960420218 Craftsman Lawn Tractor - Overview

Removed old clip removed rim from tractor, removed grease fitting on rim, took hammer and screw driver knocked out old bushing turned rim over knocked out other bushing. Press in new bushings reinstalled grease fitting slide tire back on tractor, put retaining washers on then locking clip put on dust cover grease at grease fitting. Repeat other side.

The drive belt literally goes from the back of the tractor to the front. The mower must be removed, helps to have the tractor up on blocks to give adequate room for work on underside. Belt goes easiest on the engine first, then thread to the rear, install on the rear, (driven pulley) then on the idlers. Check to assure that it functions properly before re-installing the mower. If you have the owners manual, there is a diagram, (check your orientation, it is not clear if it is a birdseye or under tractor view) which offered some help. When replacing belt, check the transaxle front mount, mine was broken which is why the belt came off in the first place. Repairing the mount was quite a job in itself, but now works fine.

ALL VIDEOS and the official Husqvarna instructions will tell you that you MUST remove both the mowing deck and the entire clutch pulley assembly to switch the transmission drive belt. This is NOT true. It takes some effort and tight maneuvering, but this job can be done relatively quickly without removing either. You do NOT have to remove the mowing deck! You do NOT have to remove the clutch pulley assembly! What I did was to stand the tractor up nearly vertical, resting it against a golf cart I have and tying it in place for safety. Then, you have to loosen two black belt guides right by the clutch pulley assembly. I did NOT remove them, just left them hanging loose. Next, there is a silver bar that comes in from the outside of the mower chassis and attaches directly to the clutch, remove this entirely. Next, there is an electrical cord assembly in the way, trace this back, find where it plugs in, and unplug it. Next, in order to be able to slide the belt fully over the clutch pulley assembly, you have to take the mower deck belt off of JUST THE ONE spindle closest. I tie wrapped it in place after getting it off the spindle so that I could easily put it back onto the spindle as the last step when done. Once the mowing deck belt is off the closest spindle, you can then slide the drive belt completely over the clutch pulley assembly. You can then easily remove the entire drive belt, taking note (I took pictures) of how it is routed. Then, just reverse all of this. I began by fitting the drive belt over the clutch pulley assembly to make sure that end was correct. I then put the previously mentioned two guides, silver bar, and electrical cord back in place. Next, I shoved the belt down where it goes, working it down towards the transmission and routing it correctly. Of course, it is a little difficult with the limited space available, but I would rather do that then needlessly take the entire mowing deck off. You finally have to CAREFULLY slide it over the PLASTIC fan blades on the transmission. Once past those, it slides easily in place. The last step is to put the mowing deck belt that you previously removed and tie wrapped in place back onto the spindle. That's it! Only takes about 30-45 min. done this way.