Put the belt on a Murray riding lawnmower: step by step

Is the belt on your Murray-riding lawnmower causing you problems? We have the exact solution you need. Follow our precise guide to fix the issue quickly. We’re here to ensure your lawnmower is back to its best.

Position the mower on a flat surface. Remove rear suspension arms, hairpins, washers, and front hangers. Slide the mower housing out, replace the belt, and slide the housing back. Reattach suspension arms front hanger with hairpins and washers. Check belt operation manually or start the engine briefly. Use proper tools and safety gear.

Need a quick fix for your lawnmower’s belt issue? We have a precise guide that will help you resolve the problem quickly. Continue with us to learn more!

General systematic troubleshooting guide

The guidelines for changing your mower deck belt may differ slightly depending on the Murray model.

● Step 1: Collect the needed equipment

All sorts of work require less effort if you use the right tools. Placing a belt on the mower is not a difficult job. It would be best if you used the following tools:

• A pair of safety gloves.
• Set of Pliers.
• Screwdrivers.
• Adjustable wrench.
• Woodblocks.

● Step 2: Check the part number for the replacement.

The most critical part you need is the replacement belt. Check the user manual for more information about the part number. If you can not find it, check the current belt markings to see if it is still readable.

Or use Google to see it with your Murray lawnmower type and manufacturing year. Ensure that the belt has the correct length and shape.

● Step 3. Position the mower on a flat surface.

Park the Murray riding mower on a plane and level area. Switch the engine off and engage the parking brakes. If the engine has been running previously, let it cool down first before continuing.

This will protect your hands and make the work easier. Set the mower casing to the lowest setting and change the blade rotation to control the “Disengage” position. An essential step is disconnecting the spark plug cable to ensure the engine can not start unintentionally.

● Step 4. Remove the rear suspension arms.

Remove the rear suspension arms from the Murray lawn mower chassis. Suspension arms resemble rectangular clamps or controller’s arms whose purpose is to tighten your Murray lawn mower belt and pulley system so that it may not slip. Pull the hairpins from the arms and remove the washers.

Hairpins are like the spring pins that attach the arms to the belt and pulley system. It would be good to make some images or a short video of how to put a belt on a Murray lawn mower. This will make reattaching them much more comfortable.

Store each bolt with its washer in a separate compartment and mark them. This helps to put them back in the same place they were removed from. Always try to put pins and washers from one side back to the exact location. If you see parts with a lot of wear and tear, replace them.

● Step 5. Extract the hairpins and washers.

Take out the hairpins and washers from the suspension links. The links are joined to the arms. You have to remove them to make the belt easily accessible. Pull the links off the mower chassis supports. Then, unhook the extension spring from the blade control rod.

● Step 6. Extract the first hanger.

Remove the front hanger from the chassis support by dragging the hairpin and washer from the joining rod’s end. You might have to loosen a bolt or two to do this. Make sure that you remove the hanger by holding the parts in place. Draw the rod out and remove the chassis from the hanger.

● Step 7. Slide the mower housing out and replace the belt.

After you have removed the external structures, you can easily access the mower’s belt. You will first have to remove the belt housing. Turn the engine pulley and slide the house out of the mower chassis. You can loosen or remove the belt retainers to act. Now, you can easily remove the belt.

To put the new belt on, push on the brake pad. It would be best to turn the belt along its channel to give it a few turns. Push the belt over the jackshaft pulley.

Pull the retainer back to tighten the belt over the idler pulley. Align the belt over the pulley and give it some twists manually. You can use greasing to smoothen the pulleys and belt movement.

● Step 8. Slide the mower housing back and fix the suspension arms.

Slide the mower housing below the chassis so the lower side is enclosed. Line up the slots in the front hanger with the slots in the chassis support. Then, insert the joining rod through the connections and fix them with the hairpin and washer.

Next, join the extension springs to the suspension links. Make necessary connections to link the suspension links back with the chassis. Use hairpins and washers to seal the connections.

● Step 9. Check all the connections.

When you finish reattaching all the parts, check if the blades are turning manually. If the mower has a pull cord, try pulling it gently. If everything works fine, reconnect the spark plug cables and let the engine run.

For a hands-on demonstration of how to put the belt on a lawnmower, watch this video:

Additional concerns

Take precautionary measures when you are carrying out any lawn mower maintenance. It is suggested that you make images or videos while working on removing the different parts to assist you in the reinstallation of the new belt. You can refer back to the photographs and videos for reference.

1. OEM parts: If you use a non-Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) V-belt, check carefully that the belt has the same length and shape. If the part is not 100% compatible, it may harm the machiner. And it can be dangerous for the person operating. In general, try to use lawnmower belts approved by the manufacturer.
2. Replace multiple belts: It can be a good idea to change both riding lawn mower belts simultaneously, as there is always an interplay between the drive belts in the changing speed pulley system. Often, if one belt has a lot of wear and tear, the other belts are usually not in excellent shape.
3. Protection: Use safety glasses or goggles and hand protection like gloves to prevent injury.

Frequently asked questions

1. When should I replace my mower belt?

A mower belt is supposed to last no exact amount of time. But expect a few years, depending on the number of hours you use your mower. If you leave your mower outside in the sun, it can also have a negative impact. Long, direct sunshine makes the rubber and plastic weaker.

Faulty belts can also result from mechanical failures like a seized pulley. This can cause lawn mower belts to break early.

2. What is the difference between a drive and deck belts?

The “deck belt” is a V-belt routed around multiple pulleys on the tip of the mower deck. Shrouds, guards, or covers often conceal it. It is tensioned with a spring pulley.

When the mower deck belt is removed from the mower, the “drive belt” would be the only one still on the mower whose function is to drive the blades. It connects and drives all the blades.

3. Why does my mower belt keep stretching?

One of the more common causes of a deck belt breaking is if the idler pulley is not lined up correctly. Or, due to wear and tear of bearings that make the pulley wobble, the belt gets rubbed somewhere.

To fix this issue, check the various pullies on the deck and ensure they turn freely and are not loose and wobbling around. In that case, replace the faulty pulleys.

4. How much can a lawnmower belt stretch?

A Lawnmower belt can stretch over time. When the belt is used, it can eventually stretch up to an inch of play side to side. But generally, the stretch is relatively small and often hard to perceive unless you look closer.

When a belt stretches, make sure that the belt tension is kept correctly with the spring pulley. If the belt stretch is more than the spring pulley can correct, the belt needs to be replaced.

Remarks

Murray lawnmowers are excellent and reliable machines. Like all machines, they also require maintenance and replacement of particular parts with time. Lawnmower belts last long, but they will see wear and tear.

Replacing a belt on the mower is not tricky but usually takes time. This blog post will show how to replace a mower deck belt on your Murray lawnmower.