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It is Part # 483422, approx 1/18" side play, normal or not ? Only the one pulley.. May be beginning of very slight noise down there.

Only has 58 hours on it.

7394 said:

It is Part # 483422, approx 1/18" side play, normal or not ? Only the one pulley.. May be beginning of very slight noise down there.

Only has 58 hours on it.

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Any play in a pulley is not normal. It should be tight and sound smooth when you spin it. Just keep an eye on it and replace as needed.

I tend to pay more attention to smoothness when turning and noise than I do slop. Have had too many pulleys that wiggle, thinking the bearing is going bad, and find that the new OEM pulley has more slop then the one you are thinking about replacing.

ILENGINE said:

I tend to pay more attention to smoothness when turning and noise than I do slop. Have had too many pulleys that wiggle, thinking the bearing is going bad, and find that the new OEM pulley has more slop then the one you are thinking about replacing.

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I will check all 3 idlers for smoothness & noise soon..

Normally I will kick the deck on and just listen for unusual noises as well as feel for vibrations. I have had decks basically run silent with only the blade air noise, but makes your feet feel numb in seconds. Or if you feel vibration or noise then start looking further. Some spindles and idler pulleys will create a whirring sound and create a vibration that can be felt through the deck when stun fast but otherwise feel and sound normal at a slow turn. Others will sound normal but will have rough spots when turned slowly,

Great advice, so far smooth, & no feet numbness, But my feet have some numbness off the mower. but will pay closer attention everything since you added to your advice..

What got me looking as I was blowing it off was, I thought I heard a slight bit of new sound. I'm gonna drop off belt & spin them all soon.

Are you seeing these idler pulleys going bad early on newer machines ? Mine is 2021

Deck bearings both in the idlers and the spindles seem to be hit and miss as far as longevity. Had a Yardman years ago that I had to replace all three deck spindles under warranty on a less than 1 month old mower due to deck vibration from the spindles would make your feet tingle within seconds of kicking on the blades. Don't see as many issues with the idlers on the motion drive belts. So there could be a shockload or maybe even a water contamination issue with the deck bearings.

I'm still under warranty (5 Year), but paying them to come & get it would be way more than an idler would cost.

ILENGINE said:

So there could be a shockload or maybe even a water contamination issue with the deck bearings.

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Certainly not a water contamination issue, as I have never had water near it, not even rain.
And I engage blades at lower mid rpm's then throttle up as my book advises.

ILENGINE said:

Deck bearings both in the idlers and the spindles seem to be hit and miss as far as longevity. Had a Yardman years ago that I had to replace all three deck spindles under warranty on a less than 1 month old mower due to deck vibration from the spindles would make your feet tingle within seconds of kicking on the blades. Don't see as many issues with the idlers on the motion drive belts. So there could be a shockload or maybe even a water contamination issue with the deck bearings.

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The motion drive ones here I having to replace a lot is the 2" ones of Hustler ZTRs. Due to their size they are being over sped and grease is vanishing from them so they run dry and destroy the bearings. On these whenever replacing the drive belt the idler should be replaced too.

But as said above idler bearings are hit and miss.

ILENGINE said:

So there could be a shockload

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Thinking more on it, I have nicked a root on my Maple tree a couple times. Is that the type of shockload you mentioned ?

That can be some of the shockloads, but you also need to consider that most idler/bearing pulleys are a cheap 2RS sealed bearing enclosed inside of a dust collector.

Good point. Thank You again. Will be having time later this week, to give good inspection & idler pulleys spin w/belt off.

All cutting blades are straight & line up together on all ends. No play I can detect at this time.

But are they in good condition otherwise. Even new blades are sometime out of balance depending how sensitive your balancer is.

As a side note the reason the bearings have a loose feeling when cold is just that. As they heat up the clearances tighten up. It is the noise, roughness, and extra sloppiest that you got to worry about.

Sometimes it is not even the bearings. I just repaired a JD Z425 deck last week where it was the spacer bushing that was the problem. Someone in the past installed a new idler pulley and assembly it wrong which lead to the bushing hour glassed. So instead a $60 pulley is was $5 bushing.

BTW these companies have gone bonkers on the prices for these parts. I pickup a 3/16 x 1 x 48 piece of metal yesterday and it was $13. But had to have it for a deck project so the customer getting the bill. At least the local price is better than ordering it. No wonder I save every piece of flat and angle iron I come across.

StarTech said:

But are they in good condition otherwise. Even new blades are sometime out of balance depending how sensitive your balancer is.

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I think so. I cleaned / sharpened & Balanced them. & smooth running.

StarTech said:

As a side note the reason the bearings have a loose feeling when cold is just that. As they heat up the clearances tighten up. It is the noise, roughness, and extra sloppiest that you got to worry about.

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Did not know that, Thank You.

It is the extra sloppiness that I got concerned about. But I have never checked them like this before.

A bearing that's failing will many times run at a elevated temperature compared to like bearings . You can check the temperature with your hand . Kill it after mowing a few minutes and compare the temp. of all like bearings .

SeniorCitizen said:

A bearing that's failing will many times run at a elevated temperature compared to like bearings . You can check the temperature with your hand . Kill it after mowing a few minutes and compare the temp. of all like bearings .

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Thank U Sir, will do..

SeniorCitizen said:

A bearing that's failing will many times run at a elevated temperature compared to like bearings . You can check the temperature with your hand .

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Thanks, I did that today after mowing a small portion, , All 3 idlers bearings seems similarly warm, but not hot,.,

SeniorCitizen said:

Kill it after mowing a few minutes and compare the temp. of all like bearings

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And the side play was very less noticeable, than when checked cold. Mower ran great.

Thanks to Everyone for their insight on this,

7394 said:

It is Part # 483422, approx 1/18" side play, normal or not ? Only the one pulley.. May be beginning of very slight noise down there.

Only has 58 hours on it.

Click to expand...

Replace it or you’ll end up wrecking your belt to

Hadn't considered that. Thanks.

When it warms up the idler pulley side play is all but gone tho,..