CASE 446 mower deck

G'day.
My 446 sat all winter. I installed a new battery and fired it right up. However, [isn't there always one?] the mower blades don't turn. The belt appears to move when engaged. I adjusted the belt tension but still no movement of the blades. They can be moved manually and safely but only with a great deal of force. The manual doesn't indicate any grease zerks or frequency for the spindles. Are these sealed bearings? Can you offer any suggestions to resolve this? Thanks in advance since the grass is getting pretty tall.

There are two sealed bearings per spindle on your 3 bladed deck. The bearings will last about 300 to 500 hours and are considered to be a routine maintenance item.

I suggest that you remove the deck from the tractor. Support the deck off the ground and try to rotate the pulley on top of the deck. If it refuse to move easily, then place the height adjuster at the lowest setting and remove the metal belt cover from the top of the deck. This will expose the belt that drives all three spindles. Remove this belt. Then try to rotate each of the 3 pulleys to see which one or ones are not spinning easily. Even if the problem is isolated to just one spindle, you should replace all six bearings and put this problem behind you for a few years.

New bearings are not very expensive. I can provide you with the names of a couple dealers who will accept your credit card and mail the bearings to you very quickly. Removing the spindles must be done in a certain way to prevent damage to other parts. You should also check the belt idler pulley for the deck belt, the spring that puts tension on that idler and the bearing that the idler pulley pivots on. The belt itself should be inspected to see if it is cracking or that areas of the carcass are showing. The two idler pulleys on the MULE drive mounting plate must also be checked. They should spin smoothly and silently with no wobble in them.

If you can get the number off the bearing use it to shop around. First time I replaced those sealed bearings I found them for half price at Grainger (I think). Then the next time I searched online (Ebay I think) and found them half again cheaper.

Tom,
Everything you say makes sense. I was planning to drop the deck tomorrow and see what was what. I'm passingly familiar having rebuilt a 3 blade woods finish mower. I confess I'm surprised to discover that no grease zerks were installed. Oh well. I have a contact for parts so at this point I'll wait to see what I need. I appreciate the offer of assistance and will get back to you if I have trouble finding bearings. The data on the idlers is very helpful.
Thanks.

The bearings used by CASE are very common. Many manufacturers used the exact same bearing for their mower decks. The ID of the bearing is .75". The OD is 1.781" and the width is .0675. I have seen sets of 6 of these bearings being sold on e-Bay for less than $40.00. I believe that John Deere decks use this bearing as well. Don't get sucked into buying so-called OEM CASE bearings from one of the unscrupulous dealers that are known to frequent e-Bay.