By Donna Price

dprice@americanpress.com

By Rita LeBleu

rlebleu@americanpress.com

A lawn and power equipment dealership is a great place to find a new mower, but if it’s parts you’re looking for, head to Belts Plus at 600 S. Martin Luther King Highway in Lake Charles, just north of the intersection of Broad and Hwy. 171/MLK/Hwy. 14.

“I went to where I bought my mower, but the part I needed was on back order,” said Shane Fuselier. “I was telling my brother about having to wait for it, when I really needed to get the job finished, and that’s when he told me about Belts Plus. I wish I would have known about this place sooner.”

Belts Plus is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“We don’t just carry belts,” said Melvin Thibodeaux, manager. “We carry a complete line of lawnmower parts including blades, idler pulleys, spindles, tires, tubes, air and oil filters.”

Brenda Authement dropped in to pick up the items she needed to maintain her mower and keep it running at its best.

“I have a hard time finding 30-weight oil other places,” she said. “I always find what I need here,” she said.

Sometimes she finds items she didn’t realize she needed until she makes a Belts Plus visit.

Thibodeaux, Dewey Begnaud and Codie O’Quinn can not only fix customers up with the belts and lawnmower parts they need, they can also do it with a healthy dose of humor in the process, much welcomed in every season, but particularly now in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak.

While some lawn and power dealerships have posted new hours because of COVID, or sometimes have different hours during “off-season,” Belts Plus continues to serve its customers six days a week.

Tommy Bourgeois had already done a day’s work in his garden on the morning he visited Belts Plus for an Exmark belt.

“I was mowing when I saw a rat,” Bourgeios said. “When I tried to run him over, I ran over a big watermelon instead and broke my belt. Never did get the rat.”

He did get his belt, ‘tout suite.’

“Bring in the belt or blade you’re replacing,” advised Dewey Begnaud. “That’s the best way to ensure you’ll get the right one when you leave.”

The Belts Plus staff will check and recheck to make sure customers leave with the belt they need. Customers, such as Gene Richardson from Westlake, don’t want to make a second trip into town. He called the day before to make sure Belts Plus would have his Craftsman lawnmower belt.

When customers can’t bring in the item, it may be necessary to give Belts Plus the model and serial number.

Thibodeaux offered the following helpful suggestions for getting replacement parts:

“Before you take off the belt, use your cell phone to take a photo of how it’s routed. I also advise replacing both riding lawnmower belts at the same time because of the inter-play between two drive belts in a variable-speed pulley system. To make deck belts last longer, clean the deck after the lawnmower is used. Excessive grass clippings can work under pulleys and deck overs and lead to more serious problems than a belt change.”

Not just lawnmower belts and other parts

No other store carries such a complete line of belts for a range of applications. Belts Plus has belts for auto, vacuum, washer, dryer, VCR, residential and commercial mowers, four-wheeler, combine, and the list goes on.

Belts Plus has products formulated to remove tar, wax and grease on autos. Find products to clean mag and aluminum wheels. Interior products help eliminate oil and water-based stains and protect fabric upholstery and carpet. Another cleans and conditions leather. The enzyme cleaner uses pro-microbial action to enhance cleaning and provide long-lasting odor control. Glass cleaners cling to glass for cleaning ease and contain no ammonia.

To find out more about Belts Plus, call (337) 436-7698.