Cub cadet 1204 clutch spring tension
 

I have a cub cadet 1204 with manual transmission and I have changed the drive belt for the rear end but can't get the tension spring for the clutch/brake to stretch into tension. It is just too far to pull with pliers and is in an awkward position along the frame rail. Any help or tips appreciated. Thank you...Tony

Don't know the particulars of what your fighting with. I have found that a
long screw driver pivoting off of something solid works better then pliers.
Get the loop of the spring over the shaft of the screw driver and try to
pivot it up to the place you are trying to hook it. Good Luck, they can be
tough for sure.

Ken

Welcome to OCC...........:Welcome2:

I'm not familiar with your unit but the drawing looks like you replaced the belt (p/n #11) and the spring (p/n #18) is what you're trying to get back on.

Just a suggestion, but you might try....
taking the belt off all the pulleys,
attach the spring as it should be, hopefully easy with no belt tension,
depress and lock down the clutch pedal,
put transmission in neutral,
route the belt into the grooves of the upper two small pulleys,
then guide and roll the belt into the rear of the groove of the big pulley (p/n #24) while rotating the big pulley counter-clockwise.
Hope that made sense.

Here is a link to the owner's manual. Pages 16& 17 describe belt replacement.
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/33...04.html#manual

You're having a fight with the tensioner pulley??? since im not familiar with that model but the ones ive had with belts and ive changed them or pulled em off to work on other stuff i tend to use a pry bar or long flathead screwdriver to go onto the pulley i dont recommend a flathead if the spring is very tough but i have had a few with a easy to move tensioner pulley

hope this helps

Drive belt pathways and pulley setups are horrendously designed.,,,..the engineers don't work in the real world...in my opinion, which is well, you know.
The best idea I've seen was on youtube where first, you set the parking brake which releases the idler pulleys, providing more room by taking the tension off the belt.Then simply remove one of the ihree idler pulleys in the middle section (it's only one bolt) and route the belt into position, then replace that pulley and release the parking brake to check the tension and the the belt pathway. The real issue is getting the belt over the crankshaft pulley in front and the fan pulley in the back, at the transmission. Again, very user unfriendly. I understand the belt keeper tabs and the mechanical function considerations, but it seems unneccesarily rough.
Compared to replacing the deck belt, it's easily three times the difficulty factor.
Good luck, hope this helps...

"Everyone's ignorant, just on different subjects" -Will Rogers

If you guys re-read post #1, he states that his problem is with re-installing the tension spring, not with getting the belt on the pulleys!