Thanks for the video! Just did this yesterday for both pullies on Husqvarna. I get that someone may want to avoid the work and just buy the pullies. Good for them. For me, I already had the bearings (bought a 4-pack for the spindles and only needed 2). So I only spent couple bucks on the bolts. It took less than an hour to do and was a fun challenge. I would have spent more time than that searching for the right parts, possibly multiple trips or waiting for shipping. This saved me both money AND time!
I have to replace one of mine. I was going to cut the lip off of one side of the pulley, pop bearing out, replace with new bearing and then use a washer that is large enough to cover and hold bearing in place. After viewing this video I need to take another look at the pulley and decide which option to go with. Good video.
I just said the same thing and looked for a comment on it. What a crappy engineering design. What did you end up doing? I just ordered a set of the bearings. I'm not doing what he did. I'll probably cut slots in the top lip, peel it back, push the bearing in, and then bend them back. I assume the pully-bearing design came from chasing vibration failures due to other design/validation issues.
@@accidentalheadclunkers8517 Very crappy design. A money making design. I did as suggested in video. Drilled out the rivets, replaced with bolts and lock nuts. I also used anti-seize compound on the bolts. I think I paid $6.00 for the bearing at the local hardware store. I used an 1/8" bit and then the 1/4" bit. It was very easy and didn't take much time at all. I used my drill press instead of a hand drill. I will do the others as they go bad. 100% recommend.
68tri1 man...ok, I'll trust your 100%. I'll do it when the bearings get here and report back. I assume there's a reason nobody is using a cutoff wheel or die grinder instead of a drill. I might start there just to help other people if it's a bad idea. I ordered 6 bearings for $20 through Amazon. I only have one bearing that's critical, so we'll see if I have time to fix more than that before the kids break something more critical. Thanks, 68.
@@accidentalheadclunkers8517 I'm sure you can use a grinder or cutoff wheel. For me the drill press was quicker and cleaner. I'm sure either way will work just as good. $20.00 for six bearings? Very nice. Cheap fix.
I'm never buying another pulley again! Thanks for the vid, I had a pulley bearing go bad in one year on my JD. I kept the old one and I'm going to mod it like you did here, thanks again.
did this last week and the bit grabbed and spun the pulley on my drill press table . cut or busted fingertip and busted nail . i've done several before w/no problems , but i now recommend clamping the pulley down .
This is what I do for my 3 point finish mower. It has two idler pulleys and the factory bearings went bad when it was about fifteen years old. The new idler pulleys for my mower cost $74 on Ebay and almost $90 at my local dealer. I drilled out the rivets on mine with a drill press and just stuck a new bearing in. I use my mower a lot - I mow about ten acres regularly - and the aftermarket bearings last about two years. But I can change them out and be back up and running again in about five minutes.
Here's what I did and your idea is better. I took a grinder & grinded the edge of the edge material into pieces about 1/4 inches from each other. I then took a chisel and bent all of them back & popped the bearing out. It was a pain in the ass, that's why I like your idea better! Oh, mine now wobble a bit too, not a lot, but some.
Even when I replace with new bearings I repack with Lucas Oil sticky red grease. The factory grease on new bearings is not designed to last very many hours. Repack with Lucas red and chances are you will never need to service them again. It is the high temperature rating of the Lucas red that is the secret.
On just one side I made 8 pie cuts along flange retaining the bearing, then just bend up segments remove and install new bearing. Then, with hammer and punch, bend down the 8 segments, staking the bearing in place. Always remove bearing dust shield, and fully packing bearing with grease, then reinstall dust shield
Obviously everyones time is worth more than spending the $30.00 it would take to replace the pulley. Quick quick question...how many of you guys and gals spend's over an hour on a Sunday watching a football game; spend a few hours a week fishing, or hunting; spend a day golfing; spend a couple days painting a room or whole house? Priorities I guess. One mans meat is another poison. Great DIY video
I appreciate the comment! The best part about doing it this way, is here in a couple of years, instead of buying another $30 pulley, I'll just put in another $4 bearing in about the same amount of time.
I'd argue not everyone is making $60/hr yet to where this 30 min project could be argued that way. Regardless, most of the people who say this, say it because they're lazy and have discretionary spending surplus. As you said, most of them probably waste more time doing entertainment and other BS, because its more interesting to them. Its funny how something so many people think is a waste of time, is actually a nice break from the day to day rat race, and we can learn something as well as save some cash. I learn new, creative ways to swear every time I start what seems to be a simple project...
