Thank you for the clear explanation of this process. I threw my drive belt yesterday (running the PTO at a low throttle--big mistake) and really could have used that tip about the screwdriver in the hole to keep the engine shaft from rotating. Hoping to hit this repair today with a few less swear words! Glad the machine kicked it in a convenient spot near the house and out of the sun,.
Thanks so much for your efforts. I have the PRO XL30 - 20 HP. I'm on my second one. Sent the first back after the "ghost walking" incident. I had read elsewhere about putting on a larger belt, but silly me, I thought a brand new machine ought to work! The transaxle cables were also messed up by trying to shift with the drive pulley in motion. Anyway, the new, new one had the same exact problem. I found this video and decided to try it. I went with the inch longer belt, with help from your excellent explanation and illustration, and it works great! There's plenty of adjustment for the longer belt. Four hours of continuous, rough use and not one problem. It IS a great machine. Can't figure why DR engineers won't embrace this fix. Maybe they have thousands of the shorter belts in stock! THANK YOU, AGAIN!!
Great video. I watched this for this first time about a week ago when I had issues with the DR ghost driving right out of the crate! I used it that day and completely shredded the drive belt in doing so. I seen you said that you were having issues with the belt jumping off occasionally with the 4LK350 V belt. So I decided to look for a 4LK345 AK32.5 v belt and was lucky to see that a website called belts Warehouse had several 4LK345 v belts in stock with expedited shipping for a total of $11. So I bought it and after replacing I have yet to have any issues with ghost driving and the belt has yet to jump off with this 1/2 inch difference. Thank you for the help and information. One thing I didn't see was the torque specification for the motor/clutch bolt and if anyone is wondering it's 50 ft-lbs.
Worth mentioning on the torque of the clutch-bolt: direction of engine rotation keeps the bolt from loosening back off the clutch, so it's not super-critical to put a lot of torque into the bolt, if you're worried about losing the bolt in the field. It's the shaft/key that does the actual driving of belts (not the bolt). Make sure you put enough "snaps" into your wrench tightening and you should be okay. One problem with using a torque-wrench is the constant torque you'll be applying will want to bend/snap the screwdriver you put into the shaft to keep the motor from spinning. Those of us with power impact wrenches (which I didn't show in the video, because I was trying to demonstrate average tools people might have) will find removing the clutch and reinstalling requires no screwdriver into the shaft to hold the motor 😉
Thanks for the video update. Based on your first video, I contacted DR Power and gave them a chance to fix the problem. They sent me parts that seemed to be the same that I took off, so it obviously did not fix the problem. A bit of a pain in the derriere removing the transmission to replace the pulley with the "new" one they sent me. Didn't fix the problem. I have since gotten the AK33 belt, and am trying to make time to install it. I like the way you installed the new belt without removing the transmission. The reason I have been putting it off, but now that I see I can install the new belt in maybe 20 minutes, I will do it before the next mowing. Great and informative video. Very sad that this has to be done to make a brand new machine safe and usable. Other than this problem, for me, this thing is a beast and is a great machine. I 100% agree. How can it be so difficult for DR Power to grasp the concept that you have been explaining.
I took it apart at the transmission and both the reverse and forward cables move freely. I’m under warranty (barely) and have noted it with DR. Ov course I can’t get into their local service center until April.
Thanks for this. It really helps. I bought my machine last year. Using it today the drive suddenly quit. Figured out the drive belt came off. Watched your video and thought "great, this will be easy". But they have added a belt retainer guard next to the large rear pulley (similar to the ones by the small engine pulley). This guard only leaves about 1/4" of room to get through by the large pulley and I can't get the belt back on because of it. This part doesn't show in the manual and there is no mention of it in the instructions for replacing that belt. So this is a double engineering failure. That guard did not keep the belt on, and now with the belt off the guard is preventing me from putting the belt back on.
That's interesting, because if you read the comments by James DeFuria in my main video (ruclips.net/video/xv03UirzsEM/видео.html), it sounds like the rear belt-guards is DR's "fix" to the original problem (instead of just installing a half-inch or 1-inch longer belt. Comical. Hope you figure it out!
@@ed1ckent I contacted Tech Support at DR and they got right back to me. They said that the rear belt guard was added recently but the manual has not been updated to include it's removal in the instructions for a belt change. They told me that I will have to remove that guard to get the belt back on. I'll see what I can do with it today.
