Thank you for this. I have a hydrostatic version of this which I have had for nearly 20 years. Fantastic machine. Better than my Toro but it does tend to get stuck in mud. Light enough to be pushed out manually. Parts are expensive.
yeah the joys of having a unique model. seems like the parts have gone up over the years, I wonder if they've discontinued a lot of the parts for the earlier models and therefore as supply dwindles the prices go up. I know lexus did this to my first gen GS300. Window regulator was $750. No aftermarket available. Go up to the next gen you could get regulators for $100 all day long. But lexus didn't make any more new ones for 1st gen so as they sold out, they raised the price. Just another way to try to force us to buy new and stop fixing stuff ;)
Yeah those old i/c briggs are hard to beat! although I always wanted to put a twin cylinder on one! Give me a good 17hp Kawasaki twin made in USA, that'd give her the torque she really needed!
I have a Husqvarna 18 AWD . I absolutely love it. It has been dependable, easy to work on. THe deck is simple to remove to clean after each use. I always pressure wash my decks on all my mowers after each use. I am looking to buy another one but these are hard to come by, even brand new.
Thank you very much for your video because you got underneath the deck and took some pictures it really really helped me with my belt routing on my 970 husband a ride in lawn mower I looked on the diagrams on UA-cam and it was not very clear at all but watching your videos as able to stop it and look at it and figure out the belt routing my belt broke I got a brand new one but trying to get the thing hooked up was I was trying to work off my memory which is not very good /thank you thank you thank you
I absolutely love this mower I'm cutting weeds down that are 6' tall I basically put the mower to the lowest setting and it almost cuts the dirt this thing is super super super awesome when I 1st bought this thing I did not have my trailer with me we tried to pick this up and put it in the back of my truck about 6 guys and it was like trying to pick up an octopus oh my gosh it really was sucking we had 6 to 8 guys and this thing was floppy all over the place I said never mind I got a trailer home with it home got my trailer came back drove it up on a trailer it's fantastic
That Rider 970 is a sharp looking Rider, you did a great job fixing it up. I've got two Husqvarna R322T AWD riders look very similar to your 970 Rider. There a little newer than your Rider 970 and are the best mowers I've ever owned. They were also made in Sweden too.
Yeah, I never understood the inconsistency with the model names LOL. The 970, 155, etc. Never did figure out what the differences between them were, and I worked at a husqvarna dealer for 10 years! lol. Thanks for watching! :) I think maybe the 970 was only offered with 5 speed and maybe the 155 was the hydro? Although that's just a hunch.
@@HamiltonMechanical just wondering if you could give me insight on my husqvarna 970, okay hear it is, I have really good coasting speed when on pavement in all gears, when on grass and the deck is dropped it seems to lag, and drive really slow, when deck is not dropped and just driving on the lawn there is not a problem with speed, my problem is when I lower the deck and begin cutting it will eventually lose acceleration, any ideas???
My Rider 155 4x4 has run great for last 6 years. It’s made in Sweden also. I put an hour meter and a voltmeter beside key slot. It’s got the 15 Koehler motor and the quick removal combi deck. Non ethanol super gas only. Paid 2600$ used. 🇨🇦
hello..love what u did for this machine. I have a ryder 970 also..I love it...but of course to love this machine,u must be very patient and a wonderful mechanic.lol. I also have replaced everything except the motor. I did have to lift the motor to replace a bearing down below i think..anyhow.I have terrible back issues now and working on this machine is becoming almost impossible. I purchased a small electric winch and i lift this husky all the time to get to the blades or the rear all the time.lol.....But here is the main problem.....oh,yesterday i broke a steering cable,i had 1 in stock...that took some time..but i got it.....anywho.......last year we di a major operation on the deck...and now the middle cut is higher by 2 inches than the wing blades......the blades measure the same distance from the ground.the blades r on correctly....I have contacted the local husky store where it was purchased...they r useless....i have called anybody that has anything to do with husky...i have spent hours talking to europe husky.....nothing......do u have any clue or any contacts that might help..thnx...john
I just bought a Husq rider pro 15 that has a KAWASAKI FH451V 15hp motor it was in great shape although it was very, very dirty with no gas cap and 1/2 lb dirt in the sludgy gas tank. Bought it at an estate sale for 200 dollars, so far Ive put on 2 new tires for 70 bucks, a 50 dollar gas cap(crazy) 45 dollar airfilter cover(crazy also) new spark plugs, oil change air filter for 25 total. Total so far is roughly 400 dollars. Cuts nice, its fast. Have to adjust my steering a bit when my steering wheel is straight it goes a bit right when moving.
