I'm too old for this shit...Part 2

Well, I guess I got a little bit younger. After not getting the lawnmower running when we first put it back together, I guess it was good to take a break.

I still do not see anything wrong with the belt path. I did take another gander at the parts schematic for the mower deck and discovered there is supposed to be a washer between the top of the mandrel bearing and the bottom pulley. Really, how significant can a washer be? I didn't know about the washer because it was either missing to begin with or it disintegrated when the bearing seized. So I trudged to the shop where I bought the second bearing (the correct bearing, if you'll recall) and the young man at the counter simply gave me the washer I needed. Just gave it to me. No $1.29, no $.99, no nothin'. Just gave it to me. Sears would charge me $2.92 for the washer plus a minimum of $4.99 shipping and handling. And it's a rather hefty sized washer, let me tell you.

Now I hope the kid didn't think that the mower would turn up in the shop in the next day or two when he gave me the part. It will definitely go to them when it needs service that I can't perform on it, but this particular service is complete. Done. It be fixed. And no, I don't think it was the washer that made the difference because when it was all put back together, it did the same thing it did the last time I put it back together. I think it was shimmying the belt on one of the pulley's that made the difference. One of the pulleys is twice as wide as the belt is. The lower half of the pulley is all shiny with wear, the upper half dark and oxidized. The belt was sitting on the upper half of the pulley once the deck was re-mounted. I shimmied it down to the shiny side and when we started her up, the blades turned without binding and stopping. Hoo-rah!

I'm rather proud of myself, but I still think I'm too old for this shit...