[Earla]

What is the tension pulley? Gram, 67, wants to know? Replacing belt myself hopefully. Craftsman riding mower, lower belt came off. Have lowered deck, belt is loose, not sure where it goes, studying manual but how engage, disengage tension pulley?

[the.carpenter]

Hi gram 67, the deck belt can be removed by: 1st. Turning off tractor,(some people disconnect battery)2nd. Engage the: engage deck belt knob or handle, so you can see which tension bar or metal piece is moving. You can follow the connection from the knob or handle to the area. Maybe have someone do this while you are looking below seat or under stering areas. If to do this, you must have engine running, be very careful of flying objects or grass clippings. My manual has a description of the belt location. Usually from an overhead view, looking down. Also manuals can be found online for free, just input your model and follow through... on sears.com . No pullys have to be removed ! The rods protecting the pullys are just barely set away from the pully to get the belt on. Pay attention to the side of the belt which goes through the pully-some go through the " V " and some go through the " Flat " of the belt. My tension bar was very rusty and wouldn't engage, when I engaged the handle. I had my newphew move and unmove until I could figure where and what was going on. I used a lot of W-D40 and kept moving by hand. It was tight for me to be reaching in to the area ! I hsave a Craftsman 12.5 hp with a 38 in. deck (no hydro's). Its old but unsure of how old ! OK good luck.