The d130 is about 5 years old and needed a new belt. I installed one last week and it didn’t last long. Thinking back I realize that the tension cable should’ve been adjusted when I installed a new belt. The blades were delayed about a second to after engagement.
Thought about it a bit and decided I needed to do a bit more than just a belt change.
Spent the day doing a deck clean up and tube up. Removed the deck and the burnt belt. Took a look at the spindles and idler pulleys. Replaced the larger idler pulley as the bearing felt dry.
I removed the deck spindles and removed the bearings. Once the bearings were out, I drilled the 8th inch hole adjacent to the Zerk fittings. I didn’t tapped the hole for a 8/32 machine screw. As in carefully removed one side of the bearings grease seals. I clean the bearings, dried the bearings and reinstalled. I am sure the grease seals were facing outward. I reassembled the spindles using anti-seize on the four mount bolts.
Oh, I replace the idler pulley while installing a new belt. Once this was done, I greased the spindles with the machine screws removed. I insured that the spindle bearings were lubed up, realizing the spindle cavity was full when the grease flowed from the vent hole.
I reinstalled the deck. I also added a slight amount of attention to the engagement cable. The deck is certainly quieter, smoother, and engages nearly instantly when engaged.
Why John Deere and others install spindles with a grease fitting and sealed bearings is a mind-boggling event. While I did have a set of replacement bearings, I did not replace them as they were smooth and did not feel dry.
Thought about it a bit and decided I needed to do a bit more than just a belt change.
Spent the day doing a deck clean up and tube up. Removed the deck and the burnt belt. Took a look at the spindles and idler pulleys. Replaced the larger idler pulley as the bearing felt dry.
I removed the deck spindles and removed the bearings. Once the bearings were out, I drilled the 8th inch hole adjacent to the Zerk fittings. I didn’t tapped the hole for a 8/32 machine screw. As in carefully removed one side of the bearings grease seals. I clean the bearings, dried the bearings and reinstalled. I am sure the grease seals were facing outward. I reassembled the spindles using anti-seize on the four mount bolts.
Oh, I replace the idler pulley while installing a new belt. Once this was done, I greased the spindles with the machine screws removed. I insured that the spindle bearings were lubed up, realizing the spindle cavity was full when the grease flowed from the vent hole.
I reinstalled the deck. I also added a slight amount of attention to the engagement cable. The deck is certainly quieter, smoother, and engages nearly instantly when engaged.
Why John Deere and others install spindles with a grease fitting and sealed bearings is a mind-boggling event. While I did have a set of replacement bearings, I did not replace them as they were smooth and did not feel dry.
