Driving out spindle bearings

[hanz63]

I seem to do spindle bearings the hard way. At least with those Deere spindles with the bell shaped spacer in the midst of things. With a straight spacer it isn't a big problem, but they put that bell end to make you want to buy a new spindle as it is tough to catch the bearing. I hate giving in. My homemade drivers seem to break when I get something that just doesn't want to come apart. I dunno if I got a pilot bearing slider tool if that would get behind the bearing, I doubt it. Any of you smart gents have a tip for me on these?

[KE4AVB]

Would you kindly post the model of one the mowers that have these spindle so I can look it up to see what you talking about?

[hanz63]

I can't find a pic of that style spacer in any Deere IPL, but it is in the X300 service manual 80-25-35 "spindle starting 2010" The last mower was a Z255. That IPL doesn't show any spacer in the spindle. I seem to find them more often than I like anyways. Apparently I'm the lucky one! This spool in the below link is what it looks like with the mushroom base (no other rings) that keeps you from getting purchase with a punch to drive it out. Which is what the manual tells you to do. From the top or the bottom. Apparently I just suck at it. https://www.agrisupply.com/bearing-spac ... jIQAvD_BwE

[bgsengine]

I can't find a pic of that style spacer in any Deere IPL, but it is in the X300 service manual 80-25-35 "spindle starting 2010" The last mower was a Z255. That IPL doesn't show any spacer in the spindle. I seem to find them more often than I like anyways. Apparently I'm the lucky one! This spool in the below link is what it looks like with the mushroom base (no other rings) that keeps you from getting purchase with a punch to drive it out. Which is what the manual tells you to do. From the top or the bottom. Apparently I just suck at it. https://www.agrisupply.com/bearing-spac ... jIQAvD_BwE

I would think it would not fit in the spindle housing so tightly that you could not tilt your punch way over and shift the spacer off to the side so you can get to a bearing inner race to push bearing out.. ? Its what I always did - for the most part.. there were only a couple of designs where the spacer had very close tolerance fit in the housing that it would not move much, but I compensated for that by "fabricating" a punch out of an old 1/2" socket extension and grind the (formerly square, until I ground it all away) male square end flat, and then peen a "mushroom" onto it which was just enough to get purchase on the inner race to get one bearing driven out.. I still have that extension (a cheapo 12" extension, which is now less than 7" long...which is just a bit too short to be useful anymore, but as I no longer do spindle rebuilds, it's a moot point