Craftsman Tractor Spindle Lube

[Ausfahrt]

The owners manual doesn't even mention it and I can't see any grease fittings. After 8 years of Florida mowing I can hear my mower deck growling louder than before and since my hearing is not likely to be improving with age, I think my spindle bearings may be going.

Any thoughts or advice?

 

[daman]

Everything nowadays is sealed bearings,run it till it goes or do the BITOG way and find a way to grease it,not much else you can do.

they are easily removed see if you can drill a spot for a Zerk.

 

[RUSHCO]

If there is no grease fitting on the housing of your spindle to grease it take the spindle apart and even if you have sealed bearings take one side of the seal out with an o-ring pick, repack it with red grease (I like red n tacky) and press the seal back in. Before adding grease make sure you rotate the bearings and check for rough spots as it may already be to late for grease to fix if it is already very noisy. But if they are bad they are usually replaceable at much less cost than a whole new spindle. If you do get new bearings put red grease in them too before installing, it is definately worth the extra trouble.

 

[Deltona_Dave]

I just replaced the spindles on my Craftsman tractor. Same noise you are experiencing. Ordered them from Amazon for 20 dollars each. They came with all hardware (including the self-tapping bolts). Runs like new now.

Another source for the noise, is the spindle brakes. The pads on them wear out.

The tough Florida grass, I have Bahia, and the sandy soil wreaks havoc on the spindle bearings.

Dave

 

[Ausfahrt]

Thanks for the tips and the replies, fellas. I will add the spindles to my winter maintenance list. I guess its better to deal with it on my schedule than to run til failure.

 

[countryboy9799]

After you get done mowing next time feel the spindle bearings, if they are warm that is normal but if they are hot they are on their way out. A bearing should always run hot if it is growling. I do this on my boat trailer and other trailers I pull behind my pickup all the time too so I dont have any breakdowns on the road.

 

[severach]

If you catch the mandrel bearings early enough you can just replace the bearings. If the bearings and rust wreck the housing then the whole mandrel is needed. They have gotten so cheap that catching them early doesn't matter too much any more.

Factory installed mandrels are often destroyed because they do not use anti-seize on the threads and the bolts wont come out.