I wonder if it would be possible to grind away the lip on side, and then machine a groove inside to accept a snap ring. 🤔 Probably need a lathe to do that though.
timrhoades11 You can drive the reducer out with a proper sized socket and a hammer, or you can put it into a press with a proper sized bushing. Hope the video helped you out a little.
The seal is partially covered by the pully so good luck getting it out in one piece also their were vents in it? Why? i dont know but that allows moisture and dirt to get into it so I wouldnt give it to long before it starts yelling agian
Make sure bearing is tight in there I had to sandwich a thin bushing washer in there with it. Bearing was not quite as thick. I would also put some bolts in outer ring oh holes
Spend the Money and save your time and buy a Oem idler Pulley from John Deere. Nice vid on how to replace the bearing. It’s all in the type of bearing you use. Some of the bearings I’m guessing probably aren’t packed with grease like they should be , so your going to have failure quickly with a dry bearing of course. You can buy cheap but as they say you get what you pay for.
I've got to replace 2, however its not urgent. So I spent $13 for 3, and expect this to take about 15-20 min with my cheapo HF $100 drill press. For some of these repairs, I've saved a bit more than I spent on some tools, and the tools get used for other projects. Most people who claim their time is to precious to do things like this, or mow their own lawns or clean their own houses can simply afford currently to be lazy. Saving a 1/2 hour isn't going to earn many much, since they'll just expend that savings watching tv or something.
What I don't get is why the pulley needs to be designed like this where the bearing can't be easily removed....it might suggest JD are just trying to extract more money from us. I've got all 3 pulleys on a Z255 that have too much play. JD wants $150 AUD for all 3 - think I'll be either following what you did or at least buying aftermarket pulleys.
OEMs and Manf's don't just plan and produce a product. They also try to add a recurring revenue stream in the parts and repair sector. For half-way decent machines that have a parts channel, they can make as much or more than the original sale price over the life of the product. MBA 101.
Agree. I would say that the problem with a lot of aftermarket bearings is that there isn't much grease in them. I recommend removing the seals and packing it with a good quality grease... It'll last much longer.
Each bearing will have different dimensions. I wish I could remember the exact aftermarket bearing that I used on this one, but you should be able to cross reference the bearing thats on your pulley.
Too much trouble plus you still got a lot of wear and balancing issues between all the holes bolts etc. eventually will put a strain on the bearings simple solution by a pulley from Amazon $8. 95 Cents
I've been dong this for years and never had a problem. You only drill it out once... 5 minute job to redo bearing after that. Steel pulley will out live mower... But its a good idea to burnish the lips of pulley so they don't get sharp. When you run 3 mowers, it adds up on the life of the machine.
Honestly brother the time savings alone of not having to deal with this crap is worth spending the 30 bucks on a brand new pulley that's balanced won't ever vibrate and doesn't have the possibility of those small little bolts and washer getting in the way or falling off.. colossal waste of PRECIOUS FREE TIME to me
Can't disagree with you... I just hate paying that much for an idler pulley that just needs a bearing. My problem is that the closest JD dealer is about 30 minutes away... And, usually don't have anything in Stock.
All that work and time wasted drilling out all them rivets and spot welds and then the time waiting for the bearings to come in the mail think I would of spent the $30 and been done with it the same day
Thanks for the video! Just did this yesterday for both pullies on Husqvarna. I get that someone may want to avoid the work and just buy the pullies. Good for them. For me, I already had the bearings (bought a 4-pack for the spindles and only needed 2). So I only spent couple bucks on the bolts. It took less than an hour to do and was a fun challenge. I would have spent more time than that searching for the right parts, possibly multiple trips or waiting for shipping. This saved me both money AND time!
I have to replace one of mine. I was going to cut the lip off of one side of the pulley, pop bearing out, replace with new bearing and then use a washer that is large enough to cover and hold bearing in place. After viewing this video I need to take another look at the pulley and decide which option to go with. Good video.
I just said the same thing and looked for a comment on it. What a crappy engineering design.
What did you end up doing? I just ordered a set of the bearings. I'm not doing what he did. I'll probably cut slots in the top lip, peel it back, push the bearing in, and then bend them back. I assume the pully-bearing design came from chasing vibration failures due to other design/validation issues.
@@accidentalheadclunkers8517 Very crappy design. A money making design. I did as suggested in video. Drilled out the rivets, replaced with bolts and lock nuts. I also used anti-seize compound on the bolts. I think I paid $6.00 for the bearing at the local hardware store. I used an 1/8" bit and then the 1/4" bit. It was very easy and didn't take much time at all. I used my drill press instead of a hand drill. I will do the others as they go bad. 100% recommend.