Wonderful! These really were awesome machines, I never sold many when they were new, but the ones I did sell, the customers were always very happy with them. We did accidentally drop one out the back of a truck one time, and I'll tell you what, nothing bent, nothing out of wack... Either we were very lucky, or that's a testament to how well these machines were built! My next goal is to get one of the last generation ones that's bigger with AWD
try taking the front wheels off. fun fun fun. and...the blade drive belt is a toothed belt which has to be correctly timed, or the blades smash into each other. truly a brilliant design that makes as much sense as a screen door on a submarine!!
This particular mower did not have the timed blades. One of the rare ones that didn't have the bioclip deck. We sold bunches of them, but as Zero turns came to market, Husqvarna sold a lot less. They were orchard mowers. Really great for that purpose, at least that's what I was told at Husqvarna school LOL. Thanks for watching!
I just purchased one of these and I am going to go pick it up. Do you think $600 for the mower is too much to pay? I have not inspected the mower yet but I am hoping that it isn't needing as much as the one you have to bring it to all its glory. I am excited to get this mower and hoping that it's a Sweden model.
Awesome, thanks mate. I'm in Australia and just picked one up. All working order, just changed the fluids and filters. However, its a bit jerky in the driving. It's a peerless MST205 gearbox, but trying to avoid splitting the gearbox. Any thoughts what it could be or what I can do. I can't see a drain plug underneath, so not sure how successful I'll be in trying to flush it out and put new gearbox oil in.
man, make SURE you do not have a chunk missing out of that belt. I've seen that cause issues before. Aside from that, there's a chain inside that gearbox that if enough water gets in there it can rust it up and cause it to kink. The grease inside those manuals is actually a super thick grease called 00 grease. Usually when we put them back together we just use a couple tubs of wheel bearing grease lol. But i'd suspect the belt first. usually the trans will stop shifting long before it stops working, or most commonly will strip the pinion gear and bevel gear on the input side. best of luck! these are great mowers!
well, there is one in the parts diagram, but there's like 2 or 3 different deck styles and several different models of this mower that all look identical but are very different from one another. you can look up the manual on www.partstree.com, you'll need your model number from under the seat. Sometimes it's hard to get the manual to come up, so try searching for it different ways. For example, like husqvarna rider 155, or Rider 155, or Husqvarna 155. If all else fails you can call them. Once you have the diagram you can see which deck you have and it'll show you how the belt is routed.
Where did you get your parts for this. I completely rebuilt the engine on mine (runs great) but I can’t find the blade adapters. They are discontinued everywhere.
I got all my parts from www.partstree.com. Didn't have any problems with availability, but I did have to wait for them to get in stock since most the parts for these machines come from Sweden Also, the way they format the model number for the parts lookup can vary from place to place, so if it doesn't come up, get creative. You can also google husqvarna rider 970 parts diagram and you'll see partstree, jacks small engines, and probably a few others. Jacks and Partstree have the best access to diagrams, and partstree tends to be a bit cheaper than jacks but both are great to work with. If you can't figure it out there's an 800 number you can call :) But so far as I know, most parts were still available, at least at the time I made this video. The blade adapters had special shear pins that went in them, and it was a royal pain. I had several customers shear them just getting into heavy grass, and many went and bought a piece of steel rod and made steel pins that wouldn't shear, but then they'd snap the deck belt if they hit anything. Also, using ebay with the part number helps if it has been discontinued, you can keep a search open as people do tend to sell new old stock parts as these old shops close up. I'm still waiting for a pulley for my honda HT3813, what a thing to discontinue!
