Lenco Turntable L75 question

Ralph, In replacing the idler wheel, which aftermarket part do you prefer?  My own Lenco was purchased NOS.  Thus I have had no need to replace its idler wheel, and there are aspects of the available replacements that give me pause.  Low mass would seem to be desirable, yet some of the replacements seem to be higher in mass than the original.  Narrow tread is desirable in order to avoid "scrubbing", as the platter is traveling in an arc while the tire of the idler wheel must travel in a straight line.  Yet most of the replacement idlers I have seen have a wider tread than the original.  Wider tread would have the advantage of a larger contact patch between tread and undersurface of platter, thereby increasing the max torque that can be transmitted from idler wheel to platter.  But scrubbing would seem to be a poor trade-off for that gain.  Which is maybe why there is a business related to repairing or re-treading original idler wheels.

Ralph, please don't forget about the Garrard 401!

There are upgrade kits that are worthwhile. The plinth of the original machine is a weak point, as well as the arm and platter pad.
It has a robust drive, which is important with any turntable. That is the main reason the 'table has a following, just like the Garrard 301, Empire 208, Technics SP10 and a few others.

You can damp the plinth, but the problem is its not particularly rigid, and the coupling between the platter and the base of the arm is pretty important to reduce coloration. To that end, the plinth as to be both very rigid and very acoustically dead. In this way, if the platter is vibrating, the base of the arm is vibrating in the same plane and its a lot harder for the cartridge to pick that up. So it has less coloration.

The original idler should be replaced in any event.

"   sounds good.....should I upgrade "

if it sounds good then why not just leave it alone and enjoy the music ....

but if you were to upgrade, how much are you looking to spend ?