I see someone’s searched for instructions on how to change the bearings on this mower, so I’ll jump in here briefly to talk about the sheaves:
The pullies, or sheaves, on my mower were badly pocked by rust and wore through belts at a great rate. But they are a standard hardware store item. I bought mine at Princess Auto. They were about $14. each. I used the burnt fingers method to remove the old sheaves, experimenting with a puller and brute force. My neighbour laughed about that. Apparently there’s an easy way to do it, but I don’t recall what he said. I put the new ones back on, roughly lined them up with where I thought the belt should go, and they worked fine. A single belt lasted the summer.
That doesn’t explain how to change the bearings, but it’s a start.
Rod
Following a couple of requests, here is my quick-and-dirty installation method, refined over a summer and five belts worn off by pitted sheaves and a lot of mowing. Start at the front of the mower. Disconnect the PTO shaft from the tractor, remove the shield over it, and the other shield which protects fingers from the belt over the sheaves (pulleys).
This part is a bit bewildering at first. Look at the idler pulley to the lower left of the big pulley inside. Notice how it’s flat in the groove where the belt goes, instead of v’ed? There’s another to the right, as well, off at an odd angle. These are idlers, provided to direct the belt and supply tension from springs. The belt sits upside down on them at those points in its cycle, so some twisting is involved.
“But there’s only a spring on the one on the left,” you say. Try prying on the one on the right. It will move away from the frame. The belt goes through that gap. The rest is pretty straightforward once you have that figured out.
So why not start off by putting the belt over the PTO shaft and then over the back sheave? One part will go flat-side down onto that idler on the right. The other part will go behind the same idler after you pry it out against a strong spring. Then it can go to the logical sheaves and wheels, making quite a few half-turns. This will take some experimentation the first time or two. Keep at it. For example, you may have the PTO shaft through the wrong handful of belt.
You’ll know it’s right if the belt has to make an almost impossible 180 degree twist across the front from the left spindle to the right.
When you figure you have that part about right, it’s time to put some tension on it. I use a piece of nylon strap, 1″ wide, doubled and held in both hands. I pass it through, hang onto it, brace my feet on the left side of the mower (looking from the front) and pull hard. The various springs groan but give in and the belt slips into place.
The manual specifically warns against the use of screwdrivers for this purpose, as it damages the belt. I started by using a bar clamp to pull the belt into position, but then realized I could do it with brute force if I understood where I needed to pull.
It’s a good idea to grease all of the fittings while you have the machine apart. There’s a fitting for each bearing with a v-pulley. The flat idlers don’t have fittings. Don’t forget the universal joints on the PTO shaft. Put the belt-protector which goes over the sheaths back on. The large flat one can go on later, or get lost, depending upon the owner.
Hope this helps,
Rod Croskery
rodcros@gmail.com
This is the best supplier of the belts I have found. They also ship from a warehouse near Stratford, Ontario.
Belarus Tractor International
7842 N Faulkner Rd Milwaukee WI 53224
414-355-2000
sales@belarus.com http://www.belarus.com
the Walnut Diary 