I have the R220 model and I really like it but lately the steering is getting hard to turn but I don't see a lubrication point at the pivot where it articulates. I see on the parts diagram their is pulleys, bearings and cables for the steering and I'm not sure where to start. Do you have any ideas? Thanks in advance.
make sure one of your springs has not come off or broke. There should be two heavy springs in the back that act to return the mower to center position. Also, remove the cover in the middle of the mower (between your legs) and look at the cables, make sure they are not badly frayed. The updated cables are plastic coated, the original ones weren't. make sure the chain the goes around the steering column that attaches to the cables is well lubricated and not binding. and if all of that looks good, then i would suspect the mower pivot point. I can't remember about grease fittings but I know there are definitely bearings in there that can fail, and its not an easy repair, but can be done. get it in a nice slick flat spot, and turn the steering wheel from side to side. you shouldn't feel any grinding coming from the area where the mower pivots. If you do, then the bearings have gone bad. There's two roller bearings in there if I remember correctly, but it has been many many years since I have done that repair.
I'm not aware of any, although these were never considered noisy machines. What kind of noise is yours making? I know the mufflers of that era loved to come lose, they weren't welded to the pipes coming out of the engine. If you know a welder, usually having those welded up helps a ton. your muffler may also have rotted on the inside and no longer muffling properly. The bearings and idlers in the deck will start to roar when they start to fail. but aside from that, I can't think of any reason your mower would be louder than normal :)
this one was fun! something I fixed up for my brother in law. Check out my video on the rider 16! It has some neat party tricks ;) I sold these mowers brand new, I think around 2000 you could buy one for around $6k if I remember correctly. Very expensive, even for the time, but 20+ years later they are still going strong! We had one fall off a truck once and didn't even phase it! nothing bent!
@@HamiltonMechanical European strong. Even some of the small equipment today, are very well belt. They also came out with a remote electric mower for the city folk with small lawns.
@@HVACRNorth this model of riding mower is the only sweedish made husqvarna rider imported to the United states. The rest are made by Electrolux (Poulan aka American Yard Products)
I was able to order all the parts through www.partstree.com although i will stress make sure you have the right model and serial number as there are a few different versions.
that's the parts diagram for this particular model. And just to be clear, the swedish weren't the best at making diagrams back then, so you'll really have to hunt every picture for what you're looking for LOL
nice video josh...the debate rages on...paul harvey pronounced the q as a k..husk..varna...did you know that swiss watches carry the same identification as the husqvarna mowers...if it is a true swiss made watch it will say swiss made at the 6 o clock position...swiss on one side of the 6 and made on the other side of the 6..if anyone says they have a swiss made watch check the face...if it does not say swiss made in the six o clock position it is not...it may be swiss components assembled in china or florida but it is not assembled in and from the land of the swiss...
I should have measured them before I installed them, but No, i did not. I ordered all the belts from www.partstree.com. We didn't even have old belts to work with, someone had really messed this one up trying to rig it.
@@HamiltonMechanical the front covers where you put your feet on when sitting on the mower. Take those cover please. So the deck belt route is visible.
Thank you for this. I have a hydrostatic version of this which I have had for nearly 20 years. Fantastic machine. Better than my Toro but it does tend to get stuck in mud. Light enough to be pushed out manually. Parts are expensive.
yeah the joys of having a unique model. seems like the parts have gone up over the years, I wonder if they've discontinued a lot of the parts for the earlier models and therefore as supply dwindles the prices go up. I know lexus did this to my first gen GS300. Window regulator was $750. No aftermarket available. Go up to the next gen you could get regulators for $100 all day long. But lexus didn't make any more new ones for 1st gen so as they sold out, they raised the price. Just another way to try to force us to buy new and stop fixing stuff ;)
Best mower ever made. I love my 1999 rider. The engine has a steal sleeve.