68tri1 man...ok, I'll trust your 100%. I'll do it when the bearings get here and report back. I assume there's a reason nobody is using a cutoff wheel or die grinder instead of a drill. I might start there just to help other people if it's a bad idea. I ordered 6 bearings for $20 through Amazon. I only have one bearing that's critical, so we'll see if I have time to fix more than that before the kids break something more critical. Thanks, 68.
@@accidentalheadclunkers8517 I'm sure you can use a grinder or cutoff wheel. For me the drill press was quicker and cleaner. I'm sure either way will work just as good. $20.00 for six bearings? Very nice. Cheap fix.
I'm never buying another pulley again! Thanks for the vid, I had a pulley bearing go bad in one year on my JD. I kept the old one and I'm going to mod it like you did here, thanks again.
did this last week and the bit grabbed and spun the pulley on my drill press table . cut or busted fingertip and busted nail . i've done several before w/no problems , but i now recommend clamping the pulley down .
Great idea.I replaced a noisy bearing after watching your video. Thanks !!!!!!
Thanks for the video. I did this today and it worked. The down side is it took me a lot of time.
The good news is that the next time you have a bad bearing, it'll take you about 5 minutes to swap out the bearing.
This is what I do for my 3 point finish mower. It has two idler pulleys and the factory bearings went bad when it was about fifteen years old. The new idler pulleys for my mower cost $74 on Ebay and almost $90 at my local dealer. I drilled out the rivets on mine with a drill press and just stuck a new bearing in. I use my mower a lot - I mow about ten acres regularly - and the aftermarket bearings last about two years. But I can change them out and be back up and running again in about five minutes.
Here's what I did and your idea is better. I took a grinder & grinded the edge of the edge material into pieces about 1/4 inches from each other. I then took a chisel and bent all of them back & popped the bearing out. It was a pain in the ass, that's why I like your idea better! Oh, mine now wobble a bit too, not a lot, but some.
Even when I replace with new bearings I repack with Lucas Oil sticky red grease. The factory grease on new bearings is not designed to last very many hours. Repack with Lucas red and chances are you will never need to service them again. It is the high temperature rating of the Lucas red that is the secret.
On just one side I made 8 pie cuts along flange retaining the bearing, then just bend up segments remove and install new bearing. Then, with hammer and punch, bend down the 8 segments, staking the bearing in place. Always remove bearing dust shield, and fully packing bearing with grease, then reinstall dust shield
Obviously everyones time is worth more than spending the $30.00 it would take to replace the pulley. Quick quick question...how many of you guys and gals spend's over an hour on a Sunday watching a football game; spend a few hours a week fishing, or hunting; spend a day golfing; spend a couple days painting a room or whole house? Priorities I guess. One mans meat is another poison. Great DIY video
I appreciate the comment! The best part about doing it this way, is here in a couple of years, instead of buying another $30 pulley, I'll just put in another $4 bearing in about the same amount of time.
I'd argue not everyone is making $60/hr yet to where this 30 min project could be argued that way. Regardless, most of the people who say this, say it because they're lazy and have discretionary spending surplus. As you said, most of them probably waste more time doing entertainment and other BS, because its more interesting to them.
Its funny how something so many people think is a waste of time, is actually a nice break from the day to day rat race, and we can learn something as well as save some cash. I learn new, creative ways to swear every time I start what seems to be a simple project...
I wonder if it would be possible to grind away the lip on side, and then machine a groove inside to accept a snap ring. 🤔 Probably need a lathe to do that though.
Had better put bolts in outer holes also, at least half of them. Those outer spot welds were there for a reason. 6:30
Thank You for the video and sharing with us. I have a z225A, Would it use the same bearing? Thank You for your time.
tallfarmboy, how about the reducing spacer that's shown in the old bearing? Tim. Thanks for making the video.
timrhoades11 You can drive the reducer out with a proper sized socket and a hammer, or you can put it into a press with a proper sized bushing. Hope the video helped you out a little.
You could have just pulled a seal out of your bearing and then repack the bearing with grease if it wasn't in too bad of shape.
The seal is partially covered by the pully so good luck getting it out in one piece also their were vents in it? Why? i dont know but that allows moisture and dirt to get into it so I wouldnt give it to long before it starts yelling agian
Thank you, Gary!!!
Make sure bearing is tight in there I had to sandwich a thin bushing washer in there with it. Bearing was not quite as thick. I would also put some bolts in outer ring oh holes
Nifty repair. Well done. Subbed. 👍
when you install the polley on the deck is there are 1/2 inch spacer that goes on top and bottom of the bearing on both sides of the pulley?
