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#1
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Lawn mower belt replacement
Has anyone replaced the drive belt on a Lawn-Boy Insight self propelled lawn
mower? I'd like to try it myself but I'm not sure how far to take the mower apart to replace the belt. There is a *belt cover* that if it can be removed would sure make the job allot easier. According to the Lawn-Boy parts manual the cover (plastic) just pushes on and not screwed in place. I'm afraid to pry it off in fear of it not going back on. I think the belt is not up to the task after 3-1/2 years of cutting really thick St. Augustine grass here in Florida. I seem to be doing a lot more pushing that when it was new. It takes me 1-1/2 hours to do the job every four days from about May thru October. The rest of the year of course is less frequently. I would estimate the belt has 300~400 hours of use. Any suggestions? Thanks.... |
#2
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Lawn mower belt replacement
In article ,
"Bishoop" wrote: Has anyone replaced the drive belt on a Lawn-Boy Insight self propelled lawn mower? I'd like to try it myself but I'm not sure how far to take the mower apart to replace the belt. There is a *belt cover* that if it can be removed would sure make the job allot easier. According to the Lawn-Boy parts manual the cover (plastic) just pushes on and not screwed in place. I'm afraid to pry it off in fear of it not going back on. I think the belt is not up to the task after 3-1/2 years of cutting really thick St. Augustine grass here in Florida. I seem to be doing a lot more pushing that when it was new. It takes me 1-1/2 hours to do the job every four days from about May thru October. The rest of the year of course is less frequently. I would estimate the belt has 300~400 hours of use. Any suggestions? Thanks.... Take it to the mower repair shop. |
#3
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Lawn mower belt replacement
Bishoop wrote:
Has anyone replaced the drive belt on a Lawn-Boy Insight self propelled lawn mower? I'd like to try it myself but I'm not sure how far to take the mower apart to replace the belt. There is a *belt cover* that if it can be removed would sure make the job allot easier. According to the Lawn-Boy parts manual the cover (plastic) just pushes on and not screwed in place. I'm afraid to pry it off in fear of it not going back on. I think the belt is not up to the task after 3-1/2 years of cutting really thick St. Augustine grass here in Florida. I seem to be doing a lot more pushing that when it was new. It takes me 1-1/2 hours to do the job every four days from about May thru October. The rest of the year of course is less frequently. I would estimate the belt has 300~400 hours of use. Any suggestions? Thanks.... Quit being so timid and just go for it. It's not brain surgery. The cover is likely held on by push tabs. You can see them if you look carefully. Squeeze, and wiggle, don't force the cover off, and it will go back on. |
#4
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Lawn mower belt replacement
wrote in message ... Bishoop wrote: Has anyone replaced the drive belt on a Lawn-Boy Insight self propelled lawn mower? I'd like to try it myself but I'm not sure how far to take the mower apart to replace the belt. There is a *belt cover* that if it can be removed would sure make the job allot easier. According to the Lawn-Boy parts manual the cover (plastic) just pushes on and not screwed in place. I'm afraid to pry it off in fear of it not going back on. I think the belt is not up to the task after 3-1/2 years of cutting really thick St. Augustine grass here in Florida. I seem to be doing a lot more pushing that when it was new. It takes me 1-1/2 hours to do the job every four days from about May thru October. The rest of the year of course is less frequently. I would estimate the belt has 300~400 hours of use. Any suggestions? Thanks.... Quit being so timid and just go for it. It's not brain surgery. The cover is likely held on by push tabs. You can see them if you look carefully. Squeeze, and wiggle, don't force the cover off, and it will go back on. The problem is that I cannot see just how the belt cover is attached. The parts drawing does not show any screws that's why I assume it's a push-on fit. Maybe I'll wait til winter when the grass doesn't need cutting so often, pry the cover off and if it won't go back on, order a new. Or maybe just order a new cover before I start the project. |
#5
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Lawn mower belt replacement
In article ,
"Bishoop" wrote: The problem is that I cannot see just how the belt cover is attached. The parts drawing does not show any screws that's why I assume it's a push-on fit. Maybe I'll wait til winter when the grass doesn't need cutting so often, pry the cover off and if it won't go back on, order a new. Or maybe just order a new cover before I start the project. The problem is that your experience with mechanical things is not up to the challenge, which is why I suggested taking it to a shop. If you're intimidated by a plastic cover, you aren't going to be able to do much else even if you do get the cover off in one piece. |
#6
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Lawn mower belt replacement
