once it's there, you can place the pulley assembly back on the shaft and install it to the point where the small pulley is just beneath the built-in guides of the mower framework. Place the new belt on the pulley and pinch it at the rear to hold it securely in place and push the pulley and belt to within the guides of the framework. Once this is done you can re-install the single bolt that holds the pulley assembly to the engine shaft. (Note: The shaft and assembly are keyed, so you have to line those up. Also, while the pulley assembly came off easily for me, I wanted to re-install it with axle grease or something between the shaft and assembly. Couldn't find the axel grease so used Vaseline instead. Don't know if it will make a difference in future repairs or not.)
Next, place the new belt on the transmission pulley and re-install the plastic fan with the three small bolts. I'm not sure if the plastic fan has the added benefit of acting as one big pulley guide, but maybe so.
Next, get underneath the mid-section and insert the belt in the right side pulley mechanism. You'll need to move the outer/rear spring-loaded pulley to accommodate this. (Note: careful with your fingers while doing this).
Next, install the belt to the left side pulley.
Finally, if you removed any components like I did near the pulley assembly (left steering arm and left PTO pulley guide), re-install them.
4) Re-install the battery and test the work. Once I started the engine, I heard metal-on-metal high-pitched rubbing. I shut off the engine and adjusted the PTO pulley guide I had removed as it and the pulley were rubbing slightly (enough to make noise anyway). If you're going to drive it far, I suggest taking a piece of rope (or whatever is handy) and securing the front deck mount bar up and underneath the mower in the event you go backwards and it catches on something.
5) Assuming the new belt and all is working fine, re-install the deck and you're ready to get back to work on your mower.
By the way, the Dayco replacement belt is Dayco L478, same as the spindle drive belt. (Side note: I replaced the spindle drive belt last fall and had a heck of a time doing it, using all sorts of methods in an attempt to stretch the belt to fit. While researching the transmission drive belt, I noticed that the MTD belt for the spindle is 79.10 inches while the Dayco belt is simply 78.00 inches. Next time I'll go with an MTD belt simply to alleviate the hardship of installing a smaller Dayco belt. The transmission drive belt is spec'd at 78.00 inches so the install was not hindered by any size difference.)
Again, this is just my version of what I had to do to replace my drive belt. I couldn't find anything definitive online so hopefully this will help someone in the same situation. Best of luck!
We purchased our Huskee back in 2008 but it's my understanding it's a 2007 model. We've replaced the deck spindle belt (the belt that wraps around the three spindles and turns the blades) 2 or 3 times since purchase and the PTO (blade engage) belt 15 times or more. We keep 2 yards place a large size lot, plus the roadside to each, mowed so it's a workhorse. There's a 3rd belt that drives the transmission (or engages it or whatever) that has been on since the factory. The last time I had to drop the deck I noted that the belt was probably on it's last legs as there were bits and pieces of it missing yet it was still intact and working as it should. Well, recently, at the 629 hour mark to be precise, the belt finally gave out while mowing and I was dead in the water, so to speak. I looked and thought it had broken as I could see it on one side of the transmission pulley but not the other, but when I finally went to fix it, I realized it had simply deteriorated so much it had slipped off and twisted (or vice versa). The odd thing was the outside (flat part) of the belt was still intact like it was made out of Kevlar or something. Anyways...
Having never replaced this belt, I went online to see what I could find out about it, hoping to find step by step instructions or a video showing how to replace it. My concern was that the belt and pulleys were all mounted at the interior most of the mower and I was concerned about my ability to replace this with reasonable ease. The fact that I couldn't find anything specific online for my particular model was troubling. I found plenty of links to similar models to make me think "I need to take this to a pro", 28 step process' to replace it, upper and lower trans drive belts, etc, including links to "service manuals" from gaming companies "free" so long as you provide credit card info to validate your address (wth?). I finally decided the best thing I can do is just dive in and find out for myself. I've done most every repair on the mower so far (spindles, starter problems, etc.) so I can surely handle this as well. And that's just what I did. For the benefit of others who own this particular model, I wanted to share this information to let you know that you, too, can handle this repair. I was easier that I had anticipated, but your experience will, no doubt, vary.
So, here's my version of "Replacing the transmission drive belt on a Huskee Supreme SLT 4600H, 13AX615H730 (2007)".
Things you'll need to do:
1) Drop the deck and remove the battery and tray.
I've dropped the deck on this mower enough that I know it by heart. In short, first remove the PTO engaging belt from the motor mounted pulley assembly, then disengage the PTO cable from the engagement lever and frame, then disengage the rear mounting points (spring loaded pins) and finally disengage to front mount and carefully slide the deck out of the way.
Disconnect and remove the battery and tray.
