7100 Series Hydro Drive Idler Pulley

[Guest]

My 7117H drive idler pulley seems to have an excessive amount of play. After I remove the belt tension (depress clutch), I can grab the pulley and twist it about a 1/4" out of plane to the idler lever arm. It spins freely, and does not make noise, yet it feels "loose" when compared to every other pulley on the tractor. Is this "normal" or should I replace? The tractor drives fine, with no belt slippage, excessive belt wear, or power loss. Any input would be appreciated.

Thank You.

[tej 1]

Thanx for the advice....I think the play is isolated to the pulley, since the idler lever arm does not seem to be loose on its pivots.
When I engage the idler, the pulley does twist out of line with the belt. There is enough flexibility in the belt that the belt simply
"conforms" to the angle the pulley ends up at. It sounds like I should replace it before it chews my new belt. I don't thnk the pulley shaft is worn.
It's just a hex bolt anyway, so I will put a new one in also.

Thank You.
Jeff

[tej 1]

Jeff, Does the whole idler arm move or just the pulley. The idler pulleys generally have sealed ball bearings. If the bearings are rotating freely then the shaft must have excessive wear. If the whole idler arm is moving out of plane then the bushing where the idler arm attaches to the tractor frame must be worn. I had this happen on a 3212 where the bushing was worn bigger on the outer ends than in the middle and the idler arm would rock out of plane when the clutch was depressed. The idler arm for the 3212 was around $20.00 so it wasn't worth my time to drill out and replace the worn bushing. You may be able to snug it up alittle by adding a washer. If it isn't causing any clutching problems you may not have to worry about it. Fred, if I'm out in left field on this one like on the steering please correct me. I just felt compelled to put in my two cents. Tim

[tej 1]

Jeff, when the idler pulley is engaged is running straight with the belt? does everything look lined up? is the pulley straight up and down "plumb". If so don't worry about it. But if the pully is spinning out of line with the belt, or is not plumb, it is time to fix the "loose".
MS