I had to take half the mower apart to change arrive belt with that new rear guard. It shouldn't take 3hiurs to change this belt. Bad DR! I have two if these mowers and other that that drive belt change they are great. They are beasts in the field.
I have the ghost walking issue as well…but also another issue. My traction does not want to consistently engage when going up hill. Won’t a longer belt make this issue worse? Seems weird that I have the ghost walking issue AND an uphill traction issue. Maybe the ghost is can be fixed with the longer belt and once I have that’s I can use the cable tensioner to fix the traction issue? I’m by no means a mechanic…but the video gives me confidence that I can swap out the belt. My unit is about 4 years old and didnt have the issue originally but started issue last year and seems to have gotten worse. Thanks!
Any suggestions for the blade belt not spinning? Mower will shut off with PTO engaged and released left handle. Saying this to say electronics are working, nothing jammed in the belt
Greetings Ed Fantastic video 🇺🇸🍾🎉🇺🇸. Thanks for all the details. I'm going to use this machine 3x yearly. Should I rent or buy (dealing with all the maintenance) Thanks for assisting me.
Thank you for that. Two questions: 1) what size belt came off and what size was it replaced with? 2) instead of stepping up the belt size one full inch, would stepping up 1/2" solve both the old problem (ghost walking) and the new problem of belt slipping off in the field?
1) video at 0:30 shows the original and replacement belts, as-does the original video ruclips.net/video/xv03UirzsEM/видео.html 2) 1/2" larger might fix it; I couldn't locate one that was +0.5" at the time, and frankly didn't think even one-inch would make a huge difference (but it does). So yes, my 1"-longer belt is a hair-long and I run the belt-tensioner adjustment at it's extreme-maximum length (ie: if the belt was any longer than that 1", I'd have problems) For the record, I ran this stupid thing (with the AK33, 35"-belt) for about 5-hours yesterday, and I had to put the slipped-belt back on twice (takes me about 15-seconds). So, yes, if you can source a 0.5"-longer belt, you may be better off. But to me, this machine currently operates PERFECTLY (and I'm going up/down a hillside that is so steep that I actually use this machine to pull MYSELF up the hill)
I put the 1" longer belt on and it didn't come off once so far. About 3 hours of mowing. Might loosen up later, but for now the ease of shifting, that it fully disengages when I want, and doesn't seem to slip when engagef, it is perfect. Two thumbs up to the videos posted as it made this mower what it should have been from the factory. Y'all might try loosening the transmission mount bolts and slide it aft (take slack out of the bolts) to simulate a slightly shorter belt.
The problem I'm having with my DR is the reverse it's slipping. The drive going forward is full fully engaged but when you go in reverse even with a slight incline like going over a mound of dirt the mower stops moving in reverse it's not a positive drive it's slipping. Do you think adjusting the cable would correct this problem again I have no trouble with it ghost driving forward and it has a solid positive drive forward when the lever is engaged.
Yeah; you really want to adjust that cable-stretcher (tensioner) to the point where it almost wants to ghost-walk (which for me is COMPLETELY EXTENDED). Others here have had good recommendations: 1/2"-longer belt instead of my recommended 1"-longer belt, and moving the trans backward (aft) by loosening all of the transmission/frame bolts and retightening. But for the record, I was never able to move my trans more than 1/16th of an inch, because all of the frame-holes are round (no adjustment really). Maybe your frame is different. I run my cable-stretcher past the point where there are any threads-engaged (the two halves of the tensioner are not actually screwed into each other), so a 1/2"-longer belt might actually be the best choice. Either way, I'm happy with where mine is at, it goes into reverse well, but I think we have all proven that DR's tolerances are horribly-suspect. I'm guessing everyone's machine is slightly different by what I've read here...
