Craftsman LT1000 Maintenance And Drive Belt Replacement

[@drivesalot0063]

Another excellent show and job well done. I do enjoy watching you troubleshoot and repair the small engines. Cleaning up puts the finishing touch on the project. Thanks for sharing. 😃👍

[@hester781]

Thank you very much! I agree, I think that just wraps up every project very nicely 👍🏻

[@mikelewis5758]

I love our 2003 LT1000. GREAT mower!

[@hester781]

They really are fantastic mowers! I wish they didn't change them

[@ScoutCrafter]

Awesome mower- Awesome service! Good for another 20 years! 😃👍

[@hester781]

Thanks Scout! A little bit of maintenance definitely goes a long way with these old tractors!

[@markgeorge3960]

Great lesson on rebuilding the spindle - thanks for the video!

[@hester781]

Thank you! 👍🏻

[@goofe.washington953]

I really DO like to see the before and after once they get a bath. This was an excellent video, by the way.

[@hester781]

Thank you very much! I like the before and after as well 👍🏻

[@MrGoosePit]

I appreciated seeing how you rebuilt the spindle. Nice! I'm all for you giving the mowers/equipment a power wash. The before/after is often very dramatic. Thanks Hester!

[@hester781]

Thank you for the feedback! 👍🏻

[@octaviofigueroafigueroa9794]

Hello. Thanks for your lessons and sharing your experience. Always it is better to take a Bath. The difference is huge!

[@hester781]

Thank you! I agree a good cleanup really does finish off the job on a high note👍🏻

[@thomasroche164]

Another great video.

[@hester781]

Thank you 👍🏻

[@TLMD]

I was yelling at you to put that spacer in brother! I am glad to see you are still rocking it. Great work brother!

[@hester781]

I could hear ya brother!! 😂 thanks my friend 👍🏻

[@davidlaws1438]

Another great video brother, and i may add its so to see someone who isn't covered in tattoos. Respect!!

[@hester781]

Thank you! 👍🏻

[@Rein_Ciarfella]

I’m watching donyboy right now at work. I’ll get to yours later, ok? 😂🔧👍

[@Big_Johns]

🤣Rein I have yet to hear Donyboy say "gabbage" once. 🤣

[@hester781]

Story of my life, secondhand Rose 😂😂😂

[@hester781]

Often imitated, never duplicated 😂👍🏻

[@Rein_Ciarfella]

@@Big_Johns😂

[@Big_Johns]

@@Rein_Ciarfella 👍🙂

[@philliphall5198]

Very good old mowers and easy to work on 😊 I got a lot like it just waiting for to get new belts and new blades Carb are dry but I’m sure after 15 years they will need cleaning and kits 😊

[@hester781]

Hopefully not but you never know 👍🏻

[@Rein_Ciarfella]

My personal preference is to thoroughly clean most OPE BEFORE starting to work on it. Keeps debris out of the shop, allows me to see issues that might be hidden under the gunk and just makes working on this equipment a more enjoyable experience overall.

[@hester781]

Agreed there are many more benefits to cleaning beforehand. It's more of an icing on the cake thing to do it at the end. Maybe I'll try washing first on my next video 👍🏻

[@billsimpson604]

Those belts with the Kevlar cord in them are some durable. You were lucky that carb didn't have blocked jets, with that alcohol/water goo in there. I am fortunate that alcohol free gas is available at gas stations in Louisiana. I use it in my old 2000 Ford Expedition even though it cost more. ( With no road salt here, the thing won't die! ) Some fellow has a video where he drilled out the rivets in his steel deck idler pulleys and replaced the bearings. He put bolts in the rivet holes. I guess he was looking for a challenge. I never realized how the 2 halves of the pulley must be held together while drilling because they must match perfectly in order to get the bearing between them when the bolts are tightened. As I recall, he bolted the 2 halves together before starting the drilling. His time was not a consideration, since it took a while to do all that. He bought the bolts & nuts on Amazon, so they were cheap. And he never has to buy another pulley. I put a couple of drops of motor oil on the top of my tractor pulleys and turn them by hand until the oil gets inside them. Then I wipe off the excess oil. That will last for several years as long as the bearings aren't severely worn to begin with. The Craftsman 42 inch tractor with the plastic General Transmission has 4 plastic idler pulleys under the frame.

[@hester781]

I definitely got lucky with this one! And I've always wanted to experiment with rebuilding a riveted pulley. Someday!

[@RANDY12764]

Nice job!

