Pulleys rubbing together on 226

[Human02]

Noticed something weird today while running my 226, two of the pulleys up front are rubbing together more than they should. It's not constant, but when I engage the PTO, there's a slight grind and some fresh wear marks where they're making contact but then the belt tension seems fine, and everything seems aligned as far as I can tell, so I'm wondering if one of the pulleys is out of round or maybe a bushing is going soft, who can help please, trying to catch it before it turns into a bigger fix.

 

[MowAndGo]

I get what's going on,the pivot point for the tensioner is worn out, which is making the pulley twist and hit the idler. It looks like you should think about rebuilding or replacing that pivot bushing or shaft

 

[Clara12_]

That sounds frustrating, it could definitely be a pulley issue or a worn bushing causing the grind. I'd suggest getting a pro to check it soon before it gets worse

 

[SodaPop]

@Human02 I think you've already done some good checks
My first guess, even if it looks aligned, is a failing bearing or bushing in one of those pulleys, or possibly even in the PTO clutch itself, that's causing just enough deflection under load.
When you engage the PTO, the increased torque and tension can expose tiny amounts of play that aren't visible when it's just spinning freely
Try feeling for any slop in the pulleys when the engine's off and the belt's off, wiggle them by hand

 

[Christian Dior]

@SodaPop That's exactly what happened to me this one time. It looked fine until I put a load on it, then it started kissing the idler LOL IDK!!! I swapped the bearing and thankfully it cleared right there and then.

Btw OP. @MowAndGo has got a good call on the pivot shaft. If it's even a little worn, the whole pulley starts to drift when tension kicks in.

 

[PTOtatoFarmer]

It seems like you might be dealing with a worn bushing or bearing that's causing the pulley to wobble. To check it out, try wiggling each pulley by hand while the engine is off to see if there's any play. Don't forget to look for any bent flanges or debris stuck in between the pulleys. It's best to fix this as soon as you can, since any metal contact could end up damaging both pulleys.