# Mower belt won't stay on



## SJSFarm (Jun 13, 2012)

I have a Cub Cadet LT 1045 and the blade belt won't stay on the pulleys. I broke it last year and replaced it and this year I used it about. 5-7 times and now the belt won't stay on. It is not broken. I bought a new belt and that one popped off immediately upon engaging the blades. I reset it and checked how they were moving by pulling the belt thru the pulleys and the blades and belt stopped moving. I heard no noise so I don't believe the blades stuck anything. It simply locked up. 

Any suggestions? 

PS; I'm not very mechanically inclined, have little money and no equipment like a welder (Google search showed resetting the pulleys and welding extra supports !) I'm looking for a laundry list of things to check and try before I go another, expensive route. 

Thanks all!


----------



## Crankin (Jul 13, 2015)

1 Make sure all of the blades turn easily with the belt off
2 Make sure all of the pulleys also turn easily.
3 Make sure the tension springs are not broken
4 Watch this video if you are not sure about the springs
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7w-fDSoU_o[/ame]
5 If any of the bearings in any of the blades or pulleys are off center the belt will run off the pulley.
6 This link goes into great detail about deck leveling and belts coming off.
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1636452/mower-deck-belt-coming-off-on-cub-cadet-1045

Crankin


----------



## fordy (Sep 13, 2003)

SJSFarm said:


> I have a Cub Cadet LT 1045 and the blade belt won't stay on the pulleys. I broke it last year and replaced it and this year I used it about. 5-7 times and now the belt won't stay on. It is not broken. I bought a new belt and that one popped off immediately upon engaging the blades. I reset it and checked how they were moving by pulling the belt thru the pulleys and the blades and belt stopped moving. I heard no noise so I don't believe the blades stuck anything. It simply locked up.
> 
> Any suggestions?
> 
> ...


 ............First off , I'd say you need to unhook the mower deck from under the mower . You can probably find a 'how to' video on You tube
for your brand of mower . Different brands of mowers use the same mechanical parts so a video for a different brand name will probably work for "Your" brand as well .
...........Second , once you have the mower deck off the mower , you can turn it over and trace the sequence of the belt as it is supposed to be set up on the pulley's . If , the engine died when you tried to engage the new belt , that means you installed the belt incorrectly . There are tension pulley's that allow the belt to fit loosely when the blades are NOT engaged , and once engaged maintain a correct amount of tension so the blades can cut grass . A visual inspection will probably reveal the problem once you turn the mower deck over on it's back . You tube is your friend . , fordy


----------



## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

Coming to shop talk and saying you are not mechanically inclined is kinda like going to a poker game and saying you don't know how to play cards. Try the stuff above, and if it doesn't work, go to a local repair place and have them check things out. Suggesting more stuff for you to do isn't going to be productive.


----------



## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

Before you give up, send Wind In Her Hair a pm. She knows this stuff.


----------



## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

Bret said:


> Before you give up, send Wind In Her Hair a pm. She knows this stuff.


She knows this stuff because she likes to mow down stumps, chew up tree branches, flatten and gopher mounds with our mower!

We also have the LT1045. Bought it in 2007. We still have the original belt on it. When our belt comes off, it is because a stick has got in between the belt and the pulley. The stick anchors against the pulley cover. Removal of the stick and re-routing of the belt is all that is necessary to fix the issue.

You said the blades and belt have stopped moving. As Fordy suggested, remove the belt from the pulley below the motor and drop the deck. Slide the deck out from below the mower. You may have a broken spindle housing or broken spindle bearing set. My wife has cracked the spindle housing on our mower, stripped the teeth on the inside of a pulley, and eats spindle bearings like candy. She thinks our mower is a brush hog. Luckily, I keep spares of all these parts.


----------



## SJSFarm (Jun 13, 2012)

I spent today cleaning the carpets in the house, tomorrow is the mower! I will remove the deck and examine the spindles. 

And Harry, that's why I came here! There's no buy in here, I got no money on the table!


----------



## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> She thinks our mower is a brush hog.


Put her in the back of the Jeep and use the M2 "bush hog"


----------

