A cable tensioning system of a surgical system comprises a base, an arm, and a moveable idler pulley rotatably coupled to a first end of the arm and positioned between a first pulley system and a second pulley system. A closed loop cable drive extends between the first pulley system and the second pulley system, and the closed loop cable drive passes over the moveable idler pulley. The cable tensioning system also comprises a translation mechanism slidably coupling a second end of the arm to the base. The translation mechanism is configured to move the arm relative to the base along a linear path between a first position and a second position such that the moveable idler pulley is moved away from at least one of the first pulley system or the second pulley system to control a tension in the closed loop cable drive.