How to Change Lawn Mower Belts

Invest in a low m​​aintenance lawn mower​

Have you ever been in the middle of a multi-acre jobsite when you busted a lawn mower belt? Do you know where to find replacement lawn mower belts? Did you pack any extras in the truck before you left the shop, do you have to go all the way back to the shop, or do you have to go all the way to your nearest Gravely® dealer and pray that their last customer didn't clean through the dealer's entire stock of the belts you need for your mower? Now that's something to think about in the heat of the mowing season.

Depending on the dealer which you get your parts from, they may keep a healthy stock of replacement lawn mower belts, but on the other hand, they may not. If it's the latter, a broken belt means you're fresh out of luck and have quickly found yourself facing some serious downtime and an impact to this week's profits.​​

Replacement lawn mower parts are just one piece of the equation. If something unexpected happens in the field, you need to have a fast solution, which is why we advise keeping a healthy supply of wear parts on hand. Not only do you need parts, but you also need to have the knowledge and tools that it takes to complete a field replacement. To you and your crews, that technical knowledge might be your biggest challenge.

Gravely develops equipment for commercial landscapers, and part of that means we design our equipment in a fashion that anticipates the needs of landscapers, even before those needs are realized. We know you may experience a surprise belt break, which is why we made it extremely easy for one operator to replace the mower belt in minutes with nothing more than a couple tools and minimal technical knowledge.

Help bridge that knowledge gap by scrolling through the step-by-step instructions that show how to replace a Gravely mower belt. In this example, we used a Pro-Turn® ZX, but even if you're using another Gravely commercial lawn mower, follow along anyway because the process is incredibly similar to the deck belt replacement procedure on any other current production Gravely commercial lawn mower. It may be helpful to go as far as to print these instructions and keep them in a binder as reference material for your crews.

As always with any service procedure, remember to read and follow the safety instructions in the operator's manual of your unit. Only perform service procedures with the machine parked on a flat, level surface, with the parking brake engaged and with the key removed from the ignition.​

Remove lawn​​​ mower belt:

1. Remove the right belt cover.

2. Remove the left belt cover.

3. Open the access cover.

4. Remove the belt finger from the PTO idler arm.

5. While wearing safety goggles, disconnect the PTO belt idler spring from the anchor bolt with a spring puller or similar tool.

6. Remove the PTO belt from the deck pulleys.

7. Remove the belt from the clutch pulley.

8. Remove the belt from the unit.

9. While wearing safety goggles, disconnect the mower belt idler spring from the anchor bolt with a spring puller or similar tool.

10. Remove the mower belt from the deck pulleys.​

Install lawn mower belt:​​

​​1. Install the mower belt around the lower groove of the middle spindle pulley and around the right spindle pulley.

2. While wearing safety goggles, install the mower belt idler spring hook around the anchor bolt with a spring puller or similar tool. Ensure the mower drive belt has tension and is correctly aligned in all pulleys.

3. Install the PTO belt around the top groove of the center spindle pulley, the left spindle pulley and the idler pulleys on that side of the mower deck. Ensure the belt is reinstalled with the narrower edge of the V-belt against the spindle pulleys. Route belt access toward the rear of the unit.​

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4. Route the PTO belt above the transaxle brace and around the clutch pulley at the rear of the unit.

5. While wearing safety goggles, reinstall the PTO spring hook around the anchor bolt with a spring puller or similar tool.

6. Ensure the PTO belt has tension, is correctly aligned in all pulleys and is routed according to the diagram in the unit’s operator’s manual.

7. Reinstall the belt finger onto the PTO idler arm.​

8. Reinstall both belt covers to the deck with their original hardware and close the access cover.​