No matter how high quality your Cub Cadet Walk-Behind mower is, at some point you will need to replace parts as they wear out. Due to the friction and wear, the drive belt is one of the parts you may need to replace. With just a few household tools this is not a difficult task to do, and shouldn’t take long if you follow the directions.
A few common sense steps will make any maintenance job much smoother. Make sure that you have a clean area to work in so that you will know where the parts are. When removing parts from your mower keep screws and bolts near the parts that they attach. If you are dealing with a lot of screws and small parts you may wish to invest in a magnetic bowl to ensure that you will never spill and lose them.
The first step you want to take is to prepare the mower to be safe while you are working on it. You will need to remove the ignition wire from the spark plug so that there is no risk at all that the mower might try to start while you are working on it. Next you will need to either drain the gas tank or put some plastic under the cap to prevent spills while you have the mower on its side.
Now that the mower has been prepped to be worked on you will need to tip your lawn mower on to its side. Make sure that the air filter is facing upwards once you have tipped it. You will now need to remove the self-tapping screws that are located on the side of the deck.
Once you have removed the screws it is time to remove the mower blade. Make sure you are wearing a pair of work gloves to protect your hands while working with the blade. You will need to secure the blade during this step in order to take off the retaining bolt. Any method you can find to hold the blade immobile will work, but an investment in an Arnold Blade Removal Tool will greatly simplify this task.
With the blade removed from the mower the next step is to remove the baffle and belt cover from the deck. These covers are held down with self-tapping screws, once they are removed the covers will come right off.
With the baffle and belt covers removed you now have access to the blade adapter and drive pulley. You will need to remove the belt that connects them and then take the blade adapter off of the crankshaft.
Now you can reach the drive pulley that you need to remove. When working with the drive pulley you start from the back. First you need to take the belt from the transmission pulley. After you have done this the next step is to press down on the deck baffle to allow you to remove the belt from the engine pulley and pull it out from under the deck.
With the old belt removed it’s time to install the new drive belt. Before attaching it to either of the pulleys slide the belt under the deck. Like removing the belt, you start by placing the belt around the transmission pulley and then the engine pulley.
The next step is to secure the deck baffle by tightening the screws that hold it down. The engine baffle is next, using the self-tapping screws reattach it to the deck. With the baffle reattached replace the blade adapter to the crankshaft. Use the method you used earlier to secure the blade, remember always wear your gloves while working with the blade. With the blade secured replace the blade retaining bolt.
Finally return the mower so that it is sitting on its wheels again. All you have left to do is reconnect the ignition wire to the spark plug and replace the fuel if you drained it.
By properly maintaining your Cub Cadet Walk-Behind lawn mower, you will have a reliable machine that will last you for many years. Remember to get genuine Cub Cadet parts to ensure the highest quality parts designed to work perfectly with your lawn mower. Aftermarket parts are a gamble that will not be as reliable and may void your warranty.