yoderjac
5 year old buck +
Years ago I bought an old Woods 990 heavy duty finish mower. It is configured like a finish mower with a belt and 3 blades, but it is almost as heavy duty as a bushhog. It has been a great implement for me. The belt go around an idler arm that is connected to the frame with a large spring. The purpose is so that if you hit something hard, the idler arm stretches the spring temporarily loosening the belt. As you move forward past the obstruction, the spring pulls the belt tight again and the blades begin spinning.
The idler arm is welded to a sleeve that goes over a pin sticking up from the deck. I believe it has a ball bushing in the sleeve that lets it rotate on the bearings rather than just spinning on the post. Over the years, I think the bearings have frozen. The symptom is this. When I hit an object or heavy brush puts pressure on the blade, the idler arm rotates stretching the spring, but the spring does not pull it back. I have to open the cover and kick the idler wheel back into place. I did replace the spring with a new one, so that i not the issue. In order to remove the idler wheel, I had to rotate the arm. The only way I could move it was to use a hammer. I could only rotate it about 20 degrees each way and it does not get any easer to move if I hammer it back and forth. I presume the entire ball bushing is turning that 20 degrees rather than the ball bushing working like it should.
I looked online and it looks like Mesick's carries the idler arm and I presume it comes with the ball bushing but I'll call and check before I order it.
This presumes I can remove the existing idler arm which is my problem. A pry bar won't budge it. Today I tried a 5 ton gear puller. It was close but I could not get it to fit in either 3 or 2 arm configuration. The jaws would not fit over the sleeve. I think it is just too narrow for this tool. A puller needs about 4 1/2 inches of depth which is how far the pin sticks up off the deck. There is about 1/4" between the bottom of the sleeve and the deck where jaws could fit. I could fit one jaw under the sleeve but when I tried to the the second one under it changed the angle and they wouldn't both fit.
I found a puller online that looks like it might fit: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QKJHC61/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I ordered it. If necessary I'll modify it to fit if I can.
If this tool does not work, I'm looking for other suggestions. Often we can take a torch to things that are stuck, but I'm not sure if that will work with a ball bushing in the sleeve.
Thoughts?
Jack
The idler arm is welded to a sleeve that goes over a pin sticking up from the deck. I believe it has a ball bushing in the sleeve that lets it rotate on the bearings rather than just spinning on the post. Over the years, I think the bearings have frozen. The symptom is this. When I hit an object or heavy brush puts pressure on the blade, the idler arm rotates stretching the spring, but the spring does not pull it back. I have to open the cover and kick the idler wheel back into place. I did replace the spring with a new one, so that i not the issue. In order to remove the idler wheel, I had to rotate the arm. The only way I could move it was to use a hammer. I could only rotate it about 20 degrees each way and it does not get any easer to move if I hammer it back and forth. I presume the entire ball bushing is turning that 20 degrees rather than the ball bushing working like it should.
I looked online and it looks like Mesick's carries the idler arm and I presume it comes with the ball bushing but I'll call and check before I order it.
This presumes I can remove the existing idler arm which is my problem. A pry bar won't budge it. Today I tried a 5 ton gear puller. It was close but I could not get it to fit in either 3 or 2 arm configuration. The jaws would not fit over the sleeve. I think it is just too narrow for this tool. A puller needs about 4 1/2 inches of depth which is how far the pin sticks up off the deck. There is about 1/4" between the bottom of the sleeve and the deck where jaws could fit. I could fit one jaw under the sleeve but when I tried to the the second one under it changed the angle and they wouldn't both fit.
I found a puller online that looks like it might fit: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QKJHC61/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I ordered it. If necessary I'll modify it to fit if I can.
If this tool does not work, I'm looking for other suggestions. Often we can take a torch to things that are stuck, but I'm not sure if that will work with a ball bushing in the sleeve.
Thoughts?
Jack