Sealed bearing ????????????

[lawnman_scott]

About how many hours do you get out of sealed bearings? I have an 04 exmark lazer with 2000 hours on it, and am wondering if I should just replace them now that it is slowing down here. It has sealed bearings in the casters, front forks, and spindles.

[green acres lawns]

My 2000 lazer has had 2 sets of spindle bearings and is ready for more. When the spindles roar so load you can hear them above the blades its time for new bearings. Looseness in the spindle shafts is another reason. I find moisture in my spindles. And its not from washing since I only wash them 2 or 3 times a year.

[lawnman_scott]

My 2000 lazer has had 2 sets of spindle bearings and is ready for more. When the spindles roar so load you can hear them above the blades its time for new bearings. Looseness in the spindle shafts is another reason. I find moisture in my spindles. And its not from washing since I only wash them 2 or 3 times a year.They are still tight, but I am starting to hear one of them. If I find moisture it wont be from washing either, I propably wash mine about 2 or 3 times a year less than you do. I do alot of mowing in the rain in the summer though.

[mowingmachine]

On your spindles if there isn't side play and they are quiet I would leave them alone. There is no guarentee that new bearings will hold up. Bearings are very inconsistent these days.

[topsites]

On your spindles if there isn't side play and they are quiet I would leave them alone. There is no guarentee that new bearings will hold up. Bearings are very inconsistent these days.

Yup, agreed!

I replaced 3 sets in 2 years on a machine, now it's been that long since I've replaced any! So, anywhere from one season to several years, you never know but as a rule, I run them until they get to wobbling.

I'd go ahead and order a set or 2, so that way when they give out you have the parts in stock, that's what I do.

[Tharrell]

That would be something to have on hand but, I wouldn't replace unless there was some side play or noise.

[Richard Martin]

As much as I hate sealed bearings I have to agree with everyone here. If your budget can handle it you should just go ahead and buy 3 new spindles already assembled and ready to go. That way you are ready to go if one of your spindles suffers a catastrophic failure. Replace all of them if one goes bad.

[Greenfoot]

Sometimes they get tight instead of loose which slows down your blades and makes noise. Time to replace.

[dfor]

I had a spindle die within 200 hrs. on a new mower. You never know how long they will last.

[LawnTamer]

I have a Toro w/ sealed bearings w/ just over 3k hrs. I replaced 1 bearing about 200 hrs ago. Keep one on hand. I've never had a bearing go from tight and quiet to totally shot over-night. Pay attention and it should give you plenty of notice, unless you hit a stump or something.

[flman]

:drinkup: About how many hours do you get out of sealed bearings? I have an 04 exmark lazer with 2000 hours on it, and am wondering if I should just replace them now that it is slowing down here. It has sealed bearings in the casters, front forks, and spindles.

scott,
repack and re-torque front caster and front wheel bearings will be fine. as for the spindles you do have a choice of complete assy's or just swapping the bearings,just make sure the replacement bearings are ''fafnir '' brand and no china crap. the evidence of water inside the housing causing the rust is not from mowing in the rain, rather the open air cavity and heat are causing heavy condensation. if you install bearings only, make sure you fill that cavity full of grease manually since there is no grease fitting. hope this helps.:clapping:

[gene gls]

As much as I hate sealed bearings I have to agree with everyone here. If your budget can handle it you should just go ahead and buy 3 new spindles already assembled and ready to go. That way you are ready to go if one of your spindles suffers a catastrophic failure. Replace all of them if one goes bad.

This is what I ended up doing. I had big time spindle bearing problems. It costs more but its much faster to swap out a compleat spindle verses replacing the bearings when you are in a hurry. I have also made all my bearings greasiable. No more problems. USA bearings last longer than China bearings.

[Oldtimer]

The primary cause of spindle bearing failure is unbalanced blades.

Oldtimer