OEM is the moniker for Original Equipment Manufacturer – used to refer to the makers of the brands we know and love.
These are the companies that design, build, and market the lawnmowers, snowblowers, chainsaws, ditch diggers, aerators, … and I could go on. During the design phase, some engineers with fancy computer programs concluded that what they needed to make the thing go, was a pulley and a belt. Not just any pulley, though.
THAT pulley. Could it have been an inch smaller or a different color? Perhaps made of aluminum or titanium? Maybe, but we’ll never know because they made a choice. And forever more, when someone wants to fix them sometimes one OEM makes all or parts of many different brands.
For example, MTD is one of the biggest OEMs of lawncare machinery, and they make lawnmowers under their own brand as well as popular names like Craftsman, Huskee, and Yard Machine.
When your bearing freezes and an idler stops spinning, you may feel driven to just lie around waiting for your 2012 13AL78ST099 Craftsman Riding Mower to fix itself[1], or… you can go hunting for replacements.
That’s where the phrase “Genuine OEM Replacement” comes into play. Any part you see labeled like this on our site is exactly the same part MTD or Ariens or Husqvarna designed to place into
Feast your eyes on this pulley again:
It’s a stunning flat idler pulley featuring a drain hole, a powder metal bore adapter, and a paint black finish. Constructed of spot-welded steel, and a 5/8" bearing, this product is a favorite with lawnmowers all over the country.
If you search through your owners manual (you can find these online if you lost the paper copy) and see item number 756-04224 on page 16? Then we can 100% guarantee that this pulley is identical to the part engineers originally used when designing the machine you may or may not have left outside all winter.
Order and in just a few days you’ll have no more excuses for not doing your share of the household chores… sorry about that. As a sop for your upcoming wounds, use code O-Em-G at checkout to receive 10% off your next order!
Sometimes, not so much, as it turns out. Tune in soon for information on our “Guaranteed to Fit” and “Close Match” replacement options.