Yeah those old i/c briggs are hard to beat! although I always wanted to put a twin cylinder on one! Give me a good 17hp Kawasaki twin made in USA, that'd give her the torque she really needed!
I have a Husqvarna 18 AWD . I absolutely love it. It has been dependable, easy to work on. THe deck is simple to remove to clean after each use. I always pressure wash my decks on all my mowers after each use. I am looking to buy another one but these are hard to come by, even brand new.
Thank you very much for your video because you got underneath the deck and took some pictures it really really helped me with my belt routing on my 970 husband a ride in lawn mower I looked on the diagrams on UA-cam and it was not very clear at all but watching your videos as able to stop it and look at it and figure out the belt routing my belt broke I got a brand new one but trying to get the thing hooked up was I was trying to work off my memory which is not very good /thank you thank you thank you
I absolutely love this mower I'm cutting weeds down that are 6' tall I basically put the mower to the lowest setting and it almost cuts the dirt this thing is super super super awesome when I 1st bought this thing I did not have my trailer with me we tried to pick this up and put it in the back of my truck about 6 guys and it was like trying to pick up an octopus oh my gosh it really was sucking we had 6 to 8 guys and this thing was floppy all over the place I said never mind I got a trailer home with it home got my trailer came back drove it up on a trailer it's fantastic
That Rider 970 is a sharp looking Rider, you did a great job fixing it up.
I've got two Husqvarna R322T AWD riders look very similar to your 970 Rider.
There a little newer than your Rider 970 and are the best mowers I've ever owned.
They were also made in Sweden too.
Yeah, I never understood the inconsistency with the model names LOL. The 970, 155, etc. Never did figure out what the differences between them were, and I worked at a husqvarna dealer for 10 years! lol. Thanks for watching! :) I think maybe the 970 was only offered with 5 speed and maybe the 155 was the hydro? Although that's just a hunch.
@@HamiltonMechanical just wondering if you could give me insight on my husqvarna 970, okay hear it is, I have really good coasting speed when on pavement in all gears, when on grass and the deck is dropped it seems to lag, and drive really slow, when deck is not dropped and just driving on the lawn there is not a problem with speed, my problem is when I lower the deck and begin cutting it will eventually lose acceleration, any ideas???
My Rider 155 4x4 has run great for last 6 years. It’s made in Sweden also. I put an hour meter and a voltmeter beside key slot. It’s got the 15 Koehler motor and the quick removal combi deck. Non ethanol super gas only. Paid 2600$ used. 🇨🇦
hello..love what u did for this machine. I have a ryder 970 also..I love it...but of course to love this machine,u must be very patient and a wonderful mechanic.lol. I also have replaced everything except the motor. I did have to lift the motor to replace a bearing down below i think..anyhow.I have terrible back issues now and working on this machine is becoming almost impossible. I purchased a small electric winch and i lift this husky all the time to get to the blades or the rear all the time.lol.....But here is the main problem.....oh,yesterday i broke a steering cable,i had 1 in stock...that took some time..but i got it.....anywho.......last year we di a major operation on the deck...and now the middle cut is higher by 2 inches than the wing blades......the blades measure the same distance from the ground.the blades r on correctly....I have contacted the local husky store where it was purchased...they r useless....i have called anybody that has anything to do with husky...i have spent hours talking to europe husky.....nothing......do u have any clue or any contacts that might help..thnx...john
I just bought a Husq rider pro 15 that has a KAWASAKI FH451V 15hp motor it was in great shape although it was very, very dirty with no gas cap and 1/2 lb dirt in the sludgy gas tank. Bought it at an estate sale for 200 dollars, so far Ive put on 2 new tires for 70 bucks, a 50 dollar gas cap(crazy) 45 dollar airfilter cover(crazy also) new spark plugs, oil change air filter for 25 total. Total so far is roughly 400 dollars. Cuts nice, its fast. Have to adjust my steering a bit when my steering wheel is straight it goes a bit right when moving.
