51 replies to this topic

[mark843]

Thanks for all the replys. I ordered some parts from Sam's yesterday, to include the belt cover. The person I spoke to said he would make sure he would grab one in good shape as I told him I was doing a restoration on the mower deck.

I have not settled on how I will paint it. I have used some of that appliance expoxy in a spray can it and it held up well. I might use that on the under side and just do the top green. Bolens 1000, did you brush paint your decks or use a spray gun on the decks in the above pictures? Aslo, do you remember what line of Rustolium you used? They have so many differnt lines that I am confused as to what one would be the best if I go with them and their website was not helping me.

Edited by mark843, April 06, 2012 - 12:35 PM.

[Bolens 1000]

All of my paint jobs were done with a spray Gun.
As for the custom green, I went to Arthur's Hardware (in Orchard park)
They started with a clear base called "X-O Rust" and continued to add the necessary colors. I will check my paint can and see what the code says on it.

[Bolens 1000]

Here's the paint can
The color is called "Island Paradise"

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[mark843]

Thanks. I have never seen that paint so I will look at the local hardware store. Thanks for giving me that information.

[mark843]

I decided to wait a year to do the restoration. I still have too many rocks and other little things that would beat up the mower deck too much. I think the paint will last longer if I wait until I can get a season under my belt and also get a better feel for my yard.

I did get all my parts in from Sam's, but when I took the blades to get sharpened today I guess they were in too bad of a condition to be properly sharpened. They has some Bolens blades for my deck but they were $26 each. They guy said he could order new generic ones for $15 each that were basically the same thing so I decided to to that instead. If the blades get damaged by the rocks and sticks, which I'm sure they will, I can justify going with the generic ones more then the older Bolens blades.

They also had a used shoe for my blade, but it was a little bent, but still usable. They only want $15 for it and I think I can straighten it in my press if I want, but I will be picking that up also when the new blades come in.

[Bolens 1000]

Do you have a picture of the old blades
Most of the time the dealers tell you your blades are bad so you buy new ones.
All my decks have their original blades on them....

[mark843]

On my way to get them sharpened I thought the same thing. The first place I went saw Shaub Equipment and the guy said he could not sharpen them and that they were toasted. I asked him what was wrong and he said the ends should not be curved like they are. He didn't even try and sell me replacements, just told me to go to Hodge's as they might have some. I went there and they said they "could" sharpen them but it would lead to striping and that they should be replaced. If 2 places tell me the same, then I thought they would need to be replaced. They guy didn't even try and push the old Bolens ones and said to get the new cheaper ones. I think if they wanted to make more money, they would try and push the old ones.

Anyways, here is a picture.

Edited by mark843, April 21, 2012 - 03:21 PM.

[Bolens 1000]

Well, In this case I think they were correct on them needing to be replaced. They probably can still be sharpened and used but due to the excessive wear on the ends it may create "striping" like you mentioned in your above post.

Out of all the Bolens deck blades I have seen over the years these ones are some of the most worn I have seen.

[Newpaws493]

As spring has sprung a bit early and the last 2 weeks having been very warm here with some days getting to about 80 degrees, I better get started on rebuilding this mower deck or I will be push mowing just under an acre of grass. It is changing from brown to green so I will not have long.

I will be ordering 2 belts (one for a spare) 2 idle pulleys and the spring. I will see if the local parts store can match bearings for cheaper as I will be needing 6. I Also need to find a new belt cover as the one I have has some cancer around the lip that bolts the cover down. I did order one but it was the wrong part and does not fit. I may also replace the u-joints just to have most of the movable parts new.

I still have to finish stripping down the deck, and I hope to get to that in the next week after I can get parts on the way.

The next step is to decide if sandblasting and powder coating would be best, or should I look into epoxy paint? One thing I heard about epoxy paint is that it is pretty bad to work with. I do have a respirator, but my garage is attached to my house. I am looking for something that is very durable and will last a long time.

I don't think I will strip the gear box this year and will wait until winter.

Just my opinions:

(1) Check the u-joints for looseness or "slop." ....If they are not loose, I would not bother replacing them as they are very durable.

