RSD......Spindle Lub?

[motoman]

I have read this explanation before and find it interesting. My Craftsman dyt 4000 has zerks and middle one is a giant PIA to access. I grease them a couple times in the summer. What I find interesting is that after pumping at least 3-4 cartridges down the zerks I have never seen a drop expelled or dripping (hot grease like oil). Further it is hard to imagine a mfgr playing to our anxiety or fetish . (Gotta grease a zerk,gotta grease a zerk...). The big box units are carefully priced and why would MTD or Sears put another ?$5 worth of parts on when 75% of owners don't read their manuals , and could not describe or recognize a zerk? Finally forum member have described some spindle bearings with total seals on one side but partial seals on the other (to let zerk grease in and out?) I guess this will remain one of the final big mysteries of life. Right up there with where the missing socks go and how come I never see the mattress tag police.:laughing:

 

[clay45]

My 1996 Jeep Cherokee was the last vehicle I owned that I had to grease. So far I haven't missed it because I get all I can stand with my mower. :laughing:

 

[AYSKOFI]

I don't like this,just how often to replace bearings then?

Look under the deck. hustler in their wisdom chose to nstall them where you wouldn't dream of looking. You must not have noticed the "Smile, you're on Candid Camera" sign.

 

[bertsmobile1]

lack of greas fittings is an EPA regulation AFAIK.
We get a lot of grey import domestic Toros down here.
None of the ones with California EPA compliance sickers have a grease nipple any where.
The Aust version have nipples on the front casters, caster pivots , spindles, tensioning arm pivots, & deck mounts.

OTOH most of the commercial Toro's do have nipples fitted but as noted previously the spindle one are in the side, under the deck.
If the deck is fitted with a easy clean hose fitting then there are no grease nipples ( EPA again ? )
I oft remove the entire spindle housing and rotate it to make the nipples where fitted easy to get at, seems the factory fit them in a random orientation.

 

[Ric]

I don't like this,just how often to replace bearings then?

I think most manufacturers are going to the sealed bearings especially on the residential mowers. I have three Toro commercial mowers that get used daily during season and all have sealed bearings throughout, the GS has averaged close to 200 hours a year for the last 3 years and never gave me the first hit of trouble with the bearings.Hustler makes one of the best mowers on the market, my guess is you don't have to worry about sealed bearings.

 

[bertsmobile1]

FWIW I have around 7 ( that I know of ) Great Dane chariots in my service run.
All of them have sealed ball barings in the spindles.
According to GD these are to be replaced annually
The hardest used one about 1500 hrs / year goes through a set of top bearings every two years according to the owner and a set of bottoms every second set of tops ( approx 4 years).
I have only had this run for a couple of years so am yet to get into the long term cycles.

OTOH, if you are going to change the blades it is only another 5 minutes per spindle to change the bearings at the same time and down here the bearings are arond $ 10 each retail so onerious to neither the life nor wallet.

A little trick I picked up early was to run all of the zero turns up on flat decked car ramps.
The ramps are laid on a piece of upside down carpet so when the castors are at the top you can swing the ramps 90 deg out of the way so get under the decks really easy.
When finished I swing the ramps back, lift the front of the mower an inch with an old bumper jack, just far enough to take just enough weight off the front casters to rotate them the right way to reverse the mower off the ramps

 

[SeniorCitizen]

FWIW I have around 7 ( that I know of ) Great Dane chariots in my service run.
All of them have sealed ball barings in the spindles.
According to GD these are to be replaced annually
The hardest used one about 1500 hrs / year goes through a set of top bearings every two years according to the owner and a set of bottoms every second set of tops ( approx 4 years).
I have only had this run for a couple of years so am yet to get into the long term cycles.

OTOH, if you are going to change the blades it is only another 5 minutes per spindle to change the bearings at the same time and down here the bearings are arond $ 10 each retail so onerious to neither the life nor wallet.

A little trick I picked up early was to run all of the zero turns up on flat decked car ramps.
The ramps are laid on a piece of upside down carpet so when the castors are at the top you can swing the ramps 90 deg out of the way so get under the decks really easy.
When finished I swing the ramps back, lift the front of the mower an inch with an old bumper jack, just far enough to take just enough weight off the front casters to rotate them the right way to reverse the mower off the ramps

By changing bearings in 5 minutes can we assume neither of the 2 bearings in the spindles you service are a press fit.

 

[bertsmobile1]

By changing bearings in 5 minutes can we assume neither of the 2 bearings in the spindles you service are a press fit.

May have been new but defineatly not now.

 

[SeniorCitizen]

May have been new but defineatly not now.

Don't attempt to blow smoke up this old man's ***. It ain't gonna work.

 

[Ric]

If the bearing had to be replaced on the Great Dane annually it's no wonder they went out of business and were discontinued.