Just bought one of these yesterday with the Bio deck fitted. Nice machine!
Wonderful! These really were awesome machines, I never sold many when they were new, but the ones I did sell, the customers were always very happy with them. We did accidentally drop one out the back of a truck one time, and I'll tell you what, nothing bent, nothing out of wack... Either we were very lucky, or that's a testament to how well these machines were built! My next goal is to get one of the last generation ones that's bigger with AWD
Awesome mower, love mine, thanks for the info, cheers!
try taking the front wheels off. fun fun fun. and...the blade drive belt is a toothed belt which has to be correctly timed, or the blades smash into each other. truly a brilliant design that makes as much sense as a screen door on a submarine!!
This particular mower did not have the timed blades. One of the rare ones that didn't have the bioclip deck. We sold bunches of them, but as Zero turns came to market, Husqvarna sold a lot less. They were orchard mowers. Really great for that purpose, at least that's what I was told at Husqvarna school LOL. Thanks for watching!
My blades are not timed/ absolutely love it. Can mow around a coke can
I just purchased one of these and I am going to go pick it up. Do you think $600 for the mower is too much to pay? I have not inspected the mower yet but I am hoping that it isn't needing as much as the one you have to bring it to all its glory. I am excited to get this mower and hoping that it's a Sweden model.
Awesome, thanks mate. I'm in Australia and just picked one up. All working order, just changed the fluids and filters. However, its a bit jerky in the driving. It's a peerless MST205 gearbox, but trying to avoid splitting the gearbox. Any thoughts what it could be or what I can do. I can't see a drain plug underneath, so not sure how successful I'll be in trying to flush it out and put new gearbox oil in.
man, make SURE you do not have a chunk missing out of that belt. I've seen that cause issues before. Aside from that, there's a chain inside that gearbox that if enough water gets in there it can rust it up and cause it to kink. The grease inside those manuals is actually a super thick grease called 00 grease. Usually when we put them back together we just use a couple tubs of wheel bearing grease lol. But i'd suspect the belt first. usually the trans will stop shifting long before it stops working, or most commonly will strip the pinion gear and bevel gear on the input side. best of luck! these are great mowers!
@@HamiltonMechanical Thanks legend! Will do.
Is there a mower deck belt install/replacement diagram available online. Or do you have an image of the diagram
well, there is one in the parts diagram, but there's like 2 or 3 different deck styles and several different models of this mower that all look identical but are very different from one another. you can look up the manual on www.partstree.com, you'll need your model number from under the seat. Sometimes it's hard to get the manual to come up, so try searching for it different ways. For example, like husqvarna rider 155, or Rider 155, or Husqvarna 155. If all else fails you can call them. Once you have the diagram you can see which deck you have and it'll show you how the belt is routed.
Where did you get your parts for this. I completely rebuilt the engine on mine (runs great) but I can’t find the blade adapters. They are discontinued everywhere.
I got all my parts from www.partstree.com. Didn't have any problems with availability, but I did have to wait for them to get in stock since most the parts for these machines come from Sweden Also, the way they format the model number for the parts lookup can vary from place to place, so if it doesn't come up, get creative. You can also google husqvarna rider 970 parts diagram and you'll see partstree, jacks small engines, and probably a few others. Jacks and Partstree have the best access to diagrams, and partstree tends to be a bit cheaper than jacks but both are great to work with. If you can't figure it out there's an 800 number you can call :)
But so far as I know, most parts were still available, at least at the time I made this video.
The blade adapters had special shear pins that went in them, and it was a royal pain. I had several customers shear them just getting into heavy grass, and many went and bought a piece of steel rod and made steel pins that wouldn't shear, but then they'd snap the deck belt if they hit anything. Also, using ebay with the part number helps if it has been discontinued, you can keep a search open as people do tend to sell new old stock parts as these old shops close up.