[@hester781]

Thank you!👍🏻

[@bertgrau3934]

A very nice job. Looks good sounds good. Just a suggestion with the idler pulleys. Drill out the spot welds take the 2 halves apart remove the bearing (usually a 6203) then use half inch 1/4 20 bolts and lock nuts to put back together. The best part is if the bearing goes bad, it's much easier to replace just the bearing. I've done that, saved an easy $25 . On a 48 inch cut John Deere

[@hester781]

I've come close to doing that a few times with some of the more expensive pulleys. However these were about $10 each. I'm definitely gonna try that method in the future though

[@bertgrau3934]

@@hester781 10 dollars is a good buy. Good luck sir.

[@Big_Johns]

Nice job Hester, did you say Tra-Bone?? 🤣🤣

[@hester781]

😂😂😂 possibly

[@Big_Johns]

🤣👍🏼🤣

[@gsdewd1994]

Sears parts direct has the parts break down on those mowers. Its where I get my info for Craftsman mowers from

[@Rein_Ciarfella]

Great tip! We all know about the usual places to look up parts but I forgot about Sears/Craftsman, so thanks for that. Bookmarked!🔧👍

[@hester781]

Believe it or not that's one of the places I tried, and it came up but did not have any parts diagrams/numbers

[@Rein_Ciarfella]

@@hester781 D’oh!

[@Rein_Ciarfella]

Do you think the leak in that gas tank was a failure of the adhesive bonding the two halves together? I’m thinking at least a temporary fix for that specific tank might be the superglue/baking soda trick. Of course most would probably go for JBWeld, although I’ve had problems in the past with getting it to bond to some surfaces.

[@hester781]

I think the plastic tank was breaking down, hence the yellowing and discoloration. I suspect this unit was kept outdoors most of its life. I've used an epoxy called PC7 in the past for plastic tanks and it has worked great! Definitely need to sand/scuff up the surface before using it though 👍🏻

[@Rein_Ciarfella]

I’m much more inclined to replace spindle bearings than to throw money at whole new spindles. Working on a really tight budget I’d rather spend the time and get paid for my labor instead of getting paid for parts. That bearing puller set is currently $34 on Amazon Prime - I’d rather end up with a tool! It’s more empowering than firing the parts cannon!

[@hester781]

Agreed, it's cheaper to rebuild and in many cases easier!

[@milliethedonut7880]

For gas tank leaks gorrila glue works

[@philliphall5198]

It’s getting harder to find old riding mowers anymore and some are just junk period, all I want is parts for the fleet I have running

[@hester781]

You are correct 👍🏻

[@Rein_Ciarfella]

Any time I work on spindles without zerks I install one and grease the whole assembly while I’m at it. At the very least it keeps water out.

[@hester781]

That's a solid point 👍🏻

[@frankie7508]

My recommendation is to wash the machine before you start just like musty does. That way it's easier for all to see what you're doing and easier for you to work on. And can you please explain why you did not change the oil, Oil filter and inspect the spark plug? Otherwise a very nice repair as usual, Thank you very much. 👍👍👍

[@Rein_Ciarfella]

I agree about washing first! Personal preference, of course.

[@hester781]

I do agree there are many benefits to washing first, including giving yourself a clean machine to work on. I just figured washing after was more of an "icing on the cake" effect. Perhaps I'll try washing first on the next one! As far as the oil change goes, this unit will get one after I've mowed with it a few times. I just figured on long videos oil changes can get sort of monotonous to some viewers, I'm still experimenting with what people want to see and what they wish I would leave out lol. With spark plugs in general if I don't have any issues I generally don't touch them, though I do agree with you that it's good practice to inspect them 👍🏻

[@frankie7508]

@@hester781 One thing to remember, Hester, Many of the people watching your videos want to know how to make the repairs and are Not unterested in the icing on the cake. I think most of your customers, And I count my self as one of them, Want the cake.

[@Rein_Ciarfella]

@@hester781 I always clean and gap the original plugs unless they’re crap mfr like Torch, in which I replace, always NGK. Like to see oil changes as part of regular service of any machine, but fast forwarding would be good.

[@1Lindseyw1]

wers with the poor man power steering kit needle thrust i like them usually check related like tire pressures linkages steering gear and i put flanged bearings in the wheels am doing it with mowers i sell

[@hester781]

I installed one of those kits a month or two ago with a friend of mine, I have to say I really like it 👍🏻

[@philliphall5198]

I been buying the brg a hundred at a time, it’s cheaper and I hate running out during summer bussiness

[@hester781]

👍🏻👍🏻

[@LoganHester-1489]

My last name is Hester

[@hester781]

Small world! 👍🏻