Rebuilding 42 Inch Deck for Poulan PXT16542 Tractor

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Finally, after going all summer and replacing parts, my Poulan 42 inch riding lawn mower mows like new again. I broke down and bought a kit off eBay which included 2 new blades, both deck spindle tower assemblies, and all 4 pulleys.

It would turn out that just rebuilding the deck was better than replacing one part at a time, after-all the kit was only $76.00 delivered to the door.

The kit was supposed to include a belt however it didn't but they sent me 3 extra blades as opposed to the belt. My old belt actually worked just fine with all new pulleys. I went to tractor supply and bought a 95" belt for no reason.

Removing deck from tractor

The deck has five hangers. Two in the front, two in the back and a rear hanger. All are adjustable and can be removed by pulling the cotter pins.

Removing the deck made accessing stuff much easier. I simply jacked up the front corner with a harbor freight shop jack, then you can access all the cotter pins holding the deck on. I noticed removal and re-assembly of this deck was fairly simple compared to other 42" decks that I have done in the past.

Actually removing the deck was well worth the work as the lawn mower mows like new again. It was very similar to an older Husqvarna hydrostatic tractor that I had with a kohler engine on it, however it seemed like this deck was a lot lighter and easier to get off and on.

Prepping the Deck

While I had the deck off and after I removed all the old components, I power washed both sides of the deck. This makes it so things go back into place properly and without to much of a fight.

While I washed it the best I could with a garden hose and nozzle, I did not have the power washing machine running. It did a good enough job to get us up and running, like new. Somewhat clean is much better than not clean at all.

Tools for rebuilding the deck

I utilized the following tools for the removal of the deck, pulleys, and re-installation. Be very careful when torquing on the bolts, unless you have the bolts to replace them. I actually broke one of the pulley bolts upon trying to re-install. Luckily, I had a bolt on hand with the square notch however it was to long and I had to cut it with a cut-off wheel.

• Flat head screw driver.
• Air impact driver.
• 13 MM deep well socket.
• 24 MM socket.

What the Rebuild Kit Includes

• 2 x idler pulleys
• 2 x tower spindle pulleys
• 2 x tower spindle assemblies
• 2 x blades

What the kit lacked

• 95 inch by 1/2 inch pto belt

Cast Aluminum Spindle Assembly

I have broken many of the aluminum spindle assemblies over the years. It has not been uncommon to replace them 5 times over a summer. It seems a stronger material could be used to build the assemblies.

It doesn't matter if it was purchased off eBay or Amazon either assembly broke within weeks. I would just jack the tractor up, remove the blade and tower and replace it, as it broke.

Removal of Unnecessary stuff

Aside from not having the plastic guards to put back onto the deck, I also removed the following circled items that I deem unnecessary.