Yes, there is a bushing that acts like a spacer on the pulley. The spacer goes down, toward the deck.
did you use a drill press or hand drill to remove the rivets ? good video
Joe Yates I used a hand drill... If you have a vice or C-clamp, it will make it pretty easy to hold. A drill press would be ideal, though.
very good, thank you. I currently do not have a drill press
Spend the Money and save your time and buy a Oem idler Pulley from John Deere. Nice vid on how to replace the bearing. It’s all in the type of bearing you use. Some of the bearings I’m guessing probably aren’t packed with grease like they should be , so your going to have failure quickly with a dry bearing of course. You can buy cheap but as they say you get what you pay for.
I've got to replace 2, however its not urgent.
So I spent $13 for 3, and expect this to take about 15-20 min with my cheapo HF $100 drill press.
For some of these repairs, I've saved a bit more than I spent on some tools, and the tools get used for other projects.
Most people who claim their time is to precious to do things like this, or mow their own lawns or clean their own houses can simply afford currently to be lazy. Saving a 1/2 hour isn't going to earn many much, since they'll just expend that savings watching tv or something.
What I don't get is why the pulley needs to be designed like this where the bearing can't be easily removed....it might suggest JD are just trying to extract more money from us. I've got all 3 pulleys on a Z255 that have too much play. JD wants $150 AUD for all 3 - think I'll be either following what you did or at least buying aftermarket pulleys.
All about the money. Bearings are cheap. Pulleys can be sold for more money.
OEMs and Manf's don't just plan and produce a product. They also try to add a recurring revenue stream in the parts and repair sector.
For half-way decent machines that have a parts channel, they can make as much or more than the original sale price over the life of the product. MBA 101.
Nice job
Not all bearings are created equal. OEM lasted 20+ years, aftermarket lasted 2 years for me.
Agree. I would say that the problem with a lot of aftermarket bearings is that there isn't much grease in them. I recommend removing the seals and packing it with a good quality grease... It'll last much longer.
Seriously all that to save 30$ , my time is worth more than that. Clever process to replace the bearing though.
They sure make it difficult to service those bearings
a tip: watch series at Flixzone. I've been using them for watching a lot of movies during the lockdown.
@Joel Brandon yea, I've been using flixzone for years myself :D
The spot welds are a painful addition ...
No thanks! I'll just buy JD's $30 one. Lol
he spent $25 plus the cost of bolts no value there.
They took $58 today from me for this pulley. The price of everything is going to the moon.
They are now $72 for this pulley
clean up your burrs. that is the first thing i do when dealing with metal.
Clever fix.
Good afternoon can you give specification or link to eBay so I can get same bearings. Thank you.
Each bearing will have different dimensions. I wish I could remember the exact aftermarket bearing that I used on this one, but you should be able to cross reference the bearing thats on your pulley.
All that work to save $25?
Lol yeah doesn't work on mine. John Deere apparently didn't want people doing this. So they welded the pulley all the way around right in the v part.
Yeah, I've seen pulleys that were welded around the V. Sucks. Good luck with your pulley replacement.
no joke
Too much trouble plus you still got a lot of wear and balancing issues between all the holes bolts etc. eventually will put a strain on the bearings simple solution by a pulley from Amazon $8. 95 Cents
I've been dong this for years and never had a problem. You only drill it out once... 5 minute job to redo bearing after that. Steel pulley will out live mower... But its a good idea to burnish the lips of pulley so they don't get sharp. When you run 3 mowers, it adds up on the life of the machine.
Honestly brother the time savings alone of not having to deal with this crap is worth spending the 30 bucks on a brand new pulley that's balanced won't ever vibrate and doesn't have the possibility of those small little bolts and washer getting in the way or falling off.. colossal waste of PRECIOUS FREE TIME to me
Can't disagree with you... I just hate paying that much for an idler pulley that just needs a bearing. My problem is that the closest JD dealer is about 30 minutes away... And, usually don't have anything in Stock.
I think I'd put. Some blue thread lock on tose bolts.
U bought a deere and don't think you're going to spend money ?? Ya right! 😂🤣 that's all you will be doing!
X300 38" xtra edge deck with a Kawasaki engine. So I bought the other green machine.... Lol but The JD dealer her is very proud of their parts
Agreed
7.
It’s like taking a high chair to get to the moon.
Sometimes I like to take the scenic route to save a few bucks... LOL!
All that work and time wasted drilling out all them rivets and spot welds and then the time waiting for the bearings to come in the mail think I would of spent the $30 and been done with it the same day
Not to be an ass, but i hate cutting grass! Here is your 30 bucks lets get this done!
Yeah for 30 bucks ....worth just buying new
Wow a whopping $30.00 will kill someone naww its just $30.00 guy