[Hooks]

Greetings from Germany! I have restored a JD 65 (A650H 097657M) and everything is running correctly EXCEPT the deck. The spindle, pulley and idler are all new. After mowing for a few minutes the belt will twist and eventually pop off. The pulley on the engine shaft is also straight. Any ideas out there? I am also unsure of the proper setting for the belt guide around the engine shaft pulley. Thanks for any help offered! :dunno:

 

[Wayne195]

Welcome to the forum Hooks!

John Deere 65 doesn't seem to bring anything up when I search online; is this a model that was only made in Germany maybe? I thought I could pull up a belt routing diagram for you, but it didn't find anything for such a model. What year is it?

 

[rhenning]

If you are using non-JD belts that could be your problem. Off the shelf belts don't have the correct "V" angle for JD drive systems. The lengths are also seldom even numbers but odd numbers like 42.625 inches. Most of the time JD belts will solve your problem. Roger

 

[Hooks]

Got it! I had one washer too many underneath where the idler pulley bracket attaches to the deck. This caused the belt to ride too high on the idler, twist the belt, and pop off. Amazing how one little washer could cause so much trouble. Especially maddening since I had used nothing but O.M. parts on the whole machine. Thanks for the replies!
@wayne195: The 65 was a front rider produced from 1978 until 198?. It resembles the 66/68 without the fiberglass hood. It has a a 28 inch deck and (had) a Tecumseh 5 hp engine. The first thing I did was junk the Tecumseh for a Briggs 650.