Blade and Belt
11
Belt Removal
The traction drive clutch and ground speed are controlled by two cables on the C & D series mowers. The clutch
cable tilts the transmission back, tightening the drive belt. When the belt is tightened, it drives the input pulley on the
transmission. The second cable moves a cam that closes the sheaves of the pulley, changing the effective circumfer-
ence of the pulley, and changing the drive ratio.
NOTE:
Use only the correct OEM part number belt.
•
A belt that is too long may not engage fully and may not provide the full range of speeds, losing top speed.
•
A belt that is too short may not disengage fully, and may drive the transmission even when the clutch lever
is released.
•
A belt that does not have the same profile or wrapping may not perform as intended.
•
The belts used on the C & D series mowers come from various belt manufacturers, but are made to MTD
specifications. These specifications are tailored to the mower design, and seldom work-out to standard
belt lengths. If MTD went to the trouble and expense of designing a belt for the application, there is a rea-
son they did so.
NOTE:
If the belt has broken prematurely, identify and correct the cause of the failure before returning the
mower to service.
1. Confirm that the mower is set to its lowest ground
speed position, indicated by a 1 at the speed control
on the handlebar.
2.
Remove the blade by following the steps described in
the blade section of this chapter.
3.
Rotate the crankshaft to align the blade adaptor to
the opening in the lower belt cover.
4.
Remove the two shoulder screws that hold the lower
belt cover to the deck. See Figure 2.7.
5.
Remove the lower belt cover.
Figure 2.7
Lower belt cover
Shoulder screws