I'm still waiting for a pulley for my honda HT3813, what a thing to discontinue!
I have the R220 model and I really like it but lately the steering is getting hard to turn but I don't see a lubrication point at the pivot where it articulates. I see on the parts diagram their is pulleys, bearings and cables for the steering and I'm not sure where to start. Do you have any ideas? Thanks in advance.
make sure one of your springs has not come off or broke. There should be two heavy springs in the back that act to return the mower to center position. Also, remove the cover in the middle of the mower (between your legs) and look at the cables, make sure they are not badly frayed. The updated cables are plastic coated, the original ones weren't. make sure the chain the goes around the steering column that attaches to the cables is well lubricated and not binding. and if all of that looks good, then i would suspect the mower pivot point. I can't remember about grease fittings but I know there are definitely bearings in there that can fail, and its not an easy repair, but can be done. get it in a nice slick flat spot, and turn the steering wheel from side to side. you shouldn't feel any grinding coming from the area where the mower pivots. If you do, then the bearings have gone bad. There's two roller bearings in there if I remember correctly, but it has been many many years since I have done that repair.
Some type of castors to replace them small front wheels!
Does anyone know what the belt replacement is for this machine? Thanks
Hi - any mods available to reduce the noise of this machine?
I'm not aware of any, although these were never considered noisy machines. What kind of noise is yours making? I know the mufflers of that era loved to come lose, they weren't welded to the pipes coming out of the engine. If you know a welder, usually having those welded up helps a ton. your muffler may also have rotted on the inside and no longer muffling properly. The bearings and idlers in the deck will start to roar when they start to fail. but aside from that, I can't think of any reason your mower would be louder than normal :)
😎🤘nice machine
this one was fun! something I fixed up for my brother in law. Check out my video on the rider 16! It has some neat party tricks ;) I sold these mowers brand new, I think around 2000 you could buy one for around $6k if I remember correctly. Very expensive, even for the time, but 20+ years later they are still going strong! We had one fall off a truck once and didn't even phase it! nothing bent!
@@HamiltonMechanical European strong. Even some of the small equipment today, are very well belt. They also came out with a remote electric mower for the city folk with small lawns.
@@HVACRNorth this model of riding mower is the only sweedish made husqvarna rider imported to the United states. The rest are made by Electrolux (Poulan aka American Yard Products)
Where did you find parts for this...our transmission shift cable is broken and we need to buy a new one?
I was able to order all the parts through www.partstree.com although i will stress make sure you have the right model and serial number as there are a few different versions.
www.partstree.com/parts/husqvarna/mowers-rear-engine-riding-lawn-mower/rider-970-12-s-husqvarna-swedish-rider-1994-03/
that's the parts diagram for this particular model. And just to be clear, the swedish weren't the best at making diagrams back then, so you'll really have to hunt every picture for what you're looking for LOL
nice video josh...the debate rages on...paul harvey pronounced the q as a k..husk..varna...did you know that swiss watches carry the same identification as the husqvarna mowers...if it is a true swiss made watch it will say swiss made at the 6 o clock position...swiss on one side of the 6 and made on the other side of the 6..if anyone says they have a swiss made watch check the face...if it does not say swiss made in the six o clock position it is not...it may be swiss components assembled in china or florida but it is not assembled in and from the land of the swiss...
Do you know the exact deck belt size? I have the same mower and have found the part number it can't find anything that will give me the belt size.
I should have measured them before I installed them, but No, i did not. I ordered all the belts from www.partstree.com. We didn't even have old belts to work with, someone had really messed this one up trying to rig it.
Same deal here. I'll just have to order it. Thanks!
Take the covers off. What is wrong with you.
I have no idea WTF you are talking about. Thanks for watching!
@@HamiltonMechanical the front covers where you put your feet on when sitting on the mower. Take those cover please. So the deck belt route is visible.