Mower deck In need of help repairing idler pulley bolt (pics)

[KennyV]

you can get a flange bushing or flange bearing for your pulley if the bearing you have is damaged.
You can also get pulleys that have bearings already in them...
Post a picture of the pulley, lets see what else you have.
Slammed solution to give you a mounting stud will work... you just have to mount the correct hardware on that stud to end with a working piece.... :smile:KennyV

 

[Chowder Head]

Appreciate it slammed and all. I can visualize the setup you're suggesting but what I'm still having trouble is how to attach the bearing to the bolt so it can ride on the bearing in the pulley. Hopefully these pics will help. The first one shows the bearing that is in the pulley already, second one shows how the bolt is supposed to look from the top, and the last two show how the bolt and its bearing fitting snug in the bearing on the pulley.

Thanks again all! I've spent so much time on this damn mower and finally have it running well mechanical so it's killing me that I'm not able to mow.

 

[slammed]

Appreciate it slammed and all. I can visualize the setup you're suggesting but what I'm still having trouble is how to attach the bearing to the bolt so it can ride on the bearing in the pulley. Hopefully these pics will help. The first one shows the bearing that is in the pulley already, second one shows how the bolt is supposed to look from the top, and the last two show how the bolt and its bearing fitting snug in the bearing on the pulley.

Thanks again all! I've spent so much time on this damn mower and finally have it running well mechanical so it's killing me that I'm not able to mow.

What you show does not look like a bearing on the bolt it is more like a spacer. It is there to keep the pulley off the deck it should come off. Put it in a vice and tap the end of the bolt threads and see if it will then reuse it on new bolt. If that don't work you can always find a bushing to go in the pulley and stack some washers the size of the bearing up against the new bushing to keep it off the deck. Just make sure it is the same height off the deck as it would be with the old stuff there.

 

[KennyV]

Like he said... it's a bushing spacer... and you can use hardened washers to move the pulley up...
Most important when mounting that pulley, be sure that the inner race of the pulley bearing is captured by the mounting bolt. (inner race firmly attached to the deck, outer race firmly attached to the pulley).
If you can't remove the old bushing, you can get one at almost any hardware store... but keep it short enough so the inner bearing race is firmly attached to your new mounting stud.
you should be ready to mow once you mount the pulley. :smile:KennyV

 

[hayseed00]

Look here: find a bolt that the shoulder fits inside the bearing, run it down thru the top of the pully instead of up from the deck. This will put the threads down. Then use slams washer method with the nut on the under side of the deck. If bushings are needed, tractor supply sells small tubing you can cut to whatever size you need for either side of the bearing. It may end up being something like: bolt head, bushing, bearing, bushing, washer (big diameter) deck material, washer (also big diameter) nut.

 

[SeniorCitizen]

be sure that the inner race of the pulley bearing is captured by the mounting bolt. :smile:KennyV

Exactly. The inner race must be held by the shouldered bolt so it doesn't rotate . That's the purpose of the shouldered bolt and what ever came off of the threaded portion of the bolt we don't see . Any replacement must be like the shouldered bolt and its function .

The problem is on the bottom end where it broke out of the pitiful engineering design and if one could weld a threaded stub to the bottom end of the shouldered bolt and install it with a flat washer on each side to sandwich the tin it might work for awhile .

 

[KennyV]

When using washers to capture bearing races And to make a new mounting surface, always use a grade 8, hardened washer... anything softer will fail either by bending or extruding out of shape. Grade 8 washers or machined hard spacers will hold up.
Ideally you would have a heavy plate welded back into the deck... but if you do the sandwich method using all grade 8 pieces, (bolt, washers & nuts)... it should work. :smile:KennyV

 

[Lindenca]

The information provided in the thread was very helpful. After trying to find a bushing that would fit within the pulley I broke down and contacted a machine shop to have them reproduce a piece that could be bolted on. A few minutes after I dropped the piece off to the shop I received a call back from the John Deere dealer indicating that they now have a replacement part for the idler pulley bolt. Apparently they had a lot of complaints from clients who had to replace the whole deck after breaking the bolt. The John Deere part number for the bolt on replacement piece is GY20718. It was about $89 with tax.

 

[Mower Doctor 78006]

If you need more and your mower shop is closed.

New John Deere Mower Deck Idler Bracket Repair Kit L100 L110 L108 LA110 LA105 | eBay

The information provided in the thread was very helpful. After trying to find a bushing that would fit within the pulley I broke down and contacted a machine shop to have them reproduce a piece that could be bolted on. A few minutes after I dropped the piece off to the shop I received a call back from the John Deere dealer indicating that they now have a replacement part for the idler pulley bolt. Apparently they had a lot of complaints from clients who had to replace the whole deck after breaking the bolt. The John Deere part number for the bolt on replacement piece is GY20718. It was about $89 with tax.

 

[Carscw]

I get mine at tractor supply