Kubota3710
Bronze Member
Post 3 of this fix.
The biggest surprise was the way the grease flows to the bearings. In this picture you can see the grease hole in the front axle support. Grease goes into this hole and supplies the PTO shaft with grease. Push the grease though that hole and the grease fills the space in the middle of the PTO shaft and flows forward into the front bearing and aft to the roller bearing. THis is the hole that got filled up with crud and WHY NO GREASE was getting into the pto bearings.
But the surprise was that this hole does not line up with the grease fitting. it is 180 degrees out. Before you tell me I a nut, the bolt hole pattern is not symmetrical, and there is only one way to install it. SO the grease comes in on the opposite side, and flows around the big groove in the middle. It then goes through that hole into the PTO shaft. Alse grease must flow forward and aft in those grooves, but not sure why as that shaft doesn't rotate. Just the PTO shaft that is inside the front axle support.
So not believing it, I put the front axle support in the tractor and shot grease into it. Sure enough, even those the grease fitting is 180 out from this hole, grease comes though the hole to feed the PTO shaft. Still not believing it I wiped out the grease and did it again. Still the same, so.....
So since the hole 180 degrees from the grease fitting was plugged, and you can't see the hole, I'm not sure how I would have ever prevented this problem. You would have to take it apart to know it was happening.
Thanks for help on tackling this issue. The squeal is gone and the mower is spinning great again. Rich

The biggest surprise was the way the grease flows to the bearings. In this picture you can see the grease hole in the front axle support. Grease goes into this hole and supplies the PTO shaft with grease. Push the grease though that hole and the grease fills the space in the middle of the PTO shaft and flows forward into the front bearing and aft to the roller bearing. THis is the hole that got filled up with crud and WHY NO GREASE was getting into the pto bearings.
But the surprise was that this hole does not line up with the grease fitting. it is 180 degrees out. Before you tell me I a nut, the bolt hole pattern is not symmetrical, and there is only one way to install it. SO the grease comes in on the opposite side, and flows around the big groove in the middle. It then goes through that hole into the PTO shaft. Alse grease must flow forward and aft in those grooves, but not sure why as that shaft doesn't rotate. Just the PTO shaft that is inside the front axle support.
So not believing it, I put the front axle support in the tractor and shot grease into it. Sure enough, even those the grease fitting is 180 out from this hole, grease comes though the hole to feed the PTO shaft. Still not believing it I wiped out the grease and did it again. Still the same, so.....
So since the hole 180 degrees from the grease fitting was plugged, and you can't see the hole, I'm not sure how I would have ever prevented this problem. You would have to take it apart to know it was happening.
Thanks for help on tackling this issue. The squeal is gone and the mower is spinning great again. Rich