Great video. I have the older model machine and want to change the drive belt. I think it's easier to do it from the back on my machine but the clutch power connector is in the way and I can't figure out how to pull the switch apart. You pull it apart at 9 minutes but your arm is in the way so I can't see what you're doing. Can you explain the procedure - with or without a screw driver? For now I've tightened the cable that runs to the tension pulley to get it to go in 4th gear but I'd like to change the belt - or at least know how to do it. Thanks
There's a tit on the plastic connector (of the clutch, I believe) that plugs into the frame-harness. Use a small flat-blade screw-driver to lift that tit from one side of the connector so that the two halves come apart. I physically push the flat blade into the housing under the tit, to lift away from the housing-catch, so that I can freely use my two hands to separate the connectors. Some dude has a video showing a 2-lever catch, I think the brushhog has only 1-lever in the center, but it's the same idea: ruclips.net/video/DVYs70W5LOI/видео.html
I covered it in the first video (ruclips.net/video/xv03UirzsEM/видео.html). You can't shift because the belt is too tight and is turning the transmission enough to keep it in gear. You'll ruin those shift cables if you keep using it like that. Check out the other video.
@@daslolo I'm sure a broken belt leave you stranded, but damaged? No. The moment the belt lets-loose, it won't have any ability to keep turning/wrapping
I just used axle-grease, from my trailer. You can see the red-sticky grease as I pulled the drive-pulley off the engine. Yeah, WD40 isn't really great long-term
BS. Took me an hour and a half to get mine back on. There is no room to fit your hand in there. I had to remove the back plate, take the bracket loose that holds the guide pins on. fight the belt over the back pulley, and then put it back together. There needs to be some sort of access hole on that top plate over that pulley so you can get to the belt.
Thanks so much for video! I wouldn’t have been able to figure this out in a hundred years without it.
Thank you for this good look at the anatomy under there. It's done a lot for my knowledge and confidence about what I'd be able to do myself.
Thank you for the clear explanation of this process. I threw my drive belt yesterday (running the PTO at a low throttle--big mistake) and really could have used that tip about the screwdriver in the hole to keep the engine shaft from rotating. Hoping to hit this repair today with a few less swear words! Glad the machine kicked it in a convenient spot near the house and out of the sun,.
Thanks so much for your efforts. I have the PRO XL30 - 20 HP. I'm on my second one. Sent the first back after the "ghost walking" incident. I had read elsewhere about putting on a larger belt, but silly me, I thought a brand new machine ought to work! The transaxle cables were also messed up by trying to shift with the drive pulley in motion. Anyway, the new, new one had the same exact problem. I found this video and decided to try it. I went with the inch longer belt, with help from your excellent explanation and illustration, and it works great! There's plenty of adjustment for the longer belt. Four hours of continuous, rough use and not one problem. It IS a great machine.
Can't figure why DR engineers won't embrace this fix. Maybe they have thousands of the shorter belts in stock!
THANK YOU, AGAIN!!
Great video. I watched this for this first time about a week ago when I had issues with the DR ghost driving right out of the crate! I used it that day and completely shredded the drive belt in doing so.
I seen you said that you were having issues with the belt jumping off occasionally with the 4LK350 V belt. So I decided to look for a 4LK345 AK32.5 v belt and was lucky to see that a website called belts Warehouse had several 4LK345 v belts in stock with expedited shipping for a total of $11. So I bought it and after replacing I have yet to have any issues with ghost driving and the belt has yet to jump off with this 1/2 inch difference.
Thank you for the help and information. One thing I didn't see was the torque specification for the motor/clutch bolt and if anyone is wondering it's 50 ft-lbs.
Worth mentioning on the torque of the clutch-bolt: direction of engine rotation keeps the bolt from loosening back off the clutch, so it's not super-critical to put a lot of torque into the bolt, if you're worried about losing the bolt in the field. It's the shaft/key that does the actual driving of belts (not the bolt). Make sure you put enough "snaps" into your wrench tightening and you should be okay. One problem with using a torque-wrench is the constant torque you'll be applying will want to bend/snap the screwdriver you put into the shaft to keep the motor from spinning. Those of us with power impact wrenches (which I didn't show in the video, because I was trying to demonstrate average tools people might have) will find removing the clutch and reinstalling requires no screwdriver into the shaft to hold the motor 😉
Incredibly useful! Your approach helped build my confidence I can do this.
