Ok....what's the trick?  I used a rachet strap and I can almost get it to set but only half will go up on the bead and I can't get the other side to pop up there. I've tried soapy water which in the past has worked when putting mower tires on and I even hit it with silicone spray because that's rubber friendly. Still no dice. Is there a trick I'm missing to get the 2nd side to pop up over the shoulder? I haven't really put a ton of pressure in the tire because I don't want to pop it but I've had 30-34psi in it and it still won't pop over the shoulder.

Got my rear hubs and wheels here. I test fit it up just to see what it looks like and how everything is going to fit. With where the keyway ends and the gap between the wheel and transaxle I'm going to have to run a brake hat correct? How long is a brake hat? I just want to make sure everything fits before I order parts I don't need......like the 3/4-1.25" bushing I ordered thinking I could run a hub for the disc. I'm also guessing I'll have to use the inner mounting points on the transaxle. It looks like everything will fit as long as that brake hat will get me back to the keyway and not be too long or short.

Lets hear some other things you guys are into and see some pictures. I do a lot of different things and they usually involve my family in one way or the other. If it's something the wife and kids can't or don't want to do they at least go along with me 99% of the time. I've been BBQing for a long time. I have 2 other buddies that started a few years after I did ( after eating smoked food here at the house). We get the families together several times a year and cook/drink beer. These usually turn into huge gatherings because the word gets out a little more every year. I would say that's been my main passion the last few years.
Last year we decided to enter some competitions. Didn't do half bad for the set up we were working with. We just used 4 texas style smokers like you find at wal-mart or places like that. Mounted those on a utility trailer and headed out. Our best contest we took a 10th in chicken, 6th in pork, and 3rd in ribs. Here's a picture of our set up. Notice we tend to place more emphasis on comfort.  That's my 5er I wagged to all the competitions. Due to schedules this summer we won't be able to enter any competitions but we'll still get together regularly and cook. It's become tradition.

I just took my stock pulley off.....fought that thing the whole way. haha Started out trying to use a 3 jaw puller which quickly became pointless. Ended up drilling 2 holes in the bottom pulley and used a harmonic balancer puller....came right off once I done that. My question is on the key......I didn't see one drop out and don't see one in the pulley or crank. Just wanted to make sure it has one from the factory. I'm thinking it has too but I don't see where it went. Granted.....my garage looks like a lawnmower blew up in it so if it flew out of there it may have went under something.



nice looking pulley here huh? haha

First an introduction.
 My name is Tim and I live in Central Ohio. Married with 2 kids ( 5 and 8.) with a 3rd on the way. I have a ton of hobbies already that take up a ton of time and money. I have a 98 firebird formula with heads/cam and stall that runs mid 11's......that's been my main hobby for years and I've done all the work on it. I'm an avid bowhunter and I basically live in the woods from Oct to Feb every year. I have an 06 duramax that's a limited hobby because it has to stay dependable.....basically just have the torsion bars cranked a little to accomodate 33's and a safe 90HP tow tune I did with efilive. I'm also part of a BBQ team that competed for the first time last year....we took 10th overall in the state.
I don't need another hobby. Unfortunately my brother gave me his Craftsman rider with a 17.5hp engine to tinker with. It had a broken drag link which I replaced. Originally I wanted to just strip it and make something to play around in the yard on. I started out looking for a way to add a foot throttle to it and maybe a little larger pulley in the front but the more I read the more I'm liking the racer idea. The problem will be funding. It'll be hard to justify the money to the wife for a racing mower. I think what I'll do is just do it a little at a time and make it a long term project. Reading everything has been a bit overwhelming. I read the build that George Herrin did and that might be an end goal or something down the road I can do but I'm going to need to start much simpler (and cheaper) than that. It needs to be something I can do a little at a time. I'm also not going to build it wrong or unsafe....that's not how I do things. I like to do things as right as I'm able. That all being said......after I figure out this throttle situation what should be the first thing I address on the mower? I don't mind going slow for a while until I can get everything else into place but I'm not exactly sure where I should start at. On my car the heads/cam were the last things I did to it. I did all the other work first because making the power means nothing if you're constantly breaking things. Any help and guidance is greatly appreciated.

ps
I did read in several places about using a bike brake to control the throttle but I just can't help to think there has to be a better way than that. I will do that if I have to but that sure seems like the worst way to do it.