does anybody out there know if there is a way to do a mower deck belt change on a john deere 42'' freedom 42 mulch only(no side discharge) mower deck WITHOUT removing the mower deck? this is a 1998 used model in very good shape for it's age, was running phenomenally before the belt tore from going over a pretty good rut ( new yard didn't know it was there) . I have the new belt, but the mower blade engage and disengage lever has a small brake that comes down on the pulley on top of the deck and this engage/disengage break is what is in the way of threading this belt over the 3 pulleys. thought about horsing it on there but don't want to damage the belt or the pulley brake
LT155 mower with freedom 42 mower deck mower deck belt replacement
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After researching and reviewing several docs and videos there is NO way you can replace your belt without removing the deck. You have the hardest belt to replace with several items in the way of getting the belt out. Here is a great video to help you easily, safely and quickly remove and replace the belt. This forum refers to this guy's videos often.
Good Luck with the belt.
Good Luck with the belt.
Flip the pto to the on position, install the belt on the problem pulley then flip the pto off and install the rest.
Honestly it only take a couple minutes to drop the deck and reinstall it. It looks worse then it is.
That’s why I provided that method first, before adding my opinion.
the deck has new bolts installed on the 2 rear points of contact deck to tractor instead of cotter pins, with front and rear nuts, hard to get at and just had my socket set stolen, tough to get at with wreches/plyers. Sounds like I will have to though. Thanks for the info and help guys. I picked up the lt155 for 600$ and it runs great. Just had an old stretched /worn belt on it.
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@jsav , I had a LT155 with a 42" Freedom mulching deck for 20 years. They are great machines but I never found a way to change the belt without dropping the deck. But it's not as difficult as it seems once you do it a time or two. A word of warning; the timing belt on the blades is expensive and easy to snap in half by hitting any thing almost besides grass or small twigs.
Thanks Wayne. Once you have the deck off, the PTO break when it is in the off position gives you more Room to get the belt on but I still do not have enough Room to get it past the break and on the pulley. When you change your belt did you have to remove or swivel or pivot that pto break?
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Okay again after researching you still have to drop and remove the deck. The reason being that you have to remove the Black Pulley Cover and Loosen 2 smaller Pulleys. The 2 smaller pulleys have belt guides that are too close to the pulleys which prevent you from rotating the belt around the pulley to get the belt back into position. I watched a few very bad videos where they tried to changed the deck belt WITHOUT removing the deck and they ending up having to remove the deck. The savvy ones all removed the deck which is not hard or time consuming at all so drop the deck and remove it. It will save you time in the long run. Besides you will be able to see what the heck you are doing with the deck removed. Once the deck is out Take a pic of the belt routed before removing the old one. Makes life easy when replacing the new on or if the some reason the belt breaks you won't have to look it up. Here is a good video for what needs needs to be removed and or loosened.
Hope this helps you.
Hope this helps you.
I have lt180 with freedom 42 deck. One of the guide wheels came apart. Replaced and can't get the blades timing right. I had them taped like the manual states but they not hit when I engage the deck. Any ideas on what I am doing wrong. I have rebuilt it three times.
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Not any idea unless you've routed the timing belt wrong somehow. I don't remember if that's even possible but that's all I can think of for you to try.
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