THANK YOU !! I have a need to replace the Clutch This is Great information that needs to be on Drs web site
Thanks for the video update. Based on your first video, I contacted DR Power and gave them a chance to fix the problem. They sent me parts that seemed to be the same that I took off, so it obviously did not fix the problem. A bit of a pain in the derriere removing the transmission to replace the pulley with the "new" one they sent me. Didn't fix the problem. I have since gotten the AK33 belt, and am trying to make time to install it. I like the way you installed the new belt without removing the transmission. The reason I have been putting it off, but now that I see I can install the new belt in maybe 20 minutes, I will do it before the next mowing. Great and informative video. Very sad that this has to be done to make a brand new machine safe and usable. Other than this problem, for me, this thing is a beast and is a great machine. I 100% agree. How can it be so difficult for DR Power to grasp the concept that you have been explaining.
Thank you so much! We finally got this mower working properly after owning it for 2 weeks.
Thank you for taking time to show how this is done! A HUGE help!
Just did the swap on my new mower. So far so good. Thank you for the tip!
I took it apart at the transmission and both the reverse and forward cables move freely. I’m under warranty (barely) and have noted it with DR. Ov course I can’t get into their local service center until April.
Thanks for this. It really helps. I bought my machine last year. Using it today the drive suddenly quit. Figured out the drive belt came off. Watched your video and thought "great, this will be easy". But they have added a belt retainer guard next to the large rear pulley (similar to the ones by the small engine pulley). This guard only leaves about 1/4" of room to get through by the large pulley and I can't get the belt back on because of it. This part doesn't show in the manual and there is no mention of it in the instructions for replacing that belt. So this is a double engineering failure. That guard did not keep the belt on, and now with the belt off the guard is preventing me from putting the belt back on.
That's interesting, because if you read the comments by James DeFuria in my main video (ruclips.net/video/xv03UirzsEM/видео.html), it sounds like the rear belt-guards is DR's "fix" to the original problem (instead of just installing a half-inch or 1-inch longer belt. Comical. Hope you figure it out!
@@ed1ckent I contacted Tech Support at DR and they got right back to me. They said that the rear belt guard was added recently but the manual has not been updated to include it's removal in the instructions for a belt change. They told me that I will have to remove that guard to get the belt back on. I'll see what I can do with it today.
I had to take half the mower apart to change arrive belt with that new rear guard. It shouldn't take 3hiurs to change this belt. Bad DR!
I have two if these mowers and other that that drive belt change they are great. They are beasts in the field.
Very helpful thank you for doing video.
I have the ghost walking issue as well…but also another issue. My traction does not want to consistently engage when going up hill. Won’t a longer belt make this issue worse? Seems weird that I have the ghost walking issue AND an uphill traction issue. Maybe the ghost is can be fixed with the longer belt and once I have that’s I can use the cable tensioner to fix the traction issue? I’m by no means a mechanic…but the video gives me confidence that I can swap out the belt. My unit is about 4 years old and didnt have the issue originally but started issue last year and seems to have gotten worse. Thanks!
So very clear! Thank you.
Any suggestions for the blade belt not spinning? Mower will shut off with PTO engaged and released left handle. Saying this to say electronics are working, nothing jammed in the belt
Thanks for the information
Greetings Ed
Fantastic video 🇺🇸🍾🎉🇺🇸.
Thanks for all the details.
I'm going to use this machine 3x yearly.
Should I rent or buy (dealing with all the maintenance)
Thanks for assisting me.
I believe all new jobs require purchase of new tools. He who dies with the most tools wins.
Thank you for that. Two questions: 1) what size belt came off and what size was it replaced with? 2) instead of stepping up the belt size one full inch, would stepping up 1/2" solve both the old problem (ghost walking) and the new problem of belt slipping off in the field?
1) video at 0:30 shows the original and replacement belts, as-does the original video ruclips.net/video/xv03UirzsEM/видео.html
2) 1/2" larger might fix it; I couldn't locate one that was +0.5" at the time, and frankly didn't think even one-inch would make a huge difference (but it does). So yes, my 1"-longer belt is a hair-long and I run the belt-tensioner adjustment at it's extreme-maximum length (ie: if the belt was any longer than that 1", I'd have problems)
For the record, I ran this stupid thing (with the AK33, 35"-belt) for about 5-hours yesterday, and I had to put the slipped-belt back on twice (takes me about 15-seconds). So, yes, if you can source a 0.5"-longer belt, you may be better off. But to me, this machine currently operates PERFECTLY (and I'm going up/down a hillside that is so steep that I actually use this machine to pull MYSELF up the hill)
I put the 1" longer belt on and it didn't come off once so far. About 3 hours of mowing. Might loosen up later, but for now the ease of shifting, that it fully disengages when I want, and doesn't seem to slip when engagef, it is perfect. Two thumbs up to the videos posted as it made this mower what it should have been from the factory. Y'all might try loosening the transmission mount bolts and slide it aft (take slack out of the bolts) to simulate a slightly shorter belt.
