48 inch Side Discharge Deck Restoration

[Blasterdad 2,692]

On 6/5/2022 at 8:23 AM, peter lena said:

@Blasterdad referring to your  upper deck picture during tear down , did you replace the belt tension idler pulley ? notice that was the original small bearing type , have replaced all mine with same size / type , but larger bearing with wide rubber side shields , for easy grease replacement, that pulley is known for early failure .  easily matched up on the net , hi temp grease , 560 deg , will stand up in deck bearings , they get very hot and start whining early in use , pete 

That was just a reference pic during teardown for Horse Newbie, & yes, I replace all my Idlers while i'm there, do it right or don't do it, found one at TS w/wide shields that had a HUGE bearing in it comparitively, just used a 1/2 to 3/8 bushing in it, & yes repacked it. I'm a big fan of over engineering too, stock idlers are rinky-dink. 

Valvoline high temp grease. Brand new deck & drive drive belts, brand new blades (2 sets) & one smooth happy deck! All you hear/feel is that low hum of a 48" moving air & grass!  

[peter lena 8,620]

@Blasterdad  love it !  that idler bearing upgrade  and bushing to 3/8 "  is what  I,M  talking about  !  obviousely  terrifying to some , will not change original type , but as you know , that type is  a repeat failure , you have to make a change !  also do this , all my decks are done the same way , , dropped , lightly scrapped , angular sun heat up / dry , oil lubrication , soak in . good going , pete

 

[peter lena 8,620]

@Blasterdad referring to your T/S   idler pulley . wide side shields , do you have a  part # for that ? that could easily be a simpler conversion to that small bearing failure area . the other similar pully failure is the drive belt  pulley , during the hunt down and conversion over . did not write down  the vitals . but still did the change over . thanks for any reference , pete 

[Blasterdad 2,692]

59 minutes ago, peter lena said:

@Blasterdad referring to your T/S   idler pulley . wide side shields , do you have a  part # for that ? that could easily be a simpler conversion to that small bearing failure area . the other similar pully failure is the drive belt  pulley , during the hunt down and conversion over . did not write down  the vitals . but still did the change over . thanks for any reference , pete 

Pretty sure it was this one I used on my 48" deck...

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/weasler-pulley-flat-belt-idler-5-8-in-bore-od-4-in?cm_vc=-10005#

[peter lena 8,620]

@Blasterdad  thats the combo you want , oversize bearing , wide rubber side shields , for a hi temp grease change out , and a 3/8 x 5/8 bronze bushing . makes sense to me , thanks pete

[19richie66 17,500]

Been reading through this as I am getting close to tearing down a 48” to replace one spindle and weld up a crack under the center plate. Also, @peter lena, didn’t you do a small modification where you added an extra idler pulley for belt slack? Not sure if it was for a 48” or not but thought I’d ask. Nice compilation of info guys. 

[peter lena 8,620]

 

@19richie66  thanks for the shout , look at 6 th deck photo photo down, you are looking right at it , just picked up a flat idler pulley and started playing around with that unsupported belt bounce , then just tried possible drill spots , worked so well , added it to my other decks. if you can while there do the lucas grease swap , once I  did it , I added it to my other decks , and mule drives , pto inner needle bearing , so quiet and easy working , hard to believe its the same deck , thanks , pete  

 

[Wheelhorsegt-14 4]

4 minutes ago, Wheelhorsegt-14 said:

I’d be interested in buying that deck. Which tractor did I come off of?

 

[peter lena 8,620]

@Wheelhorsegt-14   look UP WONDER BAR NAIL PULLER /  PULLEY REMOVER , 6 th picture down  shows' the  idler pulley on the back side of the mower deck belt . added that to all my decks , pete