2) Now you can get a good view of what you're dealing with. Under the battery you'll see the transmission pulley with the plastic fan mounted to it. You don't have to remove the pulley, just the fan, and it comes off by removing the 3 small bolts.
Looking underneath the mower about midway, you'll see three pulleys; 2 on the right hand side of the mower and one on the left (left and right as if sitting in the seat, not as you look at it from underneath). The one on the left is V grooved and stationary. Of the two on the right, one is V grooved and one flat, one (and maybe the other?) is spring loaded and I assume this is where the tensioning/release takes place. Each of these is easily accessible now and you don't need to remove anything (except maybe the old belt if it's still on) to put on the new belt.
Looking at the front immediately below the engine, you'll see the now vacant large pulley where the PTO belt mounts. Above that pulley, there's a smaller pulley where the transmission drive belt mounts. That pulley, when installed, is encased with built in belt guides (front and each side) that are a part of the metal framework for the mower. Dealing with these pulleys were my main concern going in and was hoping that I could snake the new belt onto the front pulley without removing it, but that idea obviously went out the window when I saw the structure. Both the large (PTO) pulley and the smaller transmission drive pulley are one piece and is mounted to the crank (or whatever you call it) of the engine. If the engine's turning, these pulleys are turning. Though I never found a procedure specific to this model, the research I did online was correct in that you'll need either an impact wrench to remove the single bolt or someway to hold the shaft still while removing the single bolt. You try to turn the bolt and you in turn turn the engine, too. One procedure recommended pulling a plug and inserting a rope to stop the piston from moving, but that sounded like the potential for more trouble. A strap wrench was mentioned, and I tried that, but I wound up using a large pair of vice grips and bracing it against the mower framework for stability while I tried to loosen the bolt. This was hindered by the remnants of a couple of broken PTO belts wrapped around the shaft, but this eventually worked. I also removed the left control arm (two nuts) and the left PTO pulley guide (one nut) for work room. Again, removing these pulleys was my main concern going in as this was an 8 year-old machine with 629 works hours on it and this bolt had never been removed, but I was pleasantly surprised how easily this was done, both the removing of the bolt and the ease at which the pulley assembly was pulled off after that.
Once you have these three areas (rear, middle and front) clear, you can remove the old belt, if needed, and install the new one.
3) Installing the new belt (this is the easy part).
First, snake the new belt from mid way of the mower through he framework, etc., to the front where it will mount on the engine pulley. Once it's there, you can place the pulley assembly back on the shaft and install it to the point where the small pulley is just beneath the built-in guides of the mower framework. Place the new belt on the pulley and pinch it at the rear to hold it securely in place and push the pulley and belt to within the guides of the framework. Once this is done you can re-install the single bolt that holds the pulley assembly to the engine shaft. (Note: The shaft and assembly are keyed, so you have to line those up. Also, while the pulley assembly came off easily for me, I wanted to re-install it with axle grease or something between the shaft and assembly. Couldn't find the axel grease so used Vaseline instead. Don't know if it will make a difference in future repairs or not.)
Next, place the new belt on the transmission pulley and re-install the plastic fan with the three small bolts. I'm not sure if the plastic fan has the added benefit of acting as one big pulley guide, but maybe so.
Next, get underneath the mid-section and insert the belt in the right side pulley mechanism. You'll need to move the outer/rear spring-loaded pulley to accommodate this. (Note: careful with your fingers while doing this).
Next, install the belt to the left side pulley.
Finally, if you removed any components like I did near the pulley assembly (left steering arm and left PTO pulley guide), re-install them.
4) Re-install the battery and test the work. Once I started the engine, I heard metal-on-metal high-pitched rubbing. I shut off the engine and adjusted the PTO pulley guide I had removed as it and the pulley were rubbing slightly (enough to make noise anyway). If you're going to drive it far, I suggest taking a piece of rope (or whatever is handy) and securing the front deck mount bar up and underneath the mower in the event you go backwards and it catches on something.
5) Assuming the new belt and all is working fine, re-install the deck and you're ready to get back to work on your mower.
By the way, the Dayco replacement belt is Dayco L478, same as the spindle drive belt. (Side note: I replaced the spindle drive belt last fall and had a heck of a time doing it, using all sorts of methods in an attempt to stretch the belt to fit. While researching the transmission drive belt, I noticed that the MTD belt for the spindle is 79.10 inches while the Dayco belt is simply 78.00 inches. Next time I'll go with an MTD belt simply to alleviate the hardship of installing a smaller Dayco belt. The transmission drive belt is spec'd at 78.00 inches so the install was not hindered by any size difference.)
Again, this is just my version of what I had to do to replace my drive belt. I couldn't find anything definitive online so hopefully this will help someone in the same situation. Best of luck!
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