I just bought two new spindles for my zero turn cub cadet. My old ones are so far gone I'm not sure how the new ones are supposed to be. Is this vertical play normal?View My Video
You need about .005" to .010 " for the bearings to be able to turn and not bind when hot.
That amount of free play is way way too much
Did you buy them as a complete unit ?
And which model cub is it , numbers from under the seat please
Most spindles do not come with pre threaded holes. You use self tapping bolts.
I use a tap to cut the threads.
This is what your spindle assembly should look like
partstree.com/parts/cub-cadet/mowers-zero-turn-lawn-mower/rzt42-17ae2acg010-cub-cadet-rzt-42-zero-turn-mower-kohler-2010/mower-deck/
It appeas there are 3 spacers .
Two between the bearings and one on top of the upper bearing under the pulley.
The two between the bearings should be slightly shorter than the distance between the shoulders the bearings sit home against.
The one on top should then push the top of the pulley above the end of the thread so the top nut can pull the whole shooting match tight.
And then there is the spindle nut itself, there are quite a few variations on it each with different thread lengths and different shoulders.
So if you still have the old pulleys and top spacers, check them and the spindles themselves against the new ones
The original spindle nut has a thick shoulder which takes the place of the washer and carefully controls the amount of cush that can be applied to the bearing center races.
Some after market spindles are supplied with plain nuts and washers so they can fit a lot of different decks