AYP/Husqvarna 4 bolt long spindles

[KE4AVB]

Just let you guys know some of the new 587125401 4 bolt long grease-able spindles are not accepting grease. This is due to the spindle shaft not being complete drill through to the cross hole. A Hogan's Heroes trick.

Just a matter of removing the shaft, removing the zerk, drilling through, cleaning, re-installation of the zerk and reassembly of the spindle.

[Skywatcher]

Hi KE4

I could see aftermarket spindles having manufacturing defects like this, but not OEM!!! Manufacturer should replace these parts under their warranty and pay freight to have defective spindles returned to factory for corrective machining. Or, you and other shops should be paid the minimum .5 Hr. shop rate by the manufacturer, per spindle to correct their screw up. Just my opinion,

Sky

[KE4AVB]

From what I can find out their dealers are having very hard times even paid within a reasonable time frame for regular warrant work. Most won't even do warranty service on equipment that they didn't sell. As the spindle in question the customer I was dealing with remotely found it cheaper to just do the work himself due the one month+ backlog at the dealer as he needed the ZTR up and going.

As for these spindles I also have wonder why they are sealed bearings. It is just like they are too cheap to have one side removed before installation. I have replaced failed bearings that have no grease but the spindle housing is full of grease.

[bgsengine]

From what I can find out their dealers are having very hard times even paid within a reasonable time frame for regular warrant work. Most won't even do warranty service on equipment that they didn't sell. As the spindle in question the customer I was dealing with remotely found it cheaper to just do the work himself due the one month+ backlog at the dealer as he needed the ZTR up and going.

As for these spindles I also have wonder why they are sealed bearings. It is just like they are too cheap to have one side removed before installation. I have replaced failed bearings that have no grease but the spindle housing is full of grease.

They don't use that grease for lubricating bearings any more - it is just to aid in heat transfer from the shaft and bearings to the housing for cooling so I suspect that is why they don't bother with the legacy design they dont want them to be greased they add that glob of grease at the factory during assembly and that's it.

[KE4AVB]

Then why even bother drilling and putting in a Zerk plus have it in the owner manuals to grease these spindles? Is it just to cover their behinds when a bearing fails due to lack of grease?

Then also it appears the bearing suppliers are just wanting the bearings to fail too or at least that what I finding on sealed bearing spindles that I am being sold.They are using a semi clear to clear grease (looks like Vaseline) which dies out in use. The same junk grease that one oil and grease vendor was selling us @ Shelby to grease u-joints and ball joints on Mack dump trucks. We were having constant failures of these until we change to the Moly. It would get so hot it thin out and pass the seals leaving dry bearings. Once we changed I notice a huge reduction grease top offs and the failures were also greatly reduce. Instead of going through more than 150 gallons of grease per month we were down to less 25 gallons per month.

I have been flushing it out and installing MP Moly grease.

[38racing]

On the topic of greasing spindles. I have a 90s murray. I never used it last summer as the belt squealed when I engaged blades. I assumed a seized spindle and parked it and used other mowers. I just pulled it out to service and use again. The bottom bearing on one spindle was seized tight. Spindle has sealed bearings and no grease fitting. I could drill and tap the housing for a grease fitting. The grease would go between housing and spacer and into the bottom bearing if I remove the seal. Thoughts on whether that would be better than just using another sealed bearing?

[bobodu]

Thanks for the heads up....gonna move "Murder Hornets" down to #3 on my worry list...

[KE4AVB]

I have since found the PN for the greaseable spindles. It was just that Sears and others just not listing the correct PN or just wanting to reduce their inventory.

587819701 Nongrease
587820301 Greaseable

Believe it or not both are the same price from my distributor so I am stocking both styles here.

[KE4AVB]

Thanks for the heads up....gonna move "Murder Hornets" down to #3 on my worry list...

They sound worst than the English wasps we have here. Ours English wasps are fairly peaceable ones preferring July Flies as food cadets. They look like regular red wasp but can nearly as big as an adult's finger. I only know of one person ever being stung by one personally and that was he was being a pest to the wasp. It hit squarely between the eyes and knocked him down. Boy what a goose egg size spot.

What I have a problem with is the yellow jackets wasps and their underground dens. I done killed three hives so far as they do attack honeybees too but I usually find their dens with a mower. So for some reason I run like a mad man when I first find their den.

[38racing]

Thanks for the heads up....gonna move "Murder Hornets" down to #3 on my worry list...

Did you mean to post that here?