Craftsman T-240 Deck Spindle Grease

GearHead36 said:
Same here. I grease my spindles, too. Here is the video that TSE is likely referring to. After watching this video, if you still think greasing spindles does no good, then I don't know what to say. Having said that, you DO have to fill the spindle until grease squirts out. The first time you do this, it will take a lot of grease.
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Sometimes it takes up to 150 pumps from grease gun to get the grease to just start to come out. There is a lot of pressure that builds up as you fill the spindle with grease at the end when it is full. Once the bearing heats up as well as the grease, it migrates into the bearing as needed, along with the pressure of the filled spindle cavity.
My Scag has almost 2000 hours on it with original spindles. I have a Toro with almost 1800 hours and original spindles. Grease is good! My experience has been that most people do a poor job of greasing their equipment.
 
Tiger Small Engine said:
Sometimes it takes up to 150 pumps from grease gun to get the grease to just start to come out. There is a lot of pressure that builds up as you fill the spindle with grease at the end when it is full. Once the bearing heats up as well as the grease, it migrates into the bearing as needed, along with the pressure of the filled spindle cavity.
My Scag has almost 2000 hours on it with original spindles. I have a Toro with almost 1800 hours and original spindles. Grease is good! My experience has been that most people do a poor job of greasing their equipment.
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A few years ago, I bought a (well) used commercial ZTR. The hour meter showed 380 hrs, but it looked WELL used for only 380 hrs. All of the spindles were dry. One had play, and I replaced it. I guess I should be happy that the other two, despite being dry, had no play. They are all greased now.

If you grease spindles like you grease, say ball joints, with 2-3 pumps, grease won't make it to the bearings, which will then fail at 100 hrs. Then you'll cuss at the sealed bearings, when the problem was really that you didn't put in enough grease.
 
Again Gearhead rubber sealed bearing will accept grease until the inner seals are removed. And even you risk blowing the outer seals. I know sure about this. I have done both collapse the inner seals and blown the outer seals. Stop listening to the JackA on YouTube.

I tried numerous time using my cone bearing packer which is designed to push grease into bearings and every time it has failed to work. Now the silver none rubber seals will take grease as they are not fully sealed.
 
GearHead36 said:
A few years ago, I bought a (well) used commercial ZTR. The hour meter showed 380 hrs, but it looked WELL used for only 380 hrs. All of the spindles were dry. One had play, and I replaced it. I guess I should be happy that the other two, despite being dry, had no play. They are all greased now.

If you grease spindles like you grease, say ball joints, with 2-3 pumps, grease won't make it to the bearings, which will then fail at 100 hrs. Then you'll cuss at the sealed bearings, when the problem was really that you didn't put in enough grease.
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No one tells you, nor is it in the owners manual that the spindle is dry inside and needs a full new tube of grease to fill two or three of them. Only those of us on forums like this know.
 
TiIngot said:
No one tells you, nor is it in the owners manual that the spindle is dry inside and needs a full new tube of grease to fill two or three of them. Only those of us on forums like this know.
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Agreed. Until about 3 yrs ago, I was doing what most people were... hitting the spindles with about 5 pumps, and wondering why I didn't see any grease coming out, and surely 5 pumps is enough, right? Then I saw the video I linked to.
 
GearHead36 said:
Agreed. Until about 3 yrs ago, I was doing what most people were... hitting the spindles with about 5 pumps, and wondering why I didn't see any grease coming out, and surely 5 pumps is enough, right? Then I saw the video I linked to.
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Most people don’t even own a grease gun, or much less, even know how to use it. One of the main reasons many of the newer mower are coming with non-serviceable sealed bearings with no grease zerks.
 
ILENGINE said:
And how many showers would they have to take between loading the grease gun and actually getting the mower greased. Seems like people can't stand any dirt on them.
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They cannot text with greasy thumbs or do a You tube google search. Phone becomes slippery.

The grease and dirt will get on their phone screen.
(and Lava soap is too harsh on hands and fingers that text)

Several people (mower operators) do not know how to refill a grease gun or that they are re-fillable.

ASK AI
 
Tiger Small Engine said:
Most people don’t even own a grease gun, or much less, even know how to use it. One of the main reasons many of the newer mower are coming with non-serviceable sealed bearings with no grease zerks.
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I have at least 4. I inherited my dad's workshop which is still a mess, so I may have one or two I don't know about. Does that make my collection a "grease gun arsenal"? :ROFLMAO: I'll see myself out.

The "non-serviceable sealed bearings with no grease zerks" thing is, IMO, a problem. With grease zerks, you at least know that it needs to be maintained. If ignored, the owner can't claim ignorance. "Sealed" components (spindles, transmissions, etc) give the false impression that they're maintenance-free. I guess they ARE maintenance-free... right up to the day they die.
 
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