I justed replace the drive/motion belt (with the correct sears/craftsman belt as I ordered from manuel),before installation I matched the new belt up with the old one... seemed to be very very close (same width/v-groove/depth... length within 1/2" couldn't tell exactly because old belt broke).. I am having difficulty getting the new belt tight enough to move the tractor, I've adjusted the clutch rod end nut to put maximum length (back) to put as much tension on the idler pulley (which at this point is within fractions of the upper stack pulley ) yet the belt still seems to be slipping.. should I try to get a shorter belt? If so... how much shorter than the stock belt would you suggest?

If you have the correct belt, then the belt route is not correct or you have problems with the tensioning mechanism. Is this a rear engine rider?

Hi Mowbetter.. I'm pretty sure the belt route is correct & the tensioning mechansim is fine... I brought the new belt Sears sent me to a Auto shop... sized it up & got one 1" shorter (30")... installed the 1" shorter one(30").. &... it did the trick... actually I think I could have used even a shorter belt 29-1/2" or even 29"... becasue I'm fully adjusted out for max belt tension with the tensioning mechansim right now.. & the tractor pulls OK... but there still may be some slipping of the belt because of the length.. thanks for your input though.. Dave

Something is out of wack. If you bought an OEM Sears belt specified in your manual and it doesn't fit you will be the first person on earth to have this problem. Something else is off with your tractor if the OEM is slipping. You are saying there OEM belt is almost 2" too big, never ever seen this. Without looking at your tractor I am only guessing but possibly you are on nthe wrong side of the tensioner.

Hi Ballengerb.. its working now... all I know is it was a major hassale (for me) doing the job.. you may indeed be right about something being out of whack,I'm 98% sure the new belt is installed(per diagram)correctly.. perhaps I was sent the wrong length belt from Sears?. When I got the new belt(from Sears) the first thing I did was match it up with the old (broken/torn)belt it was replacing.. it seemed a little longer... but I wasn't sure a piece of the old belt wasn't on my lawn somewhere from when it broke/tore.. making the new one seem longer... I installed the one Sears sent me.. the tractor didn't move.. so after many hours of trying to figure out exactly what was happening/not happening.. I took the new Sears Belt & the Old broken one to a Auto shop... u'd be surprised how little difference there is in 1" of belt length..considering the material of the belt & the belt is obviously a closed loop .. to a untrained eye (mine) they look really close...So the guy measured them & thought the old one was about 1" shorter than the new Sears one I was sent... so I got the one that's 1" shorter than the Sear belt..its seems pretty good now...in a perfect world i'd perhaps get another one maybe 1/2" - 1" shorter... but I'm not going back under that tractor unless there's a problem.. Thanks for your in put though... Dave

Dave, do you have the manual for this tractor? It should tell you the correct belt as would opening the hood of most Sears tractors. Belts, ilter, etc... are frequently list inside the hood. If you don't have a manual you can get it downloaded or voewed at http://www.searspartsdirect.com/partsdirect/aboutUs.pd

See if this is the same way you installed it.

Hi Guys.. thanks for your responses... I guess I started something... I do have the original Manuel (I bought the tractor new) there is no hood on this.. rear engine model.. & the diagram DG sent me is the exact one I have in the manuel titled Model 536.270112 Repair Motion Drive.. so I'm sure the belt is installed correctly.. on the next page is the same two titles with parts listed... here's the belt description per manuel... Key No.54... Belt,Motion Drive 37 x 65 If you can tell me the length from that... we might get somewhere.. its certainly not 37" long... im currently using a 30" belt which works... im pretty sure Sears sent me a 31" which didnt work ..now how does 37 x 65 translate into 31" I have no idea.. the idler bracket & pulley are fine.. so I'm just saying Sears sent me the wrong length.. no biggie... thanks... Dave C

that mower was made murry
the belt 37 x 65
it's a 1/2 x 30