NOTE: An air/impact wrench is needed to remove the electric PTO and properly replace the drive belt. All belts on your tractor are subject to wear and should be replaced if any signs of wear are present. IMPORTANT: The V-belts found on your tractor are specially designed to engage and disengage safely. A substitute (non-OEM) V-belt can be dangerous by not disengaging completely. For a proper working machine, use factory approved belts. To change or replace the drive belt on your tractor, proceed as follows: • Remove the cutting deck as instructed earlier in this section. • After disconnecting the battery cables, remove the battery and battery tray from beneath the seat. IMPORTANT: When removing the battery, disconnect the NEGATIVE (Black) wire from it’s terminal first, followed by the POSITIVE (Red) wire. Re-install in reverse order. IMPORTANT: Note the routing of the lower drive belt around all the pulleys and the belt keepers (if present) BEFORE performing the following steps. • Locate the fixed v-idler pulley found on the left underside of the frame. See Figure 20. • Grasp the belt on both sides of the pulley and gently move it toward the left frame rail allowing it to unseat itself from the fixed v-idler. See Figure 20. • Pivot the double-idler bracket forward slightly before removing the idler extension spring from the stud and the double-idler bracket itself. Do NOT discard the spring. • Roll the drive belt out from around both the v-idler pulley and the flat idler pulley found on the doubleidler bracket. • Carefully unplug the tractor’s wire harness from the connector on the electric PTO clutch. • Note the orientation of the electric PTO clutch. Remove the hex bolt from the center of the electric PTO clutch and gently lower it off of the engine crankshaft. • Be careful not to lose any washers or spacers which may be found on top of the electric PTO clutch. The following most likley will not work as the pulley is rusted to the shaft and will not move. Forget pullers they won't fit. (• The engine pulley is located directly above the electric PTO clutch. Lower the engine pulley far enough to be able to remove the upper drive belt from around it.) • What worked for me and took about an hour was to remove 4 engine bolts and 4 muffler bolts this alows the engine to slide towards the back of the mower giving you room to place the drive belt around the pulley. Oh 1 more thing you're replacing the belt - Cut off the old one. IMPORTANT: When remounting the electric PTO clutch, make certain that is properly oriented against the antirotation bracke prior to securing it to the engine’s crankshaft. Torque the center hex bolt to between 38 foot-pounds and 50 foot-pounds. • Remove the drive belt by feeding it from front to rear, toward the hydrostatic transmission. See Figure 20. • Continue removing the drive belt by gently lifting it off of the transmission pulley and over the cooling fan. IMPORTANT: The fins on the cooling fan are only slightly flexible. Be careful not to damage the fan when removing the drive belt from around the transmission pulley. • Reroute the new belt around the pulleys and belt keepers, if present, EXACTLY as the old one was routed.