John Deere D105

bertsmobile1 · Aug 6, 2018

Nope the Hex is just the cable crimp.
That is the 2nd JD with a welded on deck cable anchor plate so it looks like the factory may have made a modification.

Check the other end of the cable for an adjustment.
Also check the arm on the PTO lever.
It is held on with a single M6 high tensile bolt and they have been known to break or come loose then flog out the hole so the arm on the lever does not swing full distance so cable never moves full travel thus tension arm remains too slack to drive the belt.

Double check that the belt is actually on the pulleys properly by taking the covers off and then check the idler pulleys are bolted firmly to the deck & the bearings have not collapsed.

Ranch.Hand · Aug 6, 2018

bertsmobile1 said:
Nope the Hex is just the cable crimp.
That is the 2nd JD with a welded on deck cable anchor plate so it looks like the factory may have made a modification.

Check the other end of the cable for an adjustment.
Also check the arm on the PTO lever.
It is held on with a single M6 high tensile bolt and they have been known to break or come loose then flog out the hole so the arm on the lever does not swing full distance so cable never moves full travel thus tension arm remains too slack to drive the belt.

Double check that the belt is actually on the pulleys properly by taking the covers off and then check the idler pulleys are bolted firmly to the deck & the bearings have not collapsed.

Checked all mentioned.
The upper end of the cable is th same as the end point on the bracket.
The lever moves smoothly and uniformly within the guide.
Double checked the belt and pulleys. All seems clean, dry, and serviceable... nothing out of sorts. Just loose.
Odd thing, my bride used the mower a couple weeks ago without any problems. This is one of those “sudden” developments.
Head scratcher.
I was hoping to avoid the local JD dealership (horrible customer service)...I may have to swallow my pride and beg them to take my money.

Ranch.Hand · Aug 6, 2018

shiftsuper175607 said:
If the cable is moving the spring and bracket... You should be able to see how much the cable should move by looking at the handle end and watching the cable move when you throw the handle...3 inches etc...and the bracket with the tension pulley moves that much toward where the cable bracket is..
If all this looks right...

then the belt is routed wrong or off a pulley underneath a cover and you can not see it.

Moving the lever, certainly actuated the pulley and spring as one would expect... just falls short in applying adequate tension to the belt.

Double checked th belt, pulleys, and wheels. All seems in the right place, secure, and spinning freely.

Definitely has me confused. Can’t imagine the belt suddenly stretched since the last use. I’d estimate that there’s more than 4” of slack in the belt with the mower engaged.

shiftsuper175607 · Aug 6, 2018

You posted some pictures...how about posting pictures of the belt and its routing around the pulleys.

bertsmobile1 · Aug 7, 2018

Belts do not strech, they wear thin so sit deeper in the V groove thus become loose.
Take the belt off and check it for burned patches or extreme wear as can happen if it is just not quite tight enough on the drive pulley
Check the drive pulley for polish marks at the bottom which means it is worn beyond its limit & needs replacing.
Take the deck off and check for cracks in the spindle mounts.
And also check all of the deck mounts in case one has fallen off which would allow the beck to slide too far forward and thus the belt to loosen
JD had some problems with the rear deck mounts cracking along the side of the welds which in turn allowed the deck to move too far forward.

alanohio · Aug 6, 2020

My deck has a factory welded cable holder (There is no adjustment). The listed belt size is wrong! Go with a 1/2" x 102" and the belt will last. If you ever have to change the cable; be aware that Deere also changed it and you need to match up your old cable by looking at the cable. In both cases; the parts list numbers are NOT updated. I'm finding all sorts of things about this mower since I bought it.

Cool-Ace · Aug 22, 2020

Ranch.Hand said:
There’s very little tension on the belt when engaged. It’s so loose the blades do not engage.
The mower is only 3 years old. Gets used probably three times on just over an acre each time per year.
The belt is in good shape.
The real confusing part... the L bracket for the cable and spring to provide tension on the belts is welded to the mower chassis, instead of bolted like the manual indicates.
Help? How do you adjust the engaging points to provide tension to the belts?
Basically, (B) is welded, and there aren’t any (A) parts in the attched image from the online manual.
View attachment 39577

The whole cable assembly has to be replaced as that cable stretches out why they started welding them is one small problem ! I too just started having same issue but have seen it many many times on other JDs and Craftsman , Poulans and other AYP made mower decks ! My problem is I don't have the parts manual for the D105 and don't have a clue what that cable is called or the pn needed to find one. Ebay is most the time best place to find at a good price! I think what I will do for the time is cut a spacer to lay over and crimp to take out this extra slack ! Best of luck Cool-Ace

david t · Jun 15, 2021

Here's what I did to mine:

david t · Jun 15, 2021

Cool-Ace said:
The whole cable assembly has to be replaced as that cable stretches out why they started welding them is one small problem ! I too just started having same issue but have seen it many many times on other JDs and Craftsman , Poulans and other AYP made mower decks ! My problem is I don't have the parts manual for the D105 and don't have a clue what that cable is called or the pn needed to find one. Ebay is most the time best place to find at a good price! I think what I will do for the time is cut a spacer to lay over and crimp to take out this extra slack ! Best of luck Cool-Ace

david t · Jun 15, 2021

You should be able to find the manual online in pdf form for download. See image above for what I did to increase tension.

John Deere D105

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