One of the belts on our deck was destroyed to the point that it can't be identified. The mower is old enough that the model number isn't visible. Can anyone provide a part number? Also, one of the springs is missing. There is one 6in. long one. Is the other the same size? TX!

Contact a local auto parts store, a full service one, bring in the old belt and they can match it.

I would say,that the Motion Drive Belt,has stretched to the point,that it is slipping on the pulleys. Over time all belts stretch or break. There is no adjustment,that can be made,once stretched,its time for a new belt. Look in your Owner's Manual,to see,a picture and directions of how to remove and replace a motion drive belt. If there isn't a picture of the drive belt in your manual,then look under the left foot rest. There you will find a decal,showing the correct method to install the belt over the pulleys. This is going to be a long belt,it runs from the Transaxle to the motor's upper pulley assembly. You can,it will be hard to do,remove and replace the drive belt with the mower deck attached. First,try lowering the mower deck,to the lowest position. This will give some room,to get to the motion belt,you will have to remove the mower belt,to get to the motion belt. I find it is easier to just remove the mower deck entirely. Doing this,give you ample room to work on the motion belt. The mower belt,can be purchased from Sears Parts Direct. Give them the tractor's Model Number and the Belt Part #,if you have the number,they will look it up anyway,if not. I gave more information,than you asked for. I hope this will help you. Sincerely,Brad Locke DTD. 12/04/15

To remove the deck from a riding mower you will need to lower the deck fully first. Then laying on the ground look above the deck and see at what points the deck is connected to the rest of the mower. Also at this point, remove the belt from the engine pulley. You should see some pins that can be removed to unhook the deck. For example on a Craftsman 42" there are two on the front of the deck, two above the deck connected to the lowering mechanism and one to guide the back up and down and one that connects the cable/linkage for engaging the deck. Then raise the lowering mechanism up out of the way and the deck should just slide out. With the deck removed take note of the routing, but usually there is a belt routing sticker on the deck.

Under the seat you will find the make and model number, record these and take to your local lawn mower repair parts store and they should have the appropriate replacement belt.

If this was really helpful, please rate.

Its a bit of a pain - but with ordinary tools, it can be done. Get the replacement cable first. You can see how the bottom spring wraps around the cable with a universal joint sort of arrangement. Remove the belt protector (three screws from the top deck; if you have a battery compartment, that will temporarily need to go. Release the old cable from the top and middle attachment points, then unhook the spring from the traction lever. You might need to destroy the old cable lock to the mower deck to remove the old cable. Remove the plastic cup next to the cable where it exits the mower deck. Replace parts in this order: New spring/cable to the traction lever, snap in plastic interface to mower deck, small plastic cup top cable attachment, then middle attachment. You might need to move the middle attachment after you give it a test run. Replace belt cover and battery compartment if necessary. A lot of steps but, except for a difficult fit to get the spring hooked up, nothing is really difficult. I paid about $30 for the replacement cable from a local dealer; Overpriced, but I wanted to get the job done today.

Good golly sounds like you are working on my old grandpappys tractor from that belt number. HAHAHA Just kidding

There is no such thing as a "standard" belt number but what you need to replace it is a 1/2" x 87" Lawn and Garden type belt . Several of the aftermarket manufacturers have this size listed but they each have their own "numbering" system to identify it so if you contact a local repair shop, just give them those measurements and they should be able to find it in their supplier's catalog. The one I am most familiar with is STENS and their part number is 248-087. Hope this helps you out!

Ranch King is a brand name of the manufacturer MTD.

Product manuals with part blow-up diagrams are available from MTD's web site,
http://www.mtdproducts.com/
Models are identified from the model number printed on a label under the mower seat.
The PTO and deck drive belts are shown on one diagram and the transmission drive belt is shown on another. The Form number on my printed Operator's Manual is 770-10526A (22HP, 46in cut) for Hydrostatic 817/818 models.

Parts can be ordered directly from MTD or other distributors on the web.

It is my experience that original brand name MTD belts work best.

The 22HP, 46" mower deck Ranch King Pro has 3 belts:

The drive belt which runs from the engine pulley back to the hydro drive unit to provide over-the-ground propulsion is part #754-0349.

A mower has either an electric PTO or a manual PTO, not both.

The electric PTO belt the provides power to the blade deck (runs around the electric clutch on the engine shaft (activated by electric switch, not the mechanical hand lever that engages the mower deck) is p/n 754-0476 for the 46" deck.

The manual PTO belt the provides power to the blade deck (runs off the pulley on the engine shaft (activated the mechanical hand lever to the left of the steering wheel that engages the mower deck) is p/n 754-0228 for the 46" deck.

The deck belt that goes around the 3 blade spindle assemblies on the mower deck, to drive the grass cutting blades is p/n 754-0349

In my experience, the PTO belt lasts about half a season, the other belts break about every other season when mowing 4 acres weekly.

Without the model number, I couldn't tell you what belt goes on the ground drive. That 174883 is a 5/8 x 97" and is your deck drive belt. Your ground drive belt may just need replacing. They will wear thin and loosen up between the pulleys and cause the problems you're having. The old belt may still have the numbers on it.

Hi Jeff, If you look at the deck, one or more of those pulleys is a tensioner, It pushes against the belt to tighten it, The rest of the pulleys can be identified by the fact that they only have a bolt through the middle, whereas the tensioner is mounted on an adjustable arm with a slot to allow adjustment. It should also be the only one that the belt doesn't go around the pully it just pushes on one side.If the tensioner arm is all the way to the end of the slot, the belt is streched and will need replaced but sounds like it may have come loose. Some of these decks also have a spring on the tensioner arm and those come off from a stick or other debris. Check it out and if you have a problem let me know and I will try to come up with a diagram. If your mower is that new there should be a belt diagram on the deck. i will need a model number of the deck or mower for that. Good luck!

Thanks for using FixYa - a FixYa rating is appreciated for answering your FREE question.

thats a ayp deck.
the 38 and the 42 take the same belt