Riding on a mower and maintaining the lawn isn’t only a task. It is a joy if everything goes smoothly. Since you know, the blades rotate thanks to the movement of the belt, the mower drive belt has an important role. However, if you don’t have regular maintenance, the belt is easy to lose the proper tension.
To keep the mower in the best condition, you need to adjust the drive belt after some months of running. How to adjust the drive belt on Murray riding mower steps isn’t difficult. Then you yourself can do it at home. Now, it’s time to get this piece of knowledge.
How to adjust drive belt on Murray riding mower
1. Brake the mower
To start the repairing process, you need to place the mower on a flat surface. If the ground has ups and downs, there will be some difficulties for you in troubleshooting. Set the mower in the parking mode. Pull the brake lever. Then the mower comes to a halt.
2. Disconnect the battery
You need to disengage the battery. To do that, you adjust the battery cables. Look at the cables. You can see the (-) symbol or the NEG symbol. Then you disconnect the negative cable from the negative terminal. This step helps prevent unexpected electrification. You may not catch any electric shock when adjusting the belt.
3. Determine the position of the belt
You can easily locate the belt after pulling the blade deck upward. Look through the deck. Then you can see the rubber belt. There are two types of deck material. It is made from steel or plastic. The extracting method is the same.
4. Locate the bracket
The next thing to do is pinpoint the bracket position. Thanks to the bracket, the spring connects to the main part of the mower. You needn’t extract the screws to adjust the drive belt on the Murray riding mower. You just need to loosen them. You loosen them with a wrench. Do it in the anticlockwise direction.
5. Adjust drive belt on Murray riding mower
After you loosen the nuts, pull the bracket back and forth to adjust the belt. Do it till the connection between the drive belt and the bracket is tight. This step help tighten the belt.
6. Reinstall the screws
In step 4, you loosened the belt to adjust the position of the bracket. After you finish the adjustment in step 5, it’s time to tighten the crews. Now, take up a wrench and reinstall the screws. Rotate the wrench in a clockwise direction to fix the screws back.
After you tighten all the nuts, check the belt. If the belt isn’t tightened anymore, you need to loosen the nuts again. Then repeat steps 4 and 5. If the belt is totally tightened, this step is done.
7. Reinstall the deck
Adjust the mower deck, if needed. Then install the deck to the mower. Do things carefully and be aware of the blades for not cutting your hands. The below process can help you adjust the deck:
- The deck jam nut can help you adjust the deck.
- To adjust the front of the mower to a higher level, rotate the nut clockwise.
- To adjust the front of the mower to a lower level, rotate the nut anticlockwise.
8. Engage the mower
Reconnect the battery and the power cable. Turn the power source on, check if there are any issues. Then engage the blade. Pull the brake lever to engage the total mower.
FAQs on adjusting drive belt on Murray riding mower
1. What should I do if the belt is seriously damaged?
In this case, the only method for you to solve the problem is to replace the present belt. You can follow the below process to do the replacement:
- Bring the mower to the garage. Then start the process.
- Turn the mower off. Remove the blades.
- Raise the deck mower as high as possible.
- Remove the cotter pins.
- Extract the belt keeper.
- Slide the belt to extract it.
- Place the new belt on the pulleys. Slide the belt to install it.
2. What are the signs of a sliding belt?
With the experienced gardener, determining a bad belt is as easy as eating a piece of cake. If you are a newbie, no need to be afraid, you can base on the below symptoms:
- You can hear the squealing sound at the cutting parts. It is because the belt can’t move on the pulley in the right process. To deal with the problem, first, adjust the belt. If the problem still exists, replace the belt.
- The loosened belt can reduce the performance of the blades as well. It cuts unevenly, slows down suddenly.
There is a thing that you should notice that the signs of sliding belts are similar to the signs of damaged decks. Check the deck to figure out any cracks that the deck has.
3. What tension level can affect the performance of the mower?
If the belt is in a lower tension than the proper one, it is easy to overheat and wear out. On the other hand, a belt that is over tensioned may stress. In some cases, it is a premature failure. This can affect both the belts and the bearings.
4. What is the lifespan of a belt?
It depends on the model of the mower and the quality of the belt itself. The average lifespan of a belt is at least 1.5 years. However, with good maintenance, the lifespan is extended.
Final thoughts
To have a good performance, all parts in the mower must be in perfect condition. If the belt is loose or tight at a proper level, the blades can’t run evenly. Fortunately, from this article, you can learn how to adjust the drive belt on the Murray riding mower. The very step-by-step guide is easy to follow. Moreover, you can finish the steps with home tools.
Working with a bad belt, the lifespan of the pulleys, the blades, and the engine is reduced at the same time. And so, if you can, have the belt maintenance regularly. The maintenance only takes you some minutes. However, you can effectively enhance the performance of the whole mower.