Starting out, equipment and your local mower shop

[gcsmow]

On the subject of saving a few bucks. My idler pulleys on my Toro (3 of) had bad bearings. They are riveted together and you are supposed to chuck them away and get new ones from your Toro dealer for about $60.00 a pop. Instead I ground out the rivets, punched them out, drilled the rivet holes out to 6mm. Put in new bearings ($5.85 each) and bolted them back together using 6 mm allen head bolts and nylock nuts (18 nuts and bolts per pulley x 3 pulleys = 54 bolts and nuts $17.28) Total cost: $28.98 plus my time to fit them compared to about $180.00 If they need replacing again it's a simple matter of undoing the nuts and bolts and replacing the bearings, no need to drill out rivets and buy nuts and bolts again.

I think I'll go and buy a carton with the money I saved.

[Fred's mowing]

Great work gcsmow.
Too bad beer is so exy up your way.
Buy a slab, yanks drink cartons.
Cheers Fred.

[SouthCoast Walker]

On the subject of saving a few bucks. My idler pulleys on my Toro (3 of) had bad bearings. They are riveted together and you are supposed to chuck them away and get new ones from your Toro dealer for about $60.00 a pop. Instead I ground out the rivets, punched them out, drilled the rivet holes out to 6mm. Put in new bearings ($5.85 each) and bolted them back together using 6 mm allen head bolts and nylock nuts (18 nuts and bolts per pulley x 3 pulleys = 54 bolts and nuts $17.28) Total cost: $28.98 plus my time to fit them compared to about $180.00 If they need replacing again it's a simple matter of undoing the nuts and bolts and replacing the bearings, no need to drill out rivets and buy nuts and bolts again.

I think I'll go and buy a carton with the money I saved.

Great work Glenn this is the type of thing I am always doing.

[gcsmow]

To me, a "slab" is an area of concrete.

[gcsmow]

I think you have to if you want to make a profit.

Great work Glenn this is the type of thing I am always doing.

[fairdinkum]

Great work gcsmow.
Too bad beer is so exy up your way.
Buy a slab, yanks drink cartons.
Cheers Fred.

Aussies drink cartons, victorians dink slabs

[mowjoman]

NIce post gcs. I'm gonna give this a go. My idler bearing on its way out again on my Toro (2nd one) Still have a year warrenty left yet so gonna use it but I'm sure it'll go again.
Were the original bearings SKF? Just wondering cause maybe the original and the replacement bearings are inferior?
I'll buy a carton too.....

[Tender Lovin Lawn&Garden]

what sort pf toro is it gcsmow

[Christine Wharton]

[QUOTE=mowjoman;69187]I rely on my local bloke a bit ay. When I have a break down I take it in and they prioritise it. It is a two way street. Some stuff I buy there but I look around too. Comes down to how you want to buy your gear I guess. Personally with machinery I like to touch it and use it first, you know see how it feels etc. Your consumables though would be fine to but online etc for me anyway.
QUOTE]

same for me {us}

[gcsmow]

It's a Z Master Z 453 48 inch 23HP Kawa. I don't know what the original bearings were (apart from f_ _ ked). The SKF 6203 bearings I put in are Made in China, but what isn't these days. I don't believe that they are any worse quality than what was fitted at the factory. It is a lot quieter now when the blades are spinning, huge difference.

[Briss]

Very clever GS Mow but I am going to take 2 points away from you for not knowing what a slab is