Bad Boy Idler Pulleys

[hlw49]

I just finished a XFG2700 Dixie Chopper 2003-year model that had the original idlers on it. They were just starting to make a noise. I know I know how do you know they were original idlers. Original idlers back them were black. These were black. Replacements are not painted. Just can't beat those old beasts. Have people put bran new engines on them that cost $4.5 k on them. They love these old machines and won't give them up. I have two of them XXW2500 that has been updated to a XXW3300. 33 HP Generac engine on it. X1901 that had a 19 hp Kawasaki on it. Now has a 20 Hp Kohler on it. You can't buy either one of them.

 

[Skippydiesel]

I grease my idler bearing periodically, with high molybdenum concentration grease.
I use a hypodermic needle, modified with a grease nipple, to get past the seals - you can purchase the same idea on line.

 

[RevB]

I've got a 2017 Outlaw XP with a 54" deck. It's approaching 120 hours. I've already replaced one of the idler pulleys and the other 2 aren't far behind. My replacement was with a Capitol Stampings OEM style, but I'm starting to wonder about the quality of these. I noticed on Amazon that a company sells a replacement with replaceable bearings. It's called BigBearing Billet pulley. It sounds like a great idea, but I have little doubt that they come from China. Anyone have any experience with these.

Chinese ****.

I've got a 2017 Outlaw XP with a 54" deck. It's approaching 120 hours. I've already replaced one of the idler pulleys and the other 2 aren't far behind. My replacement was with a Capitol Stampings OEM style, but I'm starting to wonder about the quality of these. I noticed on Amazon that a company sells a replacement with replaceable bearings. It's called BigBearing Billet pulley. It sounds like a great idea, but I have little doubt that they come from China. Anyone have any experience with these.

Chinese ****.....check out my post

4.75" deck idler pulleys....warning​

 

[RevB]

I've got a 2017 Outlaw XP with a 54" deck. It's approaching 120 hours. I've already replaced one of the idler pulleys and the other 2 aren't far behind. My replacement was with a Capitol Stampings OEM style, but I'm starting to wonder about the quality of these. I noticed on Amazon that a company sells a replacement with replaceable bearings. It's called BigBearing Billet pulley. It sounds like a great idea, but I have little doubt that they come from China. Anyone have any experience with these.

These are the original Don Dye pulleys that will last....oem on Bad Boy many years ago til they went stupid.
I'm

 

[Brewboy]

I ended up buying a complete set (3 idlers and 1 tensioner) of the BigBearing Billet pulleys. I put them on this Spring. They are quieter and seem to be holding up very well. If the bearings go out, I'll replace them with some name brand bearings like Timken.

 

[GrumpyCat]

Make sure you pack the bearings by hand to get plenty of grease into the inner race of the bearings. A majority of bearings fail due to minimal grease when they are assembled and greased at the factory. Minimal grease means a short lifespan.

I even remove the side seals on the "sealed bearings" to pack them and then put the seals back in place. It makes a huge difference in the life of the bearings.

You know every shade tree mechanic “knows” bearing companies skimp on grease. Or maybe NTN, Timken, SKF, NSK, etc know more about their product than you? They are not going to save 0.1% to make their products fail early just to sell replacements, their reputation depends on long service life.

It doesn’t take very much at all to lubricate a caged ball bearing. If you think otherwise then please explain how 2-stroke crankshaft bearing last with nothing but premix?

What good excessive grease sometimes serves is to provide a barrier from outside dirt and grime between the seal and the bearing. Motorcycle wheels typically use the same sort of caged ball bearings as mower spindles, idlers, and 2-stroke crankshafts. Sealed ball bearings plus an external dust seal as part of the hub. (I’d like to see mower spindles do this.) I leave the factory grease alone in sealed bearings but pack the space between bearing seal and hub dust seal with waterproof grease. Makes a huge difference in bearing life on hard ridden dirt bikes.

 

[RevB]

You know every shade tree mechanic “knows” bearing companies skimp on grease. Or maybe NTN, Timken, SKF, NSK, etc know more about their product than you? They are not going to save 0.1% to make their products fail early just to sell replacements, their reputation depends on long service life.

It doesn’t take very much at all to lubricate a caged ball bearing. If you think otherwise then please explain how 2-stroke crankshaft bearing last with nothing but premix?

What good excessive grease sometimes serves is to provide a barrier from outside dirt and grime between the seal and the bearing. Motorcycle wheels typically use the same sort of caged ball bearings as mower spindles, idlers, and 2-stroke crankshafts. Sealed ball bearings plus an external dust seal as part of the hub. (I’d like to see mower spindles do this.) I leave the factory grease alone in sealed bearings but pack the space between bearing seal and hub dust seal with waterproof grease. Makes a huge difference in bearing life on hard ridden dirt bikes.

Precisely. There is a thing as too much lubrication. Are the balls supposed to skid or roll. I'll take roll every time. Too much creates a hydrodynamic wedge of lubricant just ahead of the ball and with nowhere else to go the lubricant makes the ball, with whatever tolerance is left to the ball, start to climb on the wedge and skid without rolling.