If you notice, Roger is using more grease and having no spindle problems. I just talked to my dealer who sells Exmark and Dixie Choppers. I now know another reason they dont use Exmarks for their lawn service that my dealer also has. The older Exmarks that the spindles could be greased, Exmark did not recommend putting much grease in the spindle housing, because it might blow out the bottom seal, which in turn doesnt get enough grease up to the top of the bearings. This in turn leaves a dry upper bearing. You can either go by what Exmark says and give it 2 shots and replace bearings or grease it enough so the top of the bearings get grease and chance blowing out the bottom seal. They claim if you blow out the seal, you could get dirt in the housing, but the way I feel, if you grease it every day until the grease comes out, you will also push out the dirt and moisture. If your way isnt working, try using more grease. Seems like it is working for Roger.<p>Another reason Exmarks, John Deere, and who ever else uses Aluminum housings now are having so much spindle bearing problems is, if you hit something solid with a blade the aluminum doesnt take the jolt like a cast steel housing will. The aluminum can actually stretch a bit, where the cast steel wont do that. This is another reason why aluminum housings dont hold up as good. They are a lot cheaper to build, so that is why most manufactures are using them. Exmark also uses bigger balls in the bearings, which means fewer balls, which means more friction, which means more heat.<p>My dealer said the new 3 year sealed bearings arent lasting a year on some of the machines he sells. On the other hand, he said he has some Dixie Choppers with the steel housings that have over 7,000 hours on them with all 3 original spindles and bearings in them. Hired help runs all his mowers, so its not that they have been babied. I have put around 7,000 hours total between 3 Choppers with out ever replacing a bearing, so it sounds like if you can find an all steel spindle set up, that would be a smart move. This is just 1 more reason why I will continue to buy Choppers. They still use steel. <p>My dealer has been selling mowers for 20 years and has had a mowing business even longer. He is the chief mechanic and I value what he says very much. I just thought I would pass on what I have learned and I hope it helps you out.<br><p>----------<br>Eric@ELM<br>http://pages.prodigy.net/eric.erickson/index.html