How do you change a drive belt on a 48 inch huskee lawn mower?

Answer 1

The absolute best way -- and really easy way -- to do this is to turn the mower up in a vertical orientation (standing up on its rear end). However, you shouldn't do that without first draining the oil and gas and removing the battery (and mower deck, of course). If you do this, changing the drive belt is super-easy, whereas it's very difficult otherwise. Because of the need to remove battery, gas and oil, I strongly recommend changing the drive belt once per year (at the beginning of the season). That way, you will typically change the belt on a planned basis, not when it breaks unexpectedly in the midst of mowing. Here's the procedure:

1) Remove the mower deck (otherwise known as the "mower housing" -- where the blade resides, in case you didn't know) and deck belt.

2) Remove the bolt and nut attaching the transaxle bracket to the rear of the chassis (also known as the "frame assembly").

3) Drain oil (better if you've run the engine for a few minutes beforehand, of course, to warm the engine -- this will better release gunk in the oil).

4) Drain most of the fuel from the gas tank using a siphon hose. (As long as you get all but 1/2" or so of the fuel out of the bottom of the tank, that should be enough).

5) Remove the seat and the battery.

6) Fully depress the clutch/brake pedal and use a wooden block of appropriate size to lock the clutch/brake pedal into the fully depressed position.

7) On a flat, level surface (concrete garage or carport floor) lift the front of the mower by hand until it rests in a 90-degree vertical position. As you raise the front of the mower up, it's a good idea to place a foot on the transaxle to minimize rear wheel roll until you rest the mower onto its rear end. The mower will actually sit stably and safely in this position. If you're concerned about scratching the paint finish on the rear body of the mower, you can position an old blanket or carpet scrap there first. (With the mower deck and battery removed, the front of the mower is actually pretty lightweight and quite easy to lift by hand.) Without battery and mower deck, most of the weight is at the rear of the mower, so it will sit in a quite stable configuration, resting on the body rear end and the towing point at the lower rear of the chassis.

8) Loosen the four transaxle bolts/nuts that mount the transaxle to the underside of the chassis enough to separate the transaxle from the chassis by 1/2 inch or so. This will serve to provide the spacing necessary to get the drive belt into position between the transaxle pulley and the underside of the chassis.

9) Loosen the bolt attaching the right side of the belt guide to the chassis by one or two turns, then loosen and completely remove the bolt attaching the left side of the belt guide to the chassis.

9) Remove the old drive belt and replace with the new drive belt, making sure to run the new belt appropriately around all the pulleys and belt guides.

10) Reassemble everything in reserve order.

While this seems like a lot to do in order to change the drive belt, it's actually much easier this way than try to do it from underneath. Working on the underside of the mower with it oriented vertically makes the drive belt changeout incredibly easy, and the disassembly and reassembly mentioned here actually requires a lot less time -- and a lot less aggravation -- than trying to change the belt by working from the underside with the mower oriented horizontally. This procedure also gives you a good opportunity to clean, inspect, tighten and lube the mechanical parts under the mower.

Answer 2

I answered this elsewhere with a picture post of the directions. See link below:

Could not attach it here.