LT-155 Mower Deck Modification
Pulley Shroud
The 38 inch mower deck has a flaw in design that this modification helps correct. The pedestal containing the bearings and shaft for the blade on the left side is covered by a shroud. I suppose this was done to keep fingers out of that area and to help keep the belt on the pulley when the blades are not engaged. The problem is that the area surrounding the pedestal is set down in the deck with one small drain hole and no where for debris to go when you wash off the deck. Grass and dirt will collect under the shroud and cause rusting of the pedestal and deck. The grease fitting for the bearings is also hidden under the shroud. This modification provides access to the grease fitting and 3 cleanout holes which will give you a way to wash debris out of that area.
(click the small pictures to see a larger picture in a new browser window)
This bad belt is what started this whole process.
I decided to replace the blades too. The underside of the deck was pretty well sanded so after washing off the grass I sprayed it with cold galvanizing.
This is the left blade pulley. Notice how that pedistal sits in a depression in the deck. The drain hole is seen just to the left of the pulley in this view.
See how the pedistal has rusted? See the grease fitting that was well hidden behind the shroud?
This shows the rust problem well. That is the drain hole just to the right of the base.
This is the modified shroud. I cut three 1-1/2" holes in the shroud with a hole saw. Note the marks on the deck where I was trying to determine the best locations for the holes. The right most hole lines up with the grease fitting. The left most hole provides a good cleanout of the area surrounding the drain hole.
This is the grease fitting viewed through the new hole in the shroud. My grease gun works perfect through this hole.
This is the center hole and just provides a central point in the shroud to spray water through to clean it out.
This is the left most hole in the shroud. You can see the drain hole in the deck.
Shroud in place, new belt in place, we're ready to re-install the deck.