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JD deck timing belt

15 years ago

I have a John Deere LT155 with the first version of the Freedom 42 deck.

This deck uses a thin fibre and rubber timing belt for the blades which is a pain in the bottom. I mow 4 acres that are flat and occasionally a rock turns up. I keep the height at 2" yet the dealer supplied belts do not seem to last. At $60 each it makes this unit expensive to run.

Does anyone know of a cheaper source for these belts?

Did John Deere offer a better deck solution that would fit this model.

It replaced a Snapper I had forever that was a lot cheaper to maintain.

Thanks.

Sassvoor

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Comments (10)

sergeant
15 years ago
Deeres new dedicated mulcher deck does not have timed blades. You may want to talk to your JD dealer and see if you can put the newer deck on your LT here is the JD part# SKU21893 for the new 42m Mulching deck cost about $700.00 MSRP.
sassvoor
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you for that information I will check.
Does anyone make a better belt?
I think my dealer is selling a non JD belt. I do not have a part number. His are not stamped with the JD insignia.
I also recall the originals I had were much heavier.
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Thanks for the feedback. I think the life is pretty short too. It has been just 3 seasons, and about 180 hours of use. Land is essentially flat. Sometimes I do a fair bit of reversing depending on the pattern I mow, but still not hard use and I am pretty gentle in the shift between directions. I pull a JD "Thatchaerator" once or twice a year, but that is just a 40" tine aerator, really, with two small cement blocks for a little weight, and the tractor sounds as if it is loafing when pulling it. The 10P cart is used for mulch in the spring only, and again, on flat ground so it doesn't take a lot if effort to pull it even loaded. The motor and the transaxle are both absolutely dry, and the old belt looks perfectly normal in color and texture, just a lot of deep cracks in the V side of the belt material, while the flat side looks unmarked. I swapped the original belt when I bought the machine, just to get a clean start on the maintenance items, and the old belt with around 80 hours looked good except for a single cut partly into the v-side. I guess I should try feeling the belt for heat after mowing for a while, as one test. The tractor and the deck give all appearances of running perfectly normally (sound, smell, power, speed).
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mbsl98
15 years ago
Assuming that your deck is the same as my 2001 LT160's Freedom, there was a change in the belt and a new part number. The new timing belt number is M150717, but I don't have the old number here in the office. It doesn't feel at all fragile, although I bought the deck with a broken belt, and I have broken it once since (on a large tree root that the blade tried to shave down). Then, it didn't snap right away, but over the next 30 minutes or so of mowing. The part number should be on the sales slip from the dealer, or you could ask him what number he is selling. I am not aware of any substitute belt source.
engine_tech
15 years ago
A couple years ago JD made the belts stronger. I doubt anyone else would offer such a belt as they are not a high volume item. The belt is designed to be the fuse in the system, so it does break before something more expensive else gets bent, like the deck shell.

Honestly, mowing a 4-acre field with rocks is beyond what an LT155 with a Freedom was designed to do. An LT155 is a 1.5 acre max machine, and the Freedom 42 is for manicured lawns only. Just not the best fit there. The only downside of the Freedom 42 is that early on JD and dealers didn't do the best job of qualifying what customers should or shouldn't have them.

There may be some of those first gen LT's starting to die out there now, so keep your eyes open for a used 38" deck from a LT133 or LT155. That might work well for you.
gabdow
15 years ago
I've used a Freedom 42 for over 5 years and just replaced the belt. That deck was never intended for the kind of use you're putting it through. Although it is a durable deck, it's not in the same class as a 42c or 48c as far as durability and simplicity (one belt). The Freedom is really designed for a better groomed lawn with no rocks and sticks only the size of twigs.
krnuttle
15 years ago
Just slight change the topic. Unless you are mowing a golf course most information that I have read, recommends cutting the grass to about 2.7 to 3.5 inches. Maybe if you cut longer the belt would last longer.
machiem
15 years ago
I also recommend mowing at 3". It will increase the health of your grass and your belt.
sassvoor
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks all. I will raise the blades and look into a trade.
I do have a lot of sticks also and never thought they would be
part of the problem.
gmcman
15 years ago
You will likely find that with the mower all the way up, your cut is about 3.5"
sassvoor
Original Author
15 years ago
My LT155 serial # MOL155C096419 can not use the belt suggested above by mbs198(M150717). That belt proved to be to long.
Today the dealer provided me with M127926 and it is too short.
With the tension spring completely off it is still a good inch shy.
Can anyone help me out with the correct timing belt part number. The dealership has several new people and they do not have a clue. I joined the JD parts site but I can not even get it to come up with timing belt numbers.

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