[MarkEagleUSA]

Getting ready to make sure my never used 54D is ready to go. Going to install the mulch kit hopefully this weekend. My concern is the spindles. They appear to have been greased for delivery. However, I have no way of knowing how much grease was used. I've seen talk of too much grease and sealed bearings. Would it be safe to add bit and, if so, how much?

 

[jpmst3]

You can safely re-grease them with a couple extra pumps. Just don't go past where you feel any extra resistance. I believe they recommend 3 pumps of grease every 25 hours or so.

 

[MarkEagleUSA]

Thanks!

 

[John 54]

Hi

Getting ready to make sure my never used 54D is ready to go. Going to install the mulch kit hopefully this weekend. My concern is the spindles. They appear to have been greased for delivery. However, I have no way of knowing how much grease was used. I've seen talk of too much grease and sealed bearings. Would it be safe to add bit and, if so, how much?

Hi MarkEagleUSA The design of the greasing within the spindle housing does not work. I have had the spindle assembly in bits a couple of times I found only the bottom bearing gets grease, as the spindle housings are not packed full ex factory, and filling the cavity would cause other problems. So what I have been doing is replacing the bearings with sealed units and not greasing the spindles.It is working well
Regards John

 

[5shank]

Kinda surprised no one has come up with a oil bath or corn head grease style spindle?

 

[Jimmy Walker]

I thought it was supposed to be “greezing”. 🤣

 

[tj1]

I was told by a dealer that the grease is only sacrificial, you have sealed bearings so the grease does nothing for the bearings but to protect them????
This is what he gave me to read because I didn't believe him;

1. SPINDLE HOUSING WITH SEALED BEARINGS AND GREASE FITTING. On these style spindles, grease is used primarily as a water barrier to keep water from accumulating in the void area inside the spindle housing and around the bearings and spindle shaft. Any good wheel bearing grease applied with a standard grease gun may be used for this purpose. These style spindles should be checked and greased annually, more often if the deck is subject to unusually wet operating conditions. Models with grease fittings will still have sealed bearings inside. Spindles with grease fittings will also have a weep hole in the spindle housing to allow excess grease to be forced out through.

I still grease them anyway a couple times a mowing season.

 

[dixie460]

@tj1 So if option 1 is "SPINDLE HOUSING WITH SEALED BEARINGS AND GREASE FITTING" then what are the other available choices? Does the document your dealer gave you refer to other styles?

I'm interested in determining which ones my 60D has.

 

[tj1]

@tj1 So if option 1 is "SPINDLE HOUSING WITH SEALED BEARINGS AND GREASE FITTING" then what are the other available choices? Does the document your dealer gave you refer to other styles?

I'm interested in determining which ones my 60D has.

No, but there are a lot of sites that discuss what you've asked. I just copied what the dealer gave me to read because I didn't believe him!
Just search your web browser and you will see just how many topics on this there are.. I just did but I don't know what you are specifically looking at.
Doesn't the documentation that came with the mower deck describe what you have? I'm betting you have sealed bearings but there are a few different spindle housings, just look at the price for some of those!

 

[JDGreen-n-Yellow]

I was told by a dealer that the grease is only sacrificial, you have sealed bearings so the grease does nothing for the bearings but to protect them????
This is what he gave me to read because I didn't believe him;

1. SPINDLE HOUSING WITH SEALED BEARINGS AND GREASE FITTING. On these style spindles, grease is used primarily as a water barrier to keep water from accumulating in the void area inside the spindle housing and around the bearings and spindle shaft. Any good wheel bearing grease applied with a standard grease gun may be used for this purpose. These style spindles should be checked and greased annually, more often if the deck is subject to unusually wet operating conditions. Models with grease fittings will still have sealed bearings inside. Spindles with grease fittings will also have a weep hole in the spindle housing to allow excess grease to be forced out through.

I still grease them anyway a couple times a mowing season.

I'm glad you posted this because it reinforces what I've seen in videos of people rebuilding their spindles - the bearings are sealed. Some people then go the extra step and pop the inner seal so grease can actually get in there. Maybe JD figured out most people neglect to grease these things so a 'permanently' lubed sealed bearing was the safer option....at least from a warranty period standpoint.

 

[MarkEagleUSA]

So a couple of pumps of grease for water protection is ok? Or should I leave them be for now and grease them after a few hours use?

 

[The Satch]

So a couple of pumps of grease for water protection is ok? Or should I leave them be for now and grease them after a few hours use?

2 pumps should be fine if you want. Don't pump until you feel resistance, you never will, and your spindle will start to throw grease everywhere during operation.

 

[tj1]

I usually pump about 4-5 pumps each and that's it, I'm no expert on spindles but I do listen to the peopel who work on these things for a living.. I was always under the impression you pumped until you felt resistance,,, that was wrong on my assumptions! Bearings will go when water gets to them,, or they get so hot (which is what the grease is supposed to help stop), that they fail.
I do this only a couple times a mowing season and haven't had any failures in years. Now I will because I stated that!

 

[dixie460]

No, but there are a lot of sites that discuss what you've asked. I just copied what the dealer gave me to read because I didn't believe him!
Just search your web browser and you will see just how many topics on this there are.. I just did but I don't know what you are specifically looking at.
Doesn't the documentation that came with the mower deck describe what you have? I'm betting you have sealed bearings but there are a few different spindle housings, just look at the price for some of those!

I don't recall the manual saying what types of bearings are used, just to grease the spindles every xx hours.

 

[rwmeyer]

Grease in spindle housings do a little more than provide a barrier for water. They displace a certain amount of air within the housing and air is the source of the water! As you use your deck, it gets warmer and this expands the air, pushing it through the bearing seals. When you're though mowing and park the tractor, the housings cool down, the air contracts and more "fresh" air is sucked into the housing. Warm air retains moisture while cool air condenses moisture out... dew on a cool morning is a good example! As the housings cool, moisture may condense out. Typically when replacing bearings, housing are filled to about 75% capacity with grease and this reduces the amount of air present inside of the housing and less air means less available condensation. Bob

 

[trav]

So is it safe to say then that you can't over grease them? (Besides having grease thrown out during operation)

 

[John 54]

Hi All
I would question the statement " On these style spindles, grease is used primarily as a water barrier to keep water from accumulating in the void area inside the spindle housing and around the bearings and spindle shaft." How does the water get in there unless there is a hole in the housing, or through the bearings and seals. Any grease pumped into the housing will move to the bottom unless the housing is packed full, which defeats the purpose of adding extra grease and it will push out the seals. From my observations, putting two pumps of grease in to the spindle is a waste of time, the amount of grease installed at the factory means the grease will never get to the top bearing there will always be a void. Greasing the spindles if they are fitted with sealed bearings seems to only be a feel good thing and serves no real purpose.