JD E180 - Stripped Zerk fitting on Spindle.

[Mtnebo]

Hi,
I have a John Deere E180 - and the thread fitting on the deck(Spindle) for the Zerk fitting is stripped. the Zerk fitting doesn't tighten....

I've seen some comments that JD put the grease fitting on, just to make people feel better and doesn't really do anything since bearings are sealed......
Can I just seal the hole for the Zerk fitting and leave it until the spindle fails ?? do I really need to replace the whole spindle??

Any options to re-thread this with a larger Zerk ?

Any feedback or thoughts are appreciated...
thanks steve

 

[cootertwo]

Well, if it does have sealed bearings, pumping the spindle full of grease won't do anything for the bearings. Maybe just smear a dab of JB weld in the zerk fitting hole, and forget about it. Leaving the hole open would let water in, and that wouldn't be desirable.

 

[MParr]

A small plastic plug would work. You would need a needle fitting for your grease gun too. Pop the plug out, grease, and reinstall plastic plug.
You could rethread and add a larger zerk.

 

[sgkent]

there are a couple different size zerk fittings. Stop by your local FLAPS

 

[Deleted member 97405]

I work for a dealership. The bearings are sealed. Just plug the hole and run it or go to a hardware store and see if you can find a similar fitting for the hole. I really haven't seen a ton of lifespan difference between spindles that were greased religiously versus ones that weren't. The bearings are a cheaper quality than the higher end tractors. The difference is usually whether the tractor gets hosed off while the bearings are hot because a hot bearing will condensate if hit with cold water. Then the water can't escape, which rots out the bearings.