cub cadet super lt 1554 drive belt replace

   / cub cadet super lt 1554 drive belt replace #1  

sam5570

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2012
Messages
1,413
Location
south west virginia
Tractor
new holland tn70
well the only way i could see to get the drive belt off of the crank pully was to take engine mounting bolts lose and lift moter above the metal plate, is that the only way or is there another way? also the 3 pullys that the belt rides on all spin ok but they sound awful dry would you replace them while it's down? thanks
 
   / cub cadet super lt 1554 drive belt replace #2  
I've never heard of having to unbolt the engine to do that job. The idlers if they sound dry the bearings are dry! Either lubricate them or replace them.
 
   / cub cadet super lt 1554 drive belt replace #3  
I know this thread is old, but I have a Cub Cadet LT-1050 and need to change the transmission drive belt. I spoke with a local dealer and he said unbolt the engine & lift it enough to get the drive belt around the engine pulley. One other person commented on a You-Tube site that he bent the metal tabs that surround the pulley on the engine when everything is secured in position enough to get the belt around the pulley and then bent the tabs back into place. Considering that the belt on my unit is now 8 years old, I could probably do it this way and not have to bend the tabs again until it would be 16 years old. The chances are that I would have a newer unit by that time.
 
   / cub cadet super lt 1554 drive belt replace #4  
Always a chance that those tabs will crack during unbending.... would loosen the engine to frame bolts, prize the engine up to put the belt on/off and be done. Better than trying to reweld a tab back on under there, IMHO....
 
   / cub cadet super lt 1554 drive belt replace #5  
Why are the tabs there to begin with? Is it to keep the belt from jumping off the pulley? Another solution would be to grind the tabs off, then make a belt guard that could be fastened with screws to the flat portion of the plate (making sure they don't protrude up so far that they would touch the belt during operation).
 
   / cub cadet super lt 1554 drive belt replace #6  
the tabs are there to give a smooth clutch/declutch action. Do what yer gonna do, son. Yer nickel.
 
   / cub cadet super lt 1554 drive belt replace #7  
The clutch is electric and well below the metal tabs, so I don't see how they could have any influence on clutching action. Electric clutch action is instantaneous and the grab does momentarily slow the engine rpms down. The engine recovers quickly as it did when new.
 
   / cub cadet super lt 1554 drive belt replace #8  
if you would look, there are most likely TWO belts being driven by yer engine crankshaft on TWO different pulleys; the uppermost one for the tranny drive, the lower for the deck drive.... ? Like I said before, do what yer gonna do - I'm outta this thread.
 
   / cub cadet super lt 1554 drive belt replace #9  
Yes the lower belt drives the mowing deck and its clutch is the PTO electric clutch. The hydrostatic transmission has an external variable speed arrangement using the drive belt from what I can see in the service manual. Some models have an additional belt guard that holds the PTO electric clutch in a fixed position as far as rotation of the upper portion of the clutch is concerned. In the service manual the metal tabs that we were discussing are said to be belt positioning tabs, not clutch related. They do not affect clutch operation. Their purpose is to keep the belt from coming off the pulley easily. On my unit there is no apparent rubbing of the drive belt against the inside surface of any of the 3 metal tabs.
 
   / cub cadet super lt 1554 drive belt replace #10  
As a final follow-up, I bought the Cub Cadet service manual that covers the LT-1050 model that I have. My first step was to do a thorough cleaning of the area under the engine. There is a yellow painted plate that is above the pulleys on the engine crankshaft. There is a black painted plate that is above that which has the steel tabs that tend to prevent easy replacement of the transmission drive belt. After the cleaning was complete, I first replaced a worn out steering shaft bearing. The steering bearing goes on top of the yellow plate under the engine, not under it as one YouTube video said. Mine was still intact although badly worn. The new bearing went into place after the steering column and steering wheel was pulled up enough to provide clearance for inserting the bearing into position. I used the blue CV join grease on it to help get the part to stick to my finger while positioning the part. Then while I held the steering gear and washer in place against the Steering Gear, P/N 717-1550E, I had my granddaughter to slowly press down on the steering wheel until it was seated as far as it would go. Then the locking nut was replaced on the bottom of the steering shaft.

Next after reading the service manual, I used the technique mentioned - removing spark plug wires then removing one spark plug and pushed some 1/4 inch diameter cotton rope down into the combustion chamber to prevent the engine from being able to fully turn over. This provided enough resistance to break loose the retaining bolt on the bottom of the PTO pulley. The PTO pulley and electric clutch literally fell into my hands as the bolt came off. It turned out to be easy to remove the remaining drive pulley from the crankshaft using a pulley puller tool I had on hand. I cleaned the fan that goes on the transmission pulley and with the fan removed I managed to feed the new belt first to the engine pulley and push back into position, then slipped it over the transmission pulley and around the tension pulleys. A 5/16 inch nut driver serves to remove and re-install the screws that hold the fan to the transmission pulley.

My local dealer had told me I would have to unbolt the engine to get enough clearance to get the belt around the engine pulley, but I did not have to do that. Everything went back together as it should have. A test after the drive belt installation confirmed proper operation. No adjustment of the transmission linkages was needed.

I also had to replace the Clevis Pins, P/N 711-0332, that hold the Deck Bracket, P/N 783-0720A, used on the 46 inch and 50 inch decks. These clevis pins had worn so badly that the holes where the Click Pins, P/N 714-04023, were badly wallowed out and the click pins were almost worn apart. I used some 1/2 inch bolts and locknuts to replace these. When re-installing the mowing deck I had to place two sets of 2 X 4 pieces of lumber under the front wheels of the mowing deck to get the holes to line up with the deck bracket and the mating holes in the frame.

The job took me most of the day. I am a senior citizen and have arthritis etc. and just do not work fast. A younger person could easily do better.
 
 
Top