Snapper is a respected and trusted lawn mower brand. If you have one and the belt is worn or damaged, Snapper drive belt replacement is not overly difficult. To see if the drive belt is the source of the mower's problem, first have a look at it. If the belt is cracked, appears worn on the sides or is burned, glazed or shiny by the pulleys, it is time to replace it.
Snapper Drive Belt Replacement Process
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The best way to start a Snapper drive belt replacement is to find a Snapper belt replacement diagram for your model and follow it as you are working. These can be found online if you don't have your manual at home. Some online resources will even show you specific diagrams for various models. General guidelines for changing drive belts on riding lawn mowers are fairly similar as well.
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First, park the mower on a level surface, set the parking brake, turn off the ignition, take out the key and put on a pair of work gloves. Then, pull up the hood and disconnect the spark plug. Lower the mower's deck and disengage the cutting blades. Carefully roll the cutting blade belt from the pulley and release it from the belt keepers.
Next Steps in the Process
Once the cutting blade belt has been released, you will need to remove the front lift retaining pin and washer and detach the support. Take off the left suspension arm retaining clip and washer, which will allow you to detach the arm from the frame.
Next, take off the left rear deck retaining clip and washer and release that bracket. Repeat these steps on the other side to remove the right suspension arm and bracket. Pull out the deck so you have access to the blade cable, release its locking tabs, pull it out and disconnect its spring before pulling the deck out from the frame.
Removing and Replacing the Belt
To remove the drive belt, take off the flywheel screen cap and remove the engine pulley bolt and washer to be able to get the engine pully off the crankshaft. Release the drive belt from the pulleys and belt guides, lift the seat and insulating cover and take off the bolts that connect the negative and positive cables to the battery. Remove the battery from its box and release the seat switch harness clip.
Lift out the battery box and set it aside and you can now release the drive belt from its pulley. Take the replacement belt and loop it over this pulley. Return the battery to its box and reconnect the harness clip. Reconnect the battery, lower the seat and route your new belt through the chassis, over the steering plate and through the front belt guides. The belt then needs to go over the engine pulley and be lined up with the pulley notch and crankshaft groove.
The engine pulley bolt and washer and the flywheel screen cap can now be installed, and the right side of the new belt can be routed through the middle idler pulleys. The left side goes into the mower's belt keeper and over its rear pulley. Now, you can remove the rope from your engine cylinder and reconnect the spark plug.