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Sealed bearings (OT)

K

KEB in GCMS

Member
Zero Turn mower had a bearing start to whine in one of the spindles. Got it off last night and taken apart and it looks like the sealed bearing never had any grease in it. Mower is about a year old, so it did last a while, got 4 more bearings ordered just in case one of the other spindles is the same and decides to go out. Have any of you ever run across sealed bearings that seam to have any grease in them?
 
No, but one thing I have done that is bearing related. I've have idler pulley bearings go out on a commercial Exmark zero turn. Instead of replacing a $50 pulley, I ground off the rivets, split the pulley, replaced the $7 bearing, and bolted it back together.
 
Any time I pull a sealed bearing that I'm not replacing, one side gets popped off and it gets greased. On some spindles with a zerk, they use a sealed bearing. On some of these the seal on the inside is intact. On others it's removed.

Well folks, if you have a zerk, it's made to be greased. If so and you grease it, it's pretty hard to get that grease into the bearing if the inner seal is still intact. I don't recall whether or not I have ever seen a semi sealed bearing where one side is sealed and the other isn't......but there IS an application for them.
 
New bearings if opened up will have VERY little grease in them. I like to use one of the grease needles to slip in under the seal and pump more into them.
 
Too much grease can ruin a high speed bearing! Unless there was a mistake made they are packed with enough grease for the normal life of the bearing.
 
You might also find that the top and bottom bearings are different sizes. I would replace both. Most times it is the bottom that blows up. Yes i have seen brand new bearrings with NO grease and they were from the local parts joint. With a tiny jewelers screw driver and some gently prying they usually pop loose. Just don't bent it! You only need a dab of grease. Maybe enough to cover three of the balls. That is what a lot of them have.
 
I've seen them open one side, sealed the other. Common in the bigger electric motors with grease fittings.

Better to use a one side shield instead of a seal, unless very dusty or wet. The shield is more forgiving of being popped out when greasing.
 
These spindles on this model of mower does not have zerks to grease the bearings. This is a Bad Boy MZ Magnum 54" mower.
 
I am going to replace both bearing, I ordered 4 bearings so that I would have a set when one of the other spindles went out.
 
I'm not familiar with the Bad Boy mowers (have heard of them, is all), but if no zerk, then definitely a sealed bearing. I've seen bearings go bad when grasses build up around the spindles. When that happens, fresh air can't get to the spindle housings and they can overheat.
 
The Ferris ZT that I bought this spring advertises that it has relief ports in the spindles to handle just such an occurrence. It also has a
pipe plugs on the front fork spindles helping to remind you that you don't grease them every time you grease the mower deck and front
wheel axles........"Little Dab Will Do it"........Brylcreem.
 
We have a pair of 2008 Ford Focus ,
just at 100,000 miles the sealed bearings
in the rear brake drums failed, no grease
in sight , grease must be expensive in
China?
 
Where is your dealer at on this? Even Bad Boy would have at least a one year warranty. But since you have already pulled it apart, good luck.
 
Bad Boy has two year warranty on everything but tires, blades and belts. I own a 2013 Bad Boy ZT. I pulled all my deck spindles apart and put grease fittings in them right after I bought it. Do not put a lot of hours on it per year but no problems yet. Snapper Pro and Grasshopper have spindle bearings with no seal on one side. The bearings will fit other mowers that use a 6205 number.

Rodney 8)
 
(quoted from post at 06:41:06 08/09/17) Too much grease can ruin a high speed bearing! Unless there was a mistake made they are packed with enough grease for the normal life of the bearing.
Click to expand...

Define "normal life of the bearing". I've had more than one sealed bearing fail, and when opened up, found that there was plenty of grease, but that grease was all dryed out and hard. If the grease had remained soft and pliable, the bearing would not have failed.
 

I'm not sure which direction to head on this. I've got stuff with sealed bearings sitting in housings, like mower deck spindles. Yes, you can pop off the inside seal, add a zerk to the housing and fill the assy with grease. My thought is, how is the grease going to get to the bearings unless you fill the housing to the point the grease is coming out someplace...and there's no place for the grease to escape? You can pull both seals so you can watch the grease push out, but that lets in dirt and water.

I was a lot more comfortable with designs that had grease fittings in mind from the start!
 

My 'Country-Clipper' zero turn has grease zirks for the deck spindle bearings...fantastic!...I think...these will last forever! So I grease the deck spindles religiously and in about three years I have a noisy and loose center blade spindle?

Tearing down the deck on this particular mower ain't too bad a job...so I strip the center spindle from it and take it apart..only to find worn-out sealed bearings and a spindle housing full of grease!...I was ------!

My somewhat cheaper big Poulan conventional lawn mower is the same way....greaseable deck spindles but sealed bearings. Both the Country Clipper and the Poulan use the exact same bearings...at the parts store obtaining some spindle bearings...they had an expensive bearing(like $25!..) and a 'El-Cheapo brand bearing in stock...but not two of the same brand.. :roll: ...

So now when a deck bearing rumbles I just buy cheaper brand X bearings and pop the inside seals out...pack the spindle like a wheel bearing and get on with life...
 

As far as sealed bearings that lack factory grease...it's not that uncommon an event. A new bearing should feel like it has grease in it...if you buy a new sealed bearing and it will just spin freely with zero resistance...it ain't got any grease in it...give it back to the parts person and demand another bearing
 
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