# My sabre's year?



## whobdah (Nov 2, 2009)

I have a john deere sabre. I got it from a friend. I think it's a 2004, but I'm not sure. It has a briggs and stratton 20 HP "vtwin". It has a 46 inch deck. I have to change the belt on the deck on the other belt. The other belt "the belt that makes the tractor go" (I'm not exactly tractor proficient). needs changed also. I have to change the oil and oil filter. 

I have a local dealer, but the prices are high on everything. 

How do I find the exact belts for my tractor and the year?

Thanks for the help 
Rick


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

It looks like your tractor was made between 1998 and 2001, if it is a John Deere Sabre, according to tractordata.com .

http://www.tractordata.com/lawn-tra...re/sabre-lawn-tractors-horsepower-sorted.html

It shows that your unit would be a 2046HV. If you follow the link below

http://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/18927/How+to+put+belt+back+on+a+john+deere+sabre+riding+mower

And go to the site the guy mentions, and follow his directions, you will find that your drive V-belt part number is GX10644 and the V-belt for the mower deck would be part number GX10176.

If you can verify this as being correct, you can look up Belt cross reference on the internet and maybe you can find belt sold by a different company like gates or DAYCO or even PIXUSA. If that doesn't work, you can get a hold of a local Lawn tractor dealer and see if they sell a compatible belt. Lowes, Home Depot all sorts of places come to mind.
Here's some interesting reading.... http://www.tractor-review.com/john-deere-sabre.html

Good luck with your search. I see they are not cheap to begin with......
Cheers

http://www.vbelts4less.com/search.asp?type=custom&keyword=GX10176&search=Search


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## whobdah (Nov 2, 2009)

Basically, that's bad news all around. The belts are expensive. They are hard to put on...two guys need to work together on one belt? (according to the article). I need to do it....someone who's not very good at these types of things. That's not very encouraging.


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

Rick,
Did you open up the link to the John Deere parts schematics? I think they show a good deal about how to route the belts, and I think with a little thinking, investigating and a bit of sizing things up, you'll do just fine. Check out a thread on this forum under John Deere Lawn tractors and I'm sure some one can give you some tips. 
There are a few other sites as well that may help with a trick or two.
I hope the belt part numbers help you out. I know they are expensive, but I've had my lawn tractor for a few years, and changing a belt is the farthest thing from my mind. They should last for a long time.


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## whobdah (Nov 2, 2009)

The belt under the chassis is frayed a little and slipped off last year. The one on the deck is constantly falling off. I know neither has been replaced. That's at least 10 years, if not more. I'm thinking about double checking with the dealer, as far as belts go and ordering them. I've done alot of stuff by myself, and I fixed it, suprisingly enough. This might be another one of those grand hair pulling experiences. Thanks for the help. I'll let you know.


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## stretch6000 (Jan 21, 2013)

If the belt keeps coming off make sure all pulleys are in line, you may have hit something causing a bent shaft, a new belt will still come off as easy..normally they slip when worn out as they are self adjusting.


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## whobdah (Nov 2, 2009)

Update: I went to the dealer to find out some things. It turns out that the guy who first bought my tractor bought it from that dealer. He recommended I keep the drive belt on until it breaks. It takes one of his guys 1-2 hours to change it. That means it will take me about 8 hrs. He gave me a picture of the shafts and pulleys so I'll know if it's in the right place or not. I bought the deck belt, oil and oil filter. I know I could have gotten it cheaper somewhere else, but he had all the information for my lawn mower and I didn't feel like going somewhere else. Today I took the battery out and exchanged it at TSC. I also got some zinc bolts (hoping they will resist corrosion) for the battery...the other ones were corroded big time. It took me awhile to get the positive side off. Anyway, thanks for the advice on everything. Once I get the deck off, I'll be able to see the drive belt better and decide then. I got new blades last year, I was thinking about sharpening them on my grinder but I tried that once on the old blades. That didn't turn out so good. Any advice would be helpful.


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