Crafty,
You did not list your factory model number but posted the same question on the I1224 thread so it’s a guess that is your model.
The belt should come out. The drawings show that model to be the same as an approx 12 year old 1233 Murray I had. The belt may be catching on the rims or bolts in there. It might be held on by the break pad but you probably have that pushed back and got the belt out of the groove.
If that does not work, you could flip the machine on it’s bucket (the factory maintenance position) and take the bottom cover off. That will give you some access in there. You might be able to push the belt through with something dull tipped prod so you don’t damage the back of the belt.
If that does not work then you might have to split the tractor and intake housing which is not a big deal. You take out the 4 side bolts and the chute crank bolt holding the crank to the handlebar. The tractor section will fall back so put a support under the handlebars first. It may be enough to only take out the two top bolts and loosen the bottoms to tilt the sections apart enough to slip out the belt.