Thank you
Thanks for the lesson.
The problem I'm having with my DR is the reverse it's slipping. The drive going forward is full fully engaged but when you go in reverse even with a slight incline like going over a mound of dirt the mower stops moving in reverse it's not a positive drive it's slipping. Do you think adjusting the cable would correct this problem again I have no trouble with it ghost driving forward and it has a solid positive drive forward when the lever is engaged.
Yeah; you really want to adjust that cable-stretcher (tensioner) to the point where it almost wants to ghost-walk (which for me is COMPLETELY EXTENDED). Others here have had good recommendations: 1/2"-longer belt instead of my recommended 1"-longer belt, and moving the trans backward (aft) by loosening all of the transmission/frame bolts and retightening. But for the record, I was never able to move my trans more than 1/16th of an inch, because all of the frame-holes are round (no adjustment really). Maybe your frame is different.
I run my cable-stretcher past the point where there are any threads-engaged (the two halves of the tensioner are not actually screwed into each other), so a 1/2"-longer belt might actually be the best choice. Either way, I'm happy with where mine is at, it goes into reverse well, but I think we have all proven that DR's tolerances are horribly-suspect. I'm guessing everyone's machine is slightly different by what I've read here...
Excellent better than DR power lets you know. My new unit ghost walked right out of the crate. no matter how loose I made the cable
Mine worked properly long-enough for me to get 1/4-mile away from my tools. You had it easy!
Great video. I have the older model machine and want to change the drive belt. I think it's easier to do it from the back on my machine but the clutch power connector is in the way and I can't figure out how to pull the switch apart. You pull it apart at 9 minutes but your arm is in the way so I can't see what you're doing. Can you explain the procedure - with or without a screw driver? For now I've tightened the cable that runs to the tension pulley to get it to go in 4th gear but I'd like to change the belt - or at least know how to do it. Thanks
There's a tit on the plastic connector (of the clutch, I believe) that plugs into the frame-harness. Use a small flat-blade screw-driver to lift that tit from one side of the connector so that the two halves come apart. I physically push the flat blade into the housing under the tit, to lift away from the housing-catch, so that I can freely use my two hands to separate the connectors. Some dude has a video showing a 2-lever catch, I think the brushhog has only 1-lever in the center, but it's the same idea: ruclips.net/video/DVYs70W5LOI/видео.html
Ed, my issue is I can’t change gears. It’s so stiff I actually pulled the reversecable from the lever under the dash.
Your thoughts?
Karl
I covered it in the first video (ruclips.net/video/xv03UirzsEM/видео.html). You can't shift because the belt is too tight and is turning the transmission enough to keep it in gear. You'll ruin those shift cables if you keep using it like that. Check out the other video.
How do you know when to change the belt? The 25h from the maintenance manual seems extreme.
It's a 10-minute repair and my (abused) belt is 2-years old; still in new-condition. I fail to see the point of prevention beyond buying a spare.
If the belt breaks it won't damage things?
@@daslolo I'm sure a broken belt leave you stranded, but damaged? No. The moment the belt lets-loose, it won't have any ability to keep turning/wrapping
Trying to change my belt now if I knew it was this big of a pain i* t** a** I would not have bought this brand
What kind of lube do you use on the pin/key? Will WD40 work or is it a thicker lube? My sister says WD40 can get gummy.
I just used axle-grease, from my trailer. You can see the red-sticky grease as I pulled the drive-pulley off the engine. Yeah, WD40 isn't really great long-term
ever have any problems with the blade engage?
Only time I've ever had blade-issues was after running over a coil of fencing and it got wound around the spindle!
I can’t get main drive belt pulley off
I put a belt on my DR today now I can’t get it to go
BS. Took me an hour and a half to get mine back on. There is no room to fit your hand in there. I had to remove the back plate, take the bracket loose that holds the guide pins on. fight the belt over the back pulley, and then put it back together. There needs to be some sort of access hole on that top plate over that pulley so you can get to the belt.
Saya suka cara bembeli y bagai mana?