Need help with mower DRIVE belt, not deck belt...

[Gunner1]

Hi! I have a Craftsman 7800 Pro Series lawn tractor. I need to know how the belt gets routed between the pulleys that are on/above the plate that needs to be removed to above the mower deck. I removed the old belt by removing that plate and loosening the pulley mounted to it but there is absolutely NO information ANYWHERE on how to reroute the belt upon replacement. Everything I find strictly talks about the mower deck belt. There's a four minute video on YouTube but it was shot AFTER the belt had already been replaced. If anyone has any pics or a diagram or something that would help I'd greatly appreciate it.

 

[Clarkbug]

Quick search shows that there are what looks like the engine pulley, the transmission pulley, and then two idler pulleys in the middle. If that is correct, and both idlers are the large flat type (not ones with a groove to accept the "v" part of your belt).

If so, the flat of the belt goes on the idler pulley, and you need to route it to keep it that way. Put the belt on the hydro pulley first, then the engine pulley, and then arrange so the back of the belt goes on those idlers. One should be under spring tension, so that can get moved as needed.

If that doesn't make sense, post a photo if you can.

 

[FergusonTO35]

If you have the Craftsman model number you should be able to look up the parts diagram. This should be found on a sticker and is a pretty long number, like 917.1234567890.