So i went to change the drive belt on the john deer, and according to videos it was best to flip the tractor over. Well it certaintly made it easier, but in the process it broke both the tabs that hold the transmission to the frame. Would i be able to grind those tabs off and weld on brackets and remount the transmission? Apparently, they dont just sell just that section of the frame and I just bought this tractor this year! Used but new to me! been just fine and have enjoyed tinkering on it til now.

Could really use some ideas to help salvage this tractor.

Google “my tractor forum”. Join that forum and ull have thousands of hobbyists and gurus at your fingertips. Theyve been very helpful to me after I bought a John Deere lawn tractor.

This an L120 rider? Mine is a 2003 model and have changed the drive belt twice. I never would have thought to turn the tractor upside down? It’s not a super hard job, just had to remove a bunch of stuff to do it. What year is yours? When mine had about 450 hours on it the hydrostatic transmission went out and had to replace. Nothing runs like a Deere lol

yeah it wasnt super hard but fliping it on the side sure made easy access to everything except the flanges just didnt hold at all. ill check that out. thanks.

The low end 100 series JD's you buy at Home Depot are not even manufactured by John Deere, they are made by MTD (Modern Tool and Die Company).

The motor isn't made to be on it's side or upside down. I would look at that before you start it. Maybe oil and gas in places it shouldn't be.

Mine was bought from
A John Deere dealership but either way Deere puts their name on it, you’d think they’d want it to last.

I don't see why one could not weld the tabs back onto the frame or make new ones and weld them on. The tolerances are not that critical in that setup

That is what I was thinking.