Mower deck wash ?

[RandyT]

Hmmmm, I got 650 hours on my X300 JD. I have gotten about 300 hours with my spindles then have to replace them. If the bearings are sealed then what good is the grease I put in the housing, just asking. I do rinse under my deck often, is that my downfall ? What is the best way to maintain my spindles? Thanks

The greaseable but sealed spindles are more of a convenience to people that want to grease their spindles, but in reality most people are doing more damage than good. The grease if added too quickly pressurizes the area between the bearings and creates a side loading effect on the balls. Basically tries to push the bearings out the housing,

Actually had a case several years ago with using an aftermarket spindle on an L120 that per the instructions was to pump 10 pumps into the spindle prior to installation. Replaced every one of those 10 hours after installation. Installed the new spindles without grease and they lasted several years.

With sealed bearing but greaseable spindles 3-4 pumps per year is adequate if you want to grease them at all.

 

[5030]

Wow, good thing we are not talking politics here or this thread would go on for 3 pages, OH wait is has !

If it was politics the 'hallowed one' would have closed it.

 

[5030]

The greaseable but sealed spindles are more of a convenience to people that want to grease their spindles, but in reality most people are doing more damage than good. The grease if added too quickly pressurizes the area between the bearings and creates a side loading effect on the balls. Basically tries to push the bearings out the housing,

Actually had a case several years ago with using an aftermarket spindle on an L120 that per the instructions was to pump 10 pumps into the spindle prior to installation. Replaced every one of those 10 hours after installation. Installed the new spindles without grease and they lasted several years.

With sealed bearing but greaseable spindles 3-4 pumps per year is adequate if you want to grease them at all.

Yes and no... If you take your spindles out of the deck and take them apart and remove the bearings and pop the inner dust seals, the regular greasing will prolong the life of the bearings and that is exactly what I do. What eats my bearings up is the plastic bailer twine I run over in the yard. That stuff will destroy a bearing in short order.

I grease mine until I see grease oozing out from under the metal caps on each end of the spindles.

 

[RandyT]

@5030 A lot of people don't have that luck by removing the inner seals. Because they do exactly like I said and pop out the outside seals overgreasing, and then they fail shortly after or over grease the sealed bearings and pressure side load and they fail quickly . And baler twine is a major nemesis for bottom bearings.

 

[5030]

Tell me about it. Only takes a tiny bit and the lower bearings are shot. I only remove the inner seals, never the outer seals. Most pre assembled spindles have inner and outer seals intact so greasing the spindles really does nothing. First thing I do when replacing a spindle assembly and I've done a few thanks to poly bailer twine is take them apart and remove both inners. Planned obsolence.

 

[stuckmotor]

I installed a wash port about two weeks ago. Couldn't find a suitable step drill to put a hole in the deck and had to go with a large twist drill with a reduced shank. My mind must have wandered at the worst possible time because the bit hung twisting my hand around further than it was designed to go. My thumb hurt to the elbow and my elbow hurt to the shoulder. They feel much better now, but in the confusion, I forgot where I left the female coupling to hook on the hose and can't say how it works until I find it.

 

[Cycledude]

Kind of surprised to hear of so many spindle failures, I’ve mowed quite a bit and never had a spindle fail or talked to anyone that did.

 

[RandyT]

Some of the better commercial mowers that run sealed spindle bearings have higher quality bearings that are rated for 500 hours or more. Consumer box store mowers not so much. The biggest issues with spindles more so in the home owner models is stuff getting wrapped around the shaft damaging the seal on the bottom, and hitting known or unknown objects that unbeknown to the owner put micro bends in the spindle shaft while causes wobble and side loading of the bearings which also leads to failure.

 

[panamaguy]

I was a welder/machinist all my life until I retired and in my opinion he is not giving bad advise. And you saying you know for a fact the shaft is bent tells me you do not know what you are talking about.

 

[ljjhouser]

Wow! I never wash my mower deck. What a discussion. not 3 but 4 pages. I didn't there were so many VALID considerations about this, but I have learned a lot. By the way, I don't have land in the Ozarks flat enough to mow. And since it is in STONE county, there is no grass. Only stones. That is why I have no mower to wash. Still, learned a lot if I ever do.