Thank you so much! I’ve got the same mower with the same belt problem! My spindle is not loose but it is bent. Now I know why ( thanks to your written comment) and will try and straighten it.
Found this video while researching belt problems on my machine . I followed your example and did the exact same thing - Viola! Working like a charm now! Thanks for this helpful video. (I also talked my wife into letting me get a little welder too!) Double Bonus!
Absolutely... Glad to help. Sometimes I wonder if a vid is too obscure to really help someone. Good to know it did. AND... good to know I helped you get a WELDER... WIN, WIN ! :)
Someone just gave me one of these mowers and the idler pulley was at a 45° angle like you simulated in the video. Put a battery in it and it runs nice and quiet, much better than my LT1000 Craftsman. Going to have to weld this stud in place like you did in the video, and also straighten the deck where the right hand spindle goes through as it is a little crooked also. They must have run over a huge Rock or stump.
@@BIGALTX thanks. I really like the way it drives with the automatic. Today I ordered the deck shift cable and tomorrow I will re-weld the stud and straighten the right hand side of the deck where the spindle bolts so that pulley lines up with all the rest. Also ordered a new set of blades. The ones on it were actually worn completely through and you can see through the middle of the blades
Thanks for sharing; I'm having the same problem with my Scotts John Deere S1642. That exact pulley has bent forward after 20 years and seems to be why the belts are wearing out so fast. You can see the wear on the top edge of the belt and it's obviously rubbing along the top edge of that pulley. I'm going to pull the deck off now and see if I can straighten it out!
The belt on my JD125 is always comes off.. I looked at that same idler pulley and saw it was leaning forward big time, but the stud is solid. The bracket must be bent. Started Googling.. I just saw your video and confirms my suspicion that the pulley shouldn't be leaning as much as it is. I will give your fix a try. Thanks!
My bracket was bent too. I bent it back, then realized that the stud was loose too. I bet if you bent the bracket back, you'd be OK. The bracket is pretty thick, so it's not so easy to bend back
I had the exact same problem with my John Deere L110. I didn't repair it by welding. I actually went to John Deere in Nevada, MO and bought a bushing for a larger John Deere tractor, and placed it under the stationary pulley. No broken belts in 3 years since I did this repair. I was breaking new belts after only 45 minutes of mowing. Very expensive, but the parts cost less than $15.00, and I didn't need to buy a welder. XD
Man... I really don't remember how to do it. There is a manual online if you'll do a search for it. I sold this mower earlier this year... had it a long time :)
I have the same problem with mine and couldn't figure it out. The mower was given to me and runs great just keeps kicking off the belt. The pull that you show is bent on mine but just thought for what ever reason it's supposed to be that way. I' going to try this repair today. Thanks and subbed.
Good video. Issue was with the design.. JD fixed in later models. if Your going to hang onto Your LT, there are spindle kits which make a deck mow like brand new.. $110 ish.. Your LT looks to be in very good shape.. considering it was made around 2002, it's kept really well.
Either the metal wasn't clean or didn't have a good ground where you were welding or the machine isn't set up right. There was a constant erratic feed which you should have felt in your hands. When set up correctly Hobart are great welders.
@@BIGALTX Nothing wrong with the weld itself. First important thing is the ground, w/out that its impossible to do a good job. If the wire doesn't ignite immediately and pushes back at you a bit, it's probably a bad ground. If it does ignite and still wants to push your hand back a bit the feed might be a tad too fast. The third is not set hot enough. Yours sounded hot enough so I'd go for one of the first two.. ** One more thing, if when changing spools the wire got away from you and went rolling on the floor, chase it down and cut it off. Don't try to rewind it.. Ask me how I know.
Thanks, you may have saved me replacing all my spindles and pulleys $$$. I was puzzled because my spindles seem to have close to zero bearing play. But my front pulley is sitting in there at an angle the same way your was, burning and shredding belts. Hope it's the problem
I bet it is. I was doubtful that taking the time to do the video would really help any one. You're the SECOND person to tell me that it helped you... Makes me feel good... glad to help.
same issue here for the s1642 however there is a large crack in the deck itself as that pulley started leaning forward from stress. the stud for that pulley is ok but the angle is terrible now and the deck itself is compromised. no solution for me yet but may find someone who can bend the deck back down and weld it back together.
@@goodfivebuck I bought a used deck off of marketplace locally and put my blades on it, used the better of the pulleys from each, and I’ve been running that deck since.
Can you show how the two small springs that hold the spindle brakes are installed? I'm rebuilding one exactly like this and am having problems getting those two pieces in place.
Sorry, I never messed with the spindle brakes. See if you can freeze frame this video to see how they go on. There is a manual online... I found it a while ago, so I know it's out there for free. It should show spring placement
looks like a good fix. You should always paint over your welds (after you clean then up) to prevent rust. I usually hit mine with a wire brush and then paint while it's still very hot. Bakes the paint in. Also welding tip on your settings... Your weld looked ok but I noticed a lot of popping and crackling... didn't have that buzzz sound it should have. I'm no expert either but what I try and do is get the settings right (wire speed and voltage) on a similar gauge material that you will be welding to. Also could have been you were holding the stinger (gun) a bit too far off the weld point. The sound you are making is a good way to tell how smooth your welding is... pops and crackles indicate interruptions, while the buzzz means you are laying a more consistent bead. More important on longer welds, not the spot welding you were doing, and as I said... should be just fine for you.
I've been using Hobart wire, but bought some Harbor Freight wire, and this was the first weld I've made with it. I didn't like the sound or the feel of it either. Not sure if I need to adjust the settings for the cheap wire or not. Have you heard of any bad properties of this wire?
TexasPrepper2 I've seen some comparisons done on some of the weld channels I subscribe to on RU-vid. It's lesser quality but fine unless the weld is critical. I use wire from the shop I get my gas from. I don't have much welding to do so I don't use much. I would try and adjust your settings by doing some test welds on scrap you may have around. I did myself by plasma cutting old mower blades and welding them back together. Other problems that could cause issues is bad wire speed from a kinked cable or low gas pressure because tank is near empty. I also previously mentioned not getting in close enough with your gun. Lots of things other than bad wire
I didn't replace the pulley. I just welded the stud that had broken loose. Whenever I need parts for this mower, I go to my local John Deere dealer. This mower is made by Deere, and they stock most everything for it... or they can get it. If you don't have a Deere dealer, I'm sure there are places online that can fix you up.