(2) As long as you are stripping the deck and will have to loosen the gearbox to install the new belt, now is the time to open the gearbox and check for metal shavings or broken roll pins. ....If all looks OK, then new gear lube should be all that is needed. ....If there are metal shavings, broken pins, or broken gear teeth in the gear box, now is the time to make repairs before total destruction takes place.

(3) I can't advise which coating to use on the deck. ....It may be difficult to get a good color match (if that is important to you) if you decide on powder coating. ....Fertilizer, and abrasion from the "sandblast effect" while mowing will be tough on any coating.

(4) Ball bearings should definitely be cheaper from a bearing supply or some auto parts stores. ....If you need new needle bearings inside the gear box, they can be had through bearing supply houses.

(5) The idler pulley bracket pivots on a stud with nylon bearings. ....Clean & polish the stud, and plan on new nylon bearings if yours are not in good condition.

Guys thanks for the wealth of info shared, takes some of the the mystery out of this process for me.

[goodnews]

Well, In this case I think they were correct on them needing to be replaced. They probably can still be sharpened and used but due to the excessive wear on the ends it may create "striping" like you mentioned in your above post.

Out of all the Bolens deck blades I have seen over the years these ones are some of the most worn I have seen.

they look alot better than mine i'll try to post a pic. tomorrow and you'll see some wore out blades in Christ

[mark843]

I am stuck rebuilding the idler arm. I am looking at the parts diagram (see below) but when I follow the way it looks, the assembly just does not seem right. Does anyone have any pictures of how parts 30, 37, 34, 36, 34, 35, and 39 go together?



The way I have assembled it, it seems like the top arm can collapse up against the pulley. (See pictures below.)

[Bruce Dorsi]

I don't know if it is an illusion, but in your upper picture, the two pulleys appear to be different widths. ....The two pulleys should be the same width, and both should have a wider shoulder on the one side of the pulley bearing.

Do you have part #34 installed on both sides of the idler pulley?

If you have to, add washers above the one pulley to get the two flat pieces parallel to each other. ...As long as the pulleys do not rub against the flat pieces above or below them, you should be OK.

[Bolens 1000]

I don't know if it is an illusion, but in your upper picture, the two pulleys appear to be different widths. ....The two pulleys should be the same width, and both should have a wider shoulder on the one side of the pulley bearing.

Do you have part #34 installed on both sides of the idler pulley?

If you have to, add washers above the one pulley to get the two flat pieces parallel to each other. ...As long as the pulleys do not rub against the flat pieces above or below them, you should be OK.

The clearances are pretty tight and When ever I'm putting a deck back together I always have to play around with that assembly, sometimes I need to add a washer or 2 to make the pulley clear the metal.

[mark843]

The pulleys are the same width, it's just the bigger looking one is closer to the camera. I don't think I need washers so much as the correct way all the parts go together, but if I do, I have some washers.

I think the previous owner assembled it wrong as #34 seemed to be on the wrong sides of the idler arms when I took everything apart. It did not look like the picture. The special bolt, #37, was also upside down from the parts diagram and it looks like it bent the top plate a little because of it.

I was referencing this thread for the way the belt loops around and see #37 looks to go on after the top plate, is this correct? The diagram looks to be different.

Does the wider shoulder on the pulley face up or down? In the diagram it looks to be up, but then the spacer (#11) would have to be on the bottom of the other pulley if the shoulders face up, so I assumed the shoulders go down?

Here is a picture of the parts minus the pulley and the arms.



Does #34 look to be the correct orientation or do they need to be flipped?
Does this look to be correct on the way everything sits on the bolt?

I apologize for all the questions but this seems to be perplexing me and I want to make sure it is correct so I don't have an problems.

Edited by mark843, May 06, 2012 - 03:59 PM.

[mark843]

I spent some time getting everything put back together. I put some oil in the gear box and was about to put the belt cover on when I noticed oil was starting to pool at the low spot on the pulley. It looks like the oil seal needs to be replaced.

I found that the seal possibly cross references to SKF 7443. Does anyone know if that would be correct?