# Broken deck pulley



## guest2 (Dec 27, 2003)

I was getting some vibration yesterday while mowing and then the primary deck belt came off. At first I didn't see any reason so I took the deck down and put the belt back on. Tried again and it came right off and was scrapped in a few places. So I pulled the deck off again and checked the pulleys to see if everything was turning freely which they were but the top pulley on the left side seems to be split. As if it's two pieces welded together so now half of it is twice as wide as it should be. I already have an extra belt but need the pulley. It was $19.99 at sears and another $2.33 tax and $6.99 s&h total $29.31. 

I'm not sure why the pulley would separate like that since I didn't hit anything and it's not rusty or stiff. But I guess I'm entering that magical fifth year.


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## jodyand (Sep 16, 2003)

sixchows I hate to hear that but i know your not saying you have a five year tractor are you I know you know why i say that. And i don't believe there is such a thing unless some just don't care about theres. More then likely it was bad from the start and its just showing up. We had a valve come in today we had to repair and when we tested it it had a pin hole in one of the welds. This valve has been in use since 1992 and it just showed up. So your pulley may have been bad from the start. Boy am i beat im just ramblin on:lmao:


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## guest2 (Dec 27, 2003)

Jody
Nah I don't think it's a 5yr tractor. although I've heard it mentioned elsewhere The only things that broke in 5years were the interlock switch which is mounted at the brake pedal and now the pulley. Hardly anything to complain about. I'm just hoping it ships out OK and isn't on backorder. But between two running tractors and all the attachments the jobs will still get done.


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## Ed_GT5000 (Sep 30, 2003)

Deck pullys do go bad. I replaced one for a guy last summer. Did you look for aftermarket? I got his from Jacks.


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

That was not too steep for a deck pulley anyways. Glad you were able to fix it on the cheap! :thumbsup:


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

Was the pulley cast or turned?


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## guest2 (Dec 27, 2003)

Well I didn't mean to sound like I was complaining about the price of the pulley but it seems whenever I order from searspartsdirect the tax and shipping almost equals and sometimes exceeds the part itself.
As for Jack's small engines, never again! That seems like the most unprofessional, rinky-dink operation ever. I tried them for a throttle cable and drive cable for my self-propelled murray and even gave them the part numbers. Took forever to arrive and of course wrong. When I called to tell them the part was wrong, the girl on the phone asked me how do I know it's wrong? Gee, maybe cause I'm holding it in my hand and looking at the mower. It was about a foot too long and the mount was reversed. The drive cable was too short. So the genius decides the bin must be wrong and sends the same parts again. This time the parts came from their supplier. So I called their supplier and explained the situation and they sent me the correct parts in a few days. And Jack's, told me at first to throw the parts away since the shipping wasn't worth returning, started billing me for the errors and then charged me a restocking fee. I can't understand why anyone would use them as a middle man since that's all they are. They have no inventory, they just order the parts for you. But they charge your credit while your on the phone placing an order that you may never get. There are plenty of horror stories about these people all over the internet, unfortunately I didn't see any until after.


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## Ed_GT5000 (Sep 30, 2003)

Sorry to hear about your terrible experience. I have only bought stuff from them 3 or 4 times and always order by phone and have always got what I ordered and promptly, therefore I am satified with their service and would order from them again.

I can't speak for the entire internet, but the good ol' boys at GW were saying a lot of bad stuff about Jacks about 6 months ago. But a year and a half ago the same folks were raving about Jacks and recomended them to me (That is how I first heard about jacks) Maybe they went down hill? 

However, GW tends to flip-flop on alot of issues and that is why I don't wast my time there anymore. 

Still I am sorry Jacks, jacked you around, ordering online always carries some degree of risk.

Sears most of the time will get you the right part but not always.
You may remember I was looking for a chain for a craftsman chain a couple of months ago. Well I ordered one from sears parts online and they sent me the wrong one and swear it is the right one. I still don't have that one resolved. But as far as Saying you will never order from them again, over a throttle cable, that is your choice. I think I paid $12.00 for his deck pully and it was the right one (maybe I was lucky?). Furthermore the savings at Jacks are much larger on big ticket items and there is no tax. 

The only people I will never order from again is Harbor Freight all the tools they carry (at low prices) is junk IMO.

I try to watch my money and will shop around if I can. I like sears but their parts are over priced. They charged me $20.00 for a little plastic gear for a garage door opener but I did not know where I could get one elsewhere. But if I can get a better deal I will go for it. Just like your car or truck: going to the dealer for a part will always cost you more.

PS: There are a couple of other online small engine parts suppliers out there if you don't like jacks. I try to compare prices at a few different places before I buy.


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## guest2 (Dec 27, 2003)

Ed
To me it doesn't make a difference what the part in question was, it was their attitude that got me. I gave them the model #,serial # and part#'s right from the owner's manual. The girl who answered the phone tried telling me I was wrong and didn't know what I was talking about. But I'm the one with both parts in front of me not her. The guy she transferred me to tells me to throw them away and sends two more wrong ones. If I had listened and threw them away it would have cost even more. Glad to see how they are over some cheap items. Really wouldn't want to go round and round over a transaxle or some other high priced and costly to ship item. But the reality is they don't have any inventory all they do is order it from somewhere else. Since they were stupid enough to send it direct from their supplier why would I deal with them and not their supplier directly? Especially since they don't want any returns because then they have to try and send it back where it came from.
As for harbor freight, it depends on what your buying. If it's a name brand and not reconditioned it's usually OK. I did buy some recon ryobi trimmer attachments for about half off and they look and work as new. I guess it's like anything else sometimes you win sometimes you lose.
As for sears I always feel like they charge high shipping prices so you'll add to the order and try to get a few more things for not much more in shipping.


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## guest2 (Dec 27, 2003)

Got the new pulley this afternoon. I wasn't expecting it that fast. I ordered it tuesday night and it arrived friday afternoon from texas to ny. Only took a few minutes to install including the new belt. No more vibration. The only thing is the pulley isn't painted just bare metal. Thought about painting it but really wanted to finish off mowing. I should take it back off and paint now that I'm done.


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## aegt5000 (Feb 22, 2004)

Paint it Red.....Oh, wrong tractor.:dazed: 
Paint it Green. :thumbsup:


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Argee _
> *Was the pulley cast or turned? *


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## guest2 (Dec 27, 2003)

Argee
Sorry for not answering, it's made form stell and in two halves that are welded together. Looks like about half the welds came loose and it split. I saved it anyway as it looks easy enough to re-weld.


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## jodyand (Sep 16, 2003)

sixchows could you drill holes though it and bolt it together that would keep it from coming apart again. Just be sure to use lock tight on the bolts. I know on my Snapper the PTO tenser pulley is two pieces and its bolted together.


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## guest2 (Dec 27, 2003)

Jody
Hadn't thought about bolts, but wouldn't welding be stronger?


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## jodyand (Sep 16, 2003)

Yea more then likey or do both and not worry about it again I dont have a welder at home so i would have to drill and use bolts.


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