Well!
It took several tries, much frustration, and a lot of sore muscles, but I eventually did manage to get the belt back in place. It was necessary to dismount the hydrostat, again, then carefully wrestle it back into position with the belt routed correctly (and the tensioner spring removed).
Bolts torqued more or less to spec, linkages reconnected, tensioner spring re-installed, deck belt retensioned, wheel re-attached. Lower to the floor. Chocks away! Fire 'er up... hm. Is it noisier than it used to be? Different noises? Or... it it just that I'm not wearing earmuffs?
Anyway, by that time it's dinner break. After dinner, back to it. It moves, and mows, but... does seem noisier. And something smells hot. Is the belt rubbing against something? Slipping and burning? Back to the barn.
I can't find anything obviously wrong, and the hot smell isn't there when it's stopped. Use the leaf-blower to remove various old grass clippings. Take it back out, this time with music on the earmuffs. Seems pretty much normal, when I'm using it under normal conditions.
So, I guess it's fixed. Mowed maybe half an acre out back this evening. Maybe a bit less than that.
Maybe I'll do the spring oil change tomorrow morning; the oil on the dipstick is looking a mite grubby. Then, well, there are plenty of lawn & pathway areas that are getting out of hand.
Additional: I think the blades probably do need sharpening. Another thing to put on the to-do list. (Some of the vegetation, grass and otherwise, has put up tall, tough stalks, and the mower isn't doing a very good job on those; sharp blades might help.)
Monday afternoon update: Well, I got a little more mowing done... and then it suddenly stopped moving again. Drive belt is shredded.
Think maybe I didn't have it on right after all?
I got it back into the barn... this involved the usual "bypass the hydrostats and disengage the parking brake" thing, then blatantly disregarding instructions and towing it behind the tractor, because I darn well wasn't going to push that heavy beastie up that hill. A certain amount of improvisation was involved; I think I need to round up some appropriate hardware for attaching chains to tow bars and suchlike.
Guess I'll see about getting it fixed by someone who does this stuff for a living, has the proper tools for the job, and knows what he's doing. Got other, more urgent stuff to deal with right now, so I may not start making phone calls until tomorrow.
Wednesday morning update: Hm. Did I mention all the skilled tradesmen around here seem to be mighty busy? That includes lawnmower repairmen. The places I've talked to so far have backlogs between six weeks and a couple of months. Meanwhile, the lawn is growing.
I guess I'll try a few more, but I'd better also get a replacement belt on order (plus a couple of spares, plus a spare deck belt or two), 'cause it looks like I'm gonna have to do my own repairs & maintenance.
Sub-update: Talked to an old guy who does mower repair. He's only running about 10 days behind, but doesn't have a way to do pick up & delivery. Meanwhile, I've ordered both flavors of belts, which should be here early next week, and maybe it's really time to buy a dagnab utility/landscape trailer.
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