Drive belt replacement?

[DIXIEDOG]

I'm thinking about putting a new drivebelt on my Gator 825i....it seems like it's squealing everytime I start the Gator....it seems like the squeal is coming from the driver's side so I figured it's the cvt belt instead of the alternator belt this time.


Anybody change a drive belt on a 825i? How bad of a job was it and what did you need for special tools??


Also wondering if anybody knows how much fluid is needed to change the front and rear differential fluids?

[Dane]

I've never changed a Gator belt but have done several on golf carts. Access is generally the biggest problem. Getting the belt on has never been much of a problem. Make sure the drive clutch is fully open so the belt can go as low as possible. Then I hooked part of the belt over the rear pulley and worked around shoving it over the pulley. I did one with a tight belt setup and had to hook the belt on the rear pulley then I manually rotated the pulley to pull the belt onto the pulley. With that install I pulled the spark plug out of the engine so the drive pulley could turn more freely.

[Destiny creek]

It's a easy job once you gain access to the belt itself.just like changing a snow machine drive belt. Yes you have to spread the driven clutch ( transmission side) so the belt fits as low to the shaft as possible and then it fits easily over the drive clutch which is attached to the engine
GO BRONCOS

[DIXIEDOG]

I changed the belt today, it was an easy job. You remove the 10 or so 10mm bolts securing the CVT belt cover and pull the cover out the bottom. Then remove the secondary clutch side by taking out the 15mm bolt and sliding the secondary clutch assembly off the shaft....the belt will pop right off from there. Then install by reversing steps. Total replacement time was about an hour.


The positive thing about me changing the drive belt today was that I found when JD originally assembled my Gator they didn't have the CVT housing seal installed correctly...there was a 6" piece that had fallen out and was pinched by the cover and laying inside the belt area. I was able to fix the seal installation when I reassembled by CVT housing.

The negative part was that it didn't fix my squeal at startup. I'm not sure what is making the squeal noise, I thought it might have been my alternator belt afterall so I removed it completely and started the engine....the squeal was still there. I'm not sure what it could be at this point.




I've got the Gator in pretty good shape for this winter now. I changed the cvt drive belt, engine oil/filter, air filter, fuel filter, spark plugs, and rear transaxle fluid. Next weekend I'll try to get the front differential fluid changed and that will be it until next spring.

[jradue]

What is the recommended frequency for changing the differential fluid?

[DIXIEDOG]

I can't remember the hours....it was so many hours or 2 yrs. Given the amount of water I've driven through and that plow season is coming up I jumped the gun a bit and did it early. For the few $$ it costs for fluid I think it's worth it for peace of mind. The rear takes about 3 quarts and the front is only supposed to take 4 ounces to it's not a lot of fluid.

[Dlauffenburger]

I changed the belt today, it was an easy job. You remove the 10 or so 10mm bolts securing the CVT belt cover and pull the cover out the bottom. Then remove the secondary clutch side by taking out the 15mm bolt and sliding the secondary clutch assembly off the shaft....the belt will pop right off from there. Then install by reversing steps. Total replacement time was about an hour.


The positive thing about me changing the drive belt today was that I found when JD originally assembled my Gator they didn't have the CVT housing seal installed correctly...there was a 6" piece that had fallen out and was pinched by the cover and laying inside the belt area. I was able to fix the seal installation when I reassembled by CVT housing.

The negative part was that it didn't fix my squeal at startup. I'm not sure what is making the squeal noise, I thought it might have been my alternator belt afterall so I removed it completely and started the engine....the squeal was still there. I'm not sure what it could be at this point.




I've got the Gator in pretty good shape for this winter now. I changed the cvt drive belt, engine oil/filter, air filter, fuel filter, spark plugs, and rear transaxle fluid. Next weekend I'll try to get the front differential fluid changed and that will be it until next spring.

Mine does the same thing. The only thing I can figure out is that when I first start it in the morning the engine starts at approximately 1600 RPM for the first couple of seconds and the primary clutch is squealing on the belt. After I run it for a little while and the engine is warm you can start it and there is no squeal when the choke isn't elevating the RPMs.

[Dlauffenburger]

I can't remember the hours....it was so many hours or 2 yrs. Given the amount of water I've driven through and that plow season is coming up I jumped the gun a bit and did it early. For the few $$ it costs for fluid I think it's worth it for peace of mind. The rear takes about 3 quarts and the front is only supposed to take 4 ounces to it's not a lot of fluid.

I'll ask the dumb question, what did you use to get the fluid into the front differential ? I can't believe the design they used for the fill port , how expensive would it have been to design a normal fill tube for access under the hood.

I bought the Lo-Vis oil for the front differential, just haven't got it replaced yet.

[DIXIEDOG]

I'll ask the dumb question, what did you use to get the fluid into the front differential ? I can't believe the design they used for the fill port , how expensive would it have been to design a normal fill tube for access under the hood.

I bought the Lo-Vis oil for the front differential, just haven't got it replaced yet.

Lower unit pump like you'd use on an outboard Walmart's boat section will have them for under $10 and you just screw them on the top of your oil container. For fluid I used the JD recommended HyGard