[dodge trucker]

1. working on a 50A deck belonging to a friend. got it stripped and coated with POR 15 waiting for it to dry. Pulleys are shot, especially the center double one. I have here a 44A that someone put all new ones onto, seems a waste considering the shape that the shell is in. ( have an older style one that came on my 129, same way) Anyways I am wanting to swap the good parts off of that rotten 44A and put onto the 50A. The question here is that the part of center one from the 44 that the drive belt from the clutch rides on is smaller than that part of the on from the 50. Besides speeding up the blade speed, is there any reason I couldn't use that center one from the 44 on the 50?

2. same 50A deck.... I found a PN for the OEM belt and found put that it is supposed to be 1/2X 85-1/2" long. Other than going 15 miles in a direction that I never go, and having to take time off of work early so that I can catch them "open"/ besides being "exactly OEM" (this tractor is not a trailer queen/show piece so I don't care about style points) would it hurt to run a 85" belt instead? I got a Gates "green" L&G rated one and the only choices I have are either 85 or 86". and I can get 2 for the cost of 1 OEM belt.

3. I have another (this one's mine) nice 50" shell, that is totally bare that I'd like to build up and put onto either my 1200 or more likely my 129. If the shell is solid how important is that stiffener plate that is sandwiched between the spindles and the deck? Cuz I don't have one for it. Judging by my buddy's deck (the on that Q's 1&2 above pertain to) it is a water/ moisture trap.
Ultimately Id like to find a 50" deck that is otherwise "shot" to harvest that and a belt cover from but don't have it yet.