well, lessee how this looks: "30.8. Slip the crankshaft pulley down far enough to get the belt off of the pulley, and remove the belt from the crankshaft. See Figure 30.8. NOTE: Belt keepers that are part of the tractor frame prevent the belt from being removed without lowering the pulley. NOTE: The pulley may be removed from the crankshaft at the discretion of the technician." That's right out of the 1000-1500 series serv manual.... and I don't really know if there is enuff room to lift thet engine straight up with the ground drive pulley in place to be able to wangle the ground drive belt off past those fixed keepers - which I fully agree are something of a PITA. just saying... MHO.

I've had a Wheel Horse 38" machine for over twenty four years. I started out using standard belts and getting 2-3 years life. When I tried a Kevlar belt the life increased to more than 4 years. I am hard on them because I mow a rough field that has mole hills and oak tree limbs. I run right over any oak branches that look like they are less than 1" in diameter. Some times I miss judge and hit a bigger one. Wakes me right up! I'm sold on Kevlar for my application. My mower takes 5/8" cross section belts. I don't know what others use. If you download the engineering manuals from major manufacturers, you will find a bunch of design criteria that is frequently abused in mower deck applications. Reverse bending over too small an idler, poor alignment as the deck is raised and lowered, improper tensioning, rubbing on "belt guides", huge overloads from hitting stuff. You can find belt horse power ratings based on rpm, diameter of pulleys, and cross section of belt. I can't comment on a particular brand of mower, but belt drive design is not rocket surgery. Part of the problem in trying to diagnose problems with mower decks is you can't see what is happening as it is working. I would not volunteer to crawl along side a mower actually in operation. You will have to look for clues: rub marks on belt guides, spindle bearings getting hot, uneven wear on pulleys, tensioner wear way off center, rub marks on stuff that should be untouched. I've procrastinated long enough; gotta go mow. tom

Thank you for your quick reply! I will check out the information and NOFMA. I emailed the owner in the interim and have since spoken to him - he was on his way here and has now arrived. He told me that the wood was dried to a moisture content of 6-8%. He said that it has been in a heated building since then (either at the mill or his shop) He tells me the wood was kiln dried then went to the company that milled it then went to his shop (in first post I incorrectly stated that it was at his house) that has radiant heat where it was planed and has been stored. It was delivered on his truck and was not exposed to rain/snow. The material that was delivered yesterday will sit over the weekend and will not be installed (until the earliest next Tuesday, so that would be 4 days). The material that was in the garage is what is being installed today. I do trust this company and the owner to do a good job. They do very nice work and are respected in the community. He assured me that what was more important than just acclimation is the moisture content of the wood on installation. He noted that letting wood sit for a longer time wouldn't necessarily be the answer. That it depends on the condition it was stored and the moisture content. He said he did not do a moisture test but that the mill or the supplier (I can't remember which one he said) tested the wood for moisture content. How easy or difficult is that to do - and should I really expect him to do a moisture reading now? Thank you again.

Yesterday hubby and I were back in the old neighborhood. We stopped by my son's apartment but he wasn't home. We ended up eating Taco's at a local establishment, boy were they good! I forgot to stop by a different restaurant while in the area. They have a great antipasto salad, huge portion for 6.99 and it includes a loaf of italian bread and garlic butter. I can get three meals (for myself) or a family serving of this salad. I could never be able to buy all those vegetables for 6.99 (plus the time to chop everything! I try to make time when I'm in the area to get a salad to go. Oh well, the tacos were great and we did bump into old friends!