Fan belt change MF 374GE

redwarp · Aug 4, 2025

Hi everyone, newbie here so please be kind

I just aquired this MF 374GE and am going over it doing a few maintenance jobs before using it. One job to do is change the fan belt as its cracked and worn.

So, silly old me, expects this to be classed as a routing maintenance task so should be easy ?

There must be a knack that I dont know about because, sticking out of the crank pulley to the front, is a hydraulic pump, all hooked up to its supply and pipes etc etc. The fan belt will not pass over this (pipes etc) without breaking the hyraulics/disconnecting etc.

So, heres my question.....there MUST be a way to split this pump away from the pulley that drives it, to allow the new fan belt to be fitted.

Photos attached, apologies for blurryness

PLEASE can someone advise ?

RjCorazza · Aug 4, 2025

I would think it would be easier to remove the hydraulic line than to remove the pump from the shaft. No direct experience though.
On an old IH I had years ago, I replaced the fan belt with an adjustable one that could be separated, installed, reconnected. It likely wouldn't work in your application if you require a cogged (timed?) belt.

redwarp · Aug 6, 2025

RjCorazza said:
I would think it would be easier to remove the hydraulic line than to remove the pump from the shaft. No direct experience though.
On an old IH I had years ago, I replaced the fan belt with an adjustable one that could be separated, installed, reconnected. It likely wouldn't work in your application if you require a cogged (timed?) belt.

Thanks for the thoughts. Its just an ordinary v belt. I just cannot credit that any desgner would force such a stripdown just to change a fan belt, which is a general maintenance task

I did see an older MF video with a similar issue (not a hydraulic pump but something else) attached to the pulley causing the same headache, MF had this method of splitting the pulley to allow said item to pull forward far enough to let a new belt through a gap. Im hoping a similar arrangement exists but cannot figure out where it might split.

Harry in Ky · Aug 6, 2025

Photos aren't too sharp (neither is my eyesight) but I don't see what the pump is bolted to. It must have a support right? Looks like the drive hub is bolted to the crank pulley?

redwarp · Aug 9, 2025

Harry in Ky said:
Photos aren't too sharp (neither is my eyesight) but I don't see what the pump is bolted to. It must have a support right? Looks like the drive hub is bolted to the crank pulley?

Yep (its removed at moment for obvious reasons) but there is/was a bracket underneath the auxiliary hydraulic pump to hold it in place.
Have since discovered that the aux pump is one like this available on amazon: Amazon.com
You can see from the pics that it has a tapered shaft so, the Crankshaft pulley is BOLTED onto the hydraulic pump so wont be splitting easily.
Therefore I conclude, the crankshaft pulley is the part thats gonna have to move. Now IT had 4 bolts through it which I have removed but the pulley (with hydraulic pump still bolted through it) SHOULD come away (at least far enough to allow my fan belt swap) but I dont know the "knack" of how to /where to apply pressure to get it off