"Smitty Two" wrote in message news In article , "Bishoop" wrote: The problem is that I cannot see just how the belt cover is attached. The parts drawing does not show any screws that's why I assume it's a push-on fit. Maybe I'll wait til winter when the grass doesn't need cutting so often, pry the cover off and if it won't go back on, order a new. Or maybe just order a new cover before I start the project. The problem is that your experience with mechanical things is not up to the challenge, which is why I suggested taking it to a shop. If you're intimidated by a plastic cover, you aren't going to be able to do much else even if you do get the cover off in one piece. Thanks for your concern. I think my mechanical ability is quite adequate. During my 30+ year working life as an EE I had the opportunity to design many small mechanical parts. I also know that some things are not designed to be reused after disassembly. One of them is push-on plastic parts. I was simply trying to get advanced info from someone that had hopefully removed the cover. Fore warned is fore armed. I quickly put aside the suggestion from one poster that if the belt cover could *not* be reused it would be OK to run without it. That would just be asking to pick up some stick, rock or other foreign material while mowing and possibly break the belt and/or stripping the gears in the transmission. |
#7
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Lawn mower belt replacement
In article ,
"Bishoop" wrote: "Smitty Two" wrote in message news In article , "Bishoop" wrote: The problem is that I cannot see just how the belt cover is attached. The parts drawing does not show any screws that's why I assume it's a push-on fit. Maybe I'll wait til winter when the grass doesn't need cutting so often, pry the cover off and if it won't go back on, order a new. Or maybe just order a new cover before I start the project. The problem is that your experience with mechanical things is not up to the challenge, which is why I suggested taking it to a shop. If you're intimidated by a plastic cover, you aren't going to be able to do much else even if you do get the cover off in one piece. Thanks for your concern. I think my mechanical ability is quite adequate. During my 30+ year working life as an EE I had the opportunity to design many small mechanical parts. I also know that some things are not designed to be reused after disassembly. One of them is push-on plastic parts. I was simply trying to get advanced info from someone that had hopefully removed the cover. Fore warned is fore armed. Careful or I'm going to start pulling out the engineer jokes. Do you really think a *belt cover* would fall into the category of sacrificial parts? Snap-on plastic covers are everywhere, on every thing. Fast forward to the 21st century and learn how to deal with them. If you snap off a tab or two, you can fashion a replacement fastener of some manner or another yourself, or order the new part at that time. *Feel* where the barbs are, around the perimeter, with judicious prying, etc, and then *feel* how to release them. If you can't do that, you're not an engineer, you're just another pencil-pushing number cruncher. Hell, you've got the exploded diagram of the thing right in front of you. I don't remember now which car company it was, sent every newly hired engineer down to the production floor to crank wrenches for six months, before they turned them loose in an office. I'd have made it five years, but otherwise agree with the idea. |
#8
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Lawn mower belt replacement
snip
*Feel* where the barbs are, around the perimeter, with judicious prying, etc, and then *feel* how to release them. If you can't do that, you're not an engineer, you're just another pencil-pushing number cruncher. I wish we were in the same area. Maybe you could use that pencil to *judiciously* release the barbs. Hell, you've got the exploded diagram of the thing right in front of you. Maybe an explosive would work to remove the cover on the actual mower. |
#9
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Lawn mower belt replacement
Bishoop wrote:
"Smitty Two" wrote in message news In article , "Bishoop" wrote: The problem is that I cannot see just how the belt cover is attached. The parts drawing does not show any screws that's why I assume it's a push-on fit. Maybe I'll wait til winter when the grass doesn't need cutting so often, pry the cover off and if it won't go back on, order a new. Or maybe just order a new cover before I start the project. The problem is that your experience with mechanical things is not up to the challenge, which is why I suggested taking it to a shop. If you're intimidated by a plastic cover, you aren't going to be able to do much else even if you do get the cover off in one piece. Thanks for your concern. I think my mechanical ability is quite adequate. During my 30+ year working life as an EE I had the opportunity to design many small mechanical parts. I also know that some things are not designed to be reused after disassembly. One of them is push-on plastic parts. I was simply trying to get advanced info from someone that had hopefully removed the cover. Fore warned is fore armed. I quickly put aside the suggestion from one poster that if the belt cover could *not* be reused it would be OK to run without it. That would just be asking to pick up some stick, rock or other foreign material while mowing and possibly break the belt and/or stripping the gears in the transmission. I have a Lawnboy approximately 2 years old. Personal Pace. I use it commercially. Good mower. There should be a black plastic shroud on the top rear between the handles. There should be 2 large screws recessed into the cover. Takes a large philips screwdriver to remove them. The cover comes right off. The only trouble I've had is when you put it back on, there are 2 tabs on the top front that you have to be sure to get into their slots. Other than that, a piece of pie....errr cake. |
#11
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Lawn mower belt replacement
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