BX2200 MMM Deck Noise

[JWR]

I would check the blades for balance, and it would be a pain, but remove the mower deck belt and spin the blades to check for noisy spindle and idler pulley bearings. Bearings can be tight, but still have rough races that can make a lot of noise. While the belt is off, engage the PTO and see if the drive shaft or gearbox is making any noise.

Good suggestions. It'll be a few days before I get the thing hauled here where I can work on it beside the other one. Needs doing.

 

[JWR]

Are the blades identical on both decks or does one have stock Kubota blades and the other mulching or aftermarket blades?

Both have the same Kubota-dealer blades but the noisy deck blades are over 8 years old and the other ones were new last season.

 

[diesel85]

If not greased every 10-15 hours, the bearings will wear out a lot quicker.

Also, if you let the bearings go, you will wind up wallowing out the pulley bosses by a couple thousand and that will also cause vibration issues, even with new bearings. Which will actually make the new bearings fail quicker.

I typically get 200-250 hours out of set of bearings on my BX MMM before needing replacement. As soon as I hear that bearing noise, I stop mowing and replace the bearings.

Replacing the bearings is easy -- dealing with the belt is not for the faint of heart.

This is from experience and a ton of mowing.

 

[JWR]

If not greased every 10-15 hours, the bearings will wear out a lot quicker.

Also, if you let the bearings go, you will wind up wallowing out the pulley bosses by a couple thousand and that will also cause vibration issues, even with new bearings. Which will actually make the new bearings fail quicker.

I typically get 200-250 hours out of set of bearings on my BX MMM before needing replacement. As soon as I hear that bearing noise, I stop mowing and replace the bearings.

Replacing the bearings is easy -- dealing with the belt is not for the faint of heart.

This is from experience and a ton of mowing.

On the non-noisy deck (bought in 2003) I have put 700 hrs on it over the last 19 years. Never touched the bearings. Grease them 2 or 3 times per season. Same with a heavier ground-following Kubota deck on a B2150 I've been running since 1993. Maybe I've just been lucky. No doubt I do not do the volume of mowing you do.

 

[arto98607]

Another possibility is a spindle or pulley bearing going bad, even though you've made sure it was greased.

The belts can also wear/stretch. Maybe swap just the belts between the decks to see if anything changes.

In the end, if it were me, I wouldn't worry about the noise. If it is a spindle bearing going bad, I would just use it until it (the spindle) breaks. I say that because it's a royal pain to get spindles off, so it's not easy to swap them around for testing purposes.

You've checked everything pretty thoroughly, and there's nothing obvious, so it seems safe to use.


I wear the ear coverings (like headphones) when I mow; that's the best way to fix the noise.....

Wow, "use it until it (the spindle) breaks."

That could be expensive, depending on the deck model?


I suggest OP remove the blade to blade belt and rotate blades individually by hand & listen for unusual bearing noise, as well as check if there is any unusual side by side slack?
(I am not familiar with BX2200 MMM, but the deck drive shaft may also have to be disconnected?)

If needed, spindle bearings are cheap to replace by home mechanic.

​

 

[JWR]

Wow, "use it until it (the spindle) breaks."

That could be expensive, depending on the deck model?


I suggest OP remove the blade to blade belt and rotate blades individually by hand & listen for unusual bearing noise, as well as check if there is any unusual side by side slack?
(I am not familiar with BX2200 MMM, but the deck drive shaft may also have to be disconnected?)

If needed, spindle bearings are cheap to replace by home mechanic.

​

Good input. See post #11. It will be a while before I can get to it but I will be giving it a serious shakedown and investigation soon, including what you just mentioned. Tks.