How to Remove Pulley from Mower Spindle (6 Easy Tips)

How to Remove Pulley from Mower Spindle

Today you are going to read the complete How to Remove Pulley from Mower Spindle (6 Easy Tips) [Essential Information]. Lawnmower’s performance depends on combinations of a few important components that work together in order to give out the best performance and deliver the excellent outcomes that are required from the user. You may face problems if even one of those components is not operating properly.

Pulley is one of the components that commonly causes the ineffectiveness performance of the lawnmower. Addressing the problems is significant to ensure your lawnmower can function to its maximum capability, and of course to make sure your work is done efficiently.

So, let’s get started!

6 Easy Tips How to Remove Pulley from Mower Spindle?

A properly functioning lawn mower pulley will assist your mower in performing at peak efficiency. If you suspect that anything is wrong with your lawnmower’s pulley, or whether you want to see if there is something linked to the pulley that is creating difficulties with your lawnmower, you must remove it for repair or examination.

Below are the steps described in simple words on how to remove the pulley from your lawnmower’s spindle so you can manage the procedure on your own easily.

Check it out!

1. Get The Required Tools Ready

To begin the process, make sure you already prepare all the tools that you may need later. But no worry, to remove the pulley usually only need an impact driver or wrench or maybe screwdriver. Sometimes, you even no need any tools.

It is also a good idea to prepare a stopper on hand such as a brick to secure the blades later.

2. Turn Your Lawnmower Off Properly

Make sure the lawnmower is totally turned off before you begin working on it. Turn off the ignition as well as the clutch too, and remove the key.

After turning off everything, remember to get your mower deck lowered to ease the next steps.

3. Remove The Deck From The Mower

The steps to remove it may differ from each mower depending on the mower’s brand and type. You may refer to the manual instructions or ask an expert in order to detach the deck.

After that, bring it out from under the lawnmower. By doing this, you can access the pulley components easier.

4. Place The Lawnmower At Open And Safe Work Area

Make sure you bring your lawnmower to an open and safe work area. This is to ensure the process is going on smoothly and convenient for you. Always remember, safety comes first.

Also, make sure you already secure the blade with any stopper to prevent it from moving unintentionally.

5. Loosen The Nut And Remove It

Using a tool that you already prepared, remove the nut that attaches to the pulley so you can take it away easily later. You may use an impact driver to ease you and save more time. You also can use other suitable tools if you do not have them.

6. Pull The Pulley Out From Its Original Position

Now, the only thing remaining to do is to take out the pulley from its original position. You only need to take the pulley away from the spindle shaft by sliding away from the belt.

Now, you are done removing the pulley!

Factors That Contribute To Bad Lawnmower’s Pulley Condition

Any mechanical parts of any type of machine including a lawnmower’s pulley are prone to experience mechanical failure even if you never skip the maintenance schedule.

You may need to take note of the situations below about the factors that may contribute to a bad lawnmower’s pulley condition.

1. Insufficient Lubrication

This is the most common factor. If the bearing has inadequate lubrication, it definitely would affect the pulley performance. The pulley would get stuck and not be able to rotate properly as it should without enough lubrication, or worse, it cannot move at all.

Make sure you do regular maintenance including ensuring the bearing’s lubrication status is perfect.

Tips: It is highly recommended to lubricate the pulley once or twice per season. Use a grease gun to ease the lubrication work, or you need to remove the pulley first to get it lubricated well without the help of a grease gun.

2. Incorrect Belt Placing

The belt that wraps around the pulley of your lawnmower is an important role in the overall operation of the machine. The lawnmower will not be able to function well if it is not placed properly.

The belt’s tension might be too low, causing it to fall out of place often. You can simply fix it by tightening the belt a bit (not too tight) for a better experience in using your lawnmower.

3. Loose Bearing Mount

If you do not tighten the bearing mount perfectly after detaching it, it could affect the pulley performance. You may feel something ‘off’ while using your lawnmower as the bearing mount is loose.

It also could lead to several bothersome problems. To perform the necessary repairs, you will have to access the inside of the mower and fix it.

4. Debris Including Grass Clippings

The accumulation of debris and grass clippings commonly happen especially if you use your lawnmower regularly. It would affect the pulley performance as they get stuck and slip inside the pulley.

This scenario is hard to avoid, and thus, you need to find a solution. If the debris or grass clippings do not get their way inside the pulley, you can just remove it easily. However, if it gets stuck inside the pulley, and accumulated there, then you must take off the pulley and carefully clean it as well as the belt too.

5. Spindle Shaft Broken

The probability for the spindle shaft to break is high especially if you use your lawnmower regularly. It could get damaged and shift out from its position as a result of wear-and-tear.

Thus, it is important to replace the spindle shaft if you notice a defect. In order to do that, you need to remove the pulley first (you may refer to the steps listed above) and replace it.

How to Remove Pulley from Mower Spindle [6 Easy Step]

The Warning Signs That The Pulley Is Not Working

Neglecting the problems with your lawnmower and its pulley might get it a lot worse over time. If you don’t want to have to buy a new lawnmower sooner than planned, you should keep an eye on it.

In this part, we will go through some of the signs to look out if your lawnmower’s pulley is not working properly.

Unnecessary Sound: If you realize your lawnmower creates ‘unnecessary sound’ excessively, it is actually showing the most obvious sign that indicates the pulley is not working properly.

Bear in your mind, when there is a problem with the pulley, things could get pretty noisy. You will probably hear a noisy grinding sound first, then it may escalate into loud squeals if you do not address the sound as soon as possible.

Loud and excessive sounds will bother your concentration in mowing and thus, could lead to other problems if you ignore them.

Sluggish And Seizes Up: Another sign of a malfunctioning pulley is the lawnmower stalling and becoming sluggish from time to time. If the shaft is broken or the bearing fails, the pulley will not run properly. So, you need to replace the shaft or bearing first to make sure the pulley can operate well.

Freezing Up + Loud Noise: Loud noise and freeze lawnmower is potentially caused by broken belt and/or pulley. However, you need to do an overall check-up for confirmation in case there are other problems are arising.

Tips To Store The Lawnmower

Other than regular maintenance, to prevent your lawnmower from experiencing a lot of problems and faults involving its mechanical components such as the pulley, you need to store it properly.

First and foremost, you are highly recommended to keep the lawnmower under a shed or tarp. You also may place it inside the garage, workshop or any suitable place. Cover it with any protection cover if needed.

If you have a small lawnmower, then it would be much easier to store. You can keep it indoors such as inside your house storage room.

Next, make sure you store it in a clean place or storage room. This is to ensure no additional debris could affect the lawnmower, or expose its component to blockage or maybe corrosion that can be caused by dirt.

And lastly, do not store your lawnmower without cleaning it first after usage, especially if you plan to use it a few months or years later. The accumulated dirt, grass clippings or debris could lead to many problems.

Storing the lawnmower in the correct practice would save your money more!

Final Words

It is a wrap! Learning to remove the pulley from the mower spindle is a very great thing as you will need to do it for most cases if it involves the pulley, bearing etc.

Even if you are a beginner, you can do it by yourself. As long as you follow the correct steps as listed above, you will not face any problems. Anyway, perhaps this article will be helpful for you as a reference in the future.

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