Rider 155 finally died - for now

[Gem99ultra]

Got started yesterday mowing the lawn, using the Rider 155 for the areas right close to the house, and the GTH26V52LS for the heavier stuff in the outer areas. The Rider 155, spouse driving it, had only been mowing for about 20 minutes - then choked down to a dead stop. Drive belt shredded and jammed.

Thinking that fix would be a simple low cost thing, I jumped on the internet to order one. Yikes!!! The prices of belts have gone completely out of sight. Last and only time I've bought belts for my Rider was back when it was about 3 years old. And then not because they were worn, but just as a matter of preventative maintenance. Complete belt replacement was $200, that install was at the Husqvarna dealer. And I thought that price was outrageous.

This time I went ahead and bought a complete set of belts. Belts alone ran $110. I figured I'd just go ahead and replace all of the belts. Should be the last time for that, considering the expectation that the old Rider 155 would die, after 15 years (2500+ hours) of hard use. I have no idea of how difficult it will be to replace all of the belts; they look like the mower was built around them. But, we'll see... I'm sure dreading the day that old horse dies - that'll be a sad day. Still, that day is surely coming. I best begin to figure out what to replace her with.

 

[DHD]

How did you make out with the removal and replacement of all of the belts ?

 

[Gem99ultra]

How did you make out with the removal and replacement of all of the belts ?

Glad you asked... Replacing the belts is and has been one total nightmare. Replacing them required removing a couple of pulleys. There are 5 in all. So far I have not figured out just how the two main belts mount, or the order of the pulleys. The Workshop Manual has 3 very small sentences about replacing the drive line belts, with the last sentence - Reverse order to re-install. BS! No pictures, no diagrams and minor useless instructions. I bet I have at least 5 hours invested in trying to determine the correct layout for just those two belts.

There seems to be no help or advice, available. I went to the dealer to find out what the correct mounting layout for those two belts and pulleys. Dealer had NO idea. Their mechanic had NO idea. The dealer is supposedly contacting Husqvarna corporate asking for detail instructions and diagrams for that task. I'm not satisfied in waiting, so today I'll give it another shot. I'll get it right for sure. I did take pictures before removing anything, but the task that's got me delayed was underneath other things, and did not show up in the pictures. :-( Lesson Learned: Take gobs and gobs of pictures, tag every item with notes on re-assembly.

The main belt drive require some mysterious maneuver that looks like dropping the transmission and clutch assembly. That one on mine looks brand new, so I'm putting the replacement of that one off until needed.

This exercise, although frustrating as far as the belts go, did force me to perform some other normally forgotten maintenance. I discovered a couple of scalper bearings that were frozen. Replaced all of those bearings in both wheels for a total cost of $8. Replacing one scalper wheel is $60 - so that was a nice catch. While it had the mower jacked up very high, I greased every joint that needed greasing, checked bolts, did a full annual maintenance such as oil & filter changes - including air & gas, plug change, steering column lube, new blades, checked mower deck belts and spindles, and cleaned all screens. Heck - I even polished up all of the plastic exterior.

I'm quite sure that I've spent a great deal more time and effort on this task than was necessary. But, the truth is, I like that old mower so much that I feel it is worth the cost and effort. That old mower has served me well, having been beat up for over 2500 hours, and deserves a little extra attention.

I've heard and read many times about how poorly Kohler engines hold up, which is what this mower has. But, I can't complain - it's still running good and strong, and still does not use any oil. I hope the Kawasaki in my larger GTH does as well.

But, thanks for letting me get my rant off of my chest. As Mark Twain said "If i were smarter, I could have said it in fewer words."

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15 minutes later...

Got the belts on without difficulty. 10 minute job - the second time you do it. Mower runs SUPER now.