Due to the complaints concerning the spindle bearings and grease, the 2027 models now come w/ a washer over the spindle bearing to help keep water out and better protect the bearings. Does that mean we can add a washer to 2026 models for the same protection?
New to 2027 Bad Boy machines
- Thread starter jpalla820
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I'd be surprised if a washer there added to the life of the bearings, a grease zert would be a better idea , most come with sealed bearings that cannot be greased anyway. when I change them out I pull the interior seals off the bearings and install grease zerts in the housings so I can grease them myself . They only last so long anyway in my opinion
And it wouldn't hurt they increase the spindle shaft diameter so the bearing slip on the shafts wearing the journals down. I have been having center punch new spindle shafts to prevent this before I even install a new spindle.
Add a grease ZERK fitting, and pump away ... you will not get any grease into the bearings until the entire cavity is filled ... once you attain that fill, a few more pumps will force grease right past those so-called "seals" and into the bearings.
A typical grease gun will produce in excess of 8,000 psi of pressure, and there isn't a "grease seal" on the market that will stop that ... there is absolutely no need to disassemble your spindles in order to remove the inner facing seals ... that is just wasting time & effort ... there are several YouTube videos out there that demonstrate my comment.
I have two John Deere Z900 series mowers that are 13 years old ... I grease them regularly, and have not changed a bearing yet.
A typical grease gun will produce in excess of 8,000 psi of pressure, and there isn't a "grease seal" on the market that will stop that ... there is absolutely no need to disassemble your spindles in order to remove the inner facing seals ... that is just wasting time & effort ... there are several YouTube videos out there that demonstrate my comment.
I have two John Deere Z900 series mowers that are 13 years old ... I grease them regularly, and have not changed a bearing yet.
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This is another controversial topic. Sealed bearings versus removing the plastic seal on bearings. Also, mispronouncing and misspelling ZERK, is another common issue. I know I am sure not going to take a new spindle apart to remove the seals on bearings for a customer. This would only add to the labor cost. Grease does produce a lot of pressure when introduced into a spindle with a grease gun. Sometimes some of these spindles take 100-150 pumps of grease before being filled.
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Agree. I have never taken a spindle apart to remove the seals in new bearings. I have never had a new spindle fail due to lack of grease in the bearings.. I have had more than one spindle fail due to being overpressurized due to the grease being pumped into the spindle causing side loading resulting in binding of the bearing.
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You are holding the center at a fixed distance apart on the shaft between the blade mount and the pulley top, while the grease is trying to push the rest of the bearing out of the hollow tube. Have you ever filled the spindle full of grease and then try to turn the pulley. If the pulley is hard to turn and appears to be binding,. That is the side loading on the bearing causing that. Bearings don't like to be side loaded.
You can only get so much grease in a bearing ... then it just shoves out what was ahead of it and it keeps on moving ... an over greased bearing might be hard to turn for a few revolutions ... then it self corrects ... but, it doesn't sustain any physical damage in the process.
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On a spindle that has slip fit bearings like most cheap spindles you can believe there is no damage. Try that on a spindle that has press fit bearings. The type that requires a hydraulic press to remove and reinstall the bearings, and then put grease pressure inside of the hollow cavity. and you will be replacing those bearings again in about 30 minutes. That comes from actual experience.
The aftermarket spindles that came with grease zerks for the JD L-series riders had instructions to grease the spindle prior to installation of the blade and pulley. If you did it would wipe out the bearings in under an hour. If you greased them after complete assembly and installation they wouldn't fail.