Quick questions - The drive belt on my LX176 just went after 11 years. I'm having some trouble getting one of the pulleys off. I'm trying WD-40 to loosen one of the nuts but it's stubborn. In addition, the one pulley that is stuck is on the bar underneath the tractor that swivels, so it's hard to get leverage. Is there anything out there that can loosen bolts better than WD-40? Second, how did you get the drive belt over the pulley for the transmission? Is it possible to snake the loop up through the fan blades above the pulley? I took the seat off my tractor hoping to see the fan, but the tractor fender assembly covers the fan. I can't see how this whole process can take only an hour! Any help would be greatly appreciated! My lawn is starting to grow fast, and the local Deere dealer has a 4 1/2 week wait for repairs!

rear engine rider? if so, all you do is loosen the pinch clamp under seat on the frame tube, then as i have found, use a heavy hammer on a wood block against inside of front end below handle bars, to knock the frame tube forward little by little. Reason is the weight of all that rear end is pushing down on tube making it move hard to move it. You could jack it up to relieve the weight directly below the seat,under the machine, that may help/ just take the pressure off the tube. what i don't quite understand is this, a "old" belt should be longer than a new one, when i replaced mine, i had to move tube backwards, not forwards. Something doesn't sound right. Also be aware, if you move that front end from one position to another, it will throw your shifter out of place, notice shifter bracket has 2 bolts, slotted holes to readjust it. May also make clutch/brake take hold in a different location too. Now i am not sure about this, but i "think" i read the idlers on deck should be no closer than 1 or 1 1/2" together when deck is engaged, i am sure someone will correct me if that isn't right, but.. that is about the distance on my 41" two blade deck.

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

You'll need both the knowledge and the tools. Lacking either there's rarely a happy ending to any project. Since you've done your own service so far you most likely have the tools. Just open the John Deere LT155 Technical Manual that you bought, so you could correctly maintain your 155, to the section of drive belt replacement. It will outline and illustrate the steps you'll need to take to R&R the belt. Make sure you buy a real John Deere OEM belt. If you don't have the John Deere Technical manual for your LT155 then you've been maintaining on borrowed time. YouTube is not a substitute for accurate tech info but it's really good for learning that other people know less than you do. You might want to call the JD dealer and get a price for the labor to R&R the belt and compare that cost with the price of the technical manual. There are three possible outcomes depending on your decision... do it yourself, screw it yourself, or pay the dealer, but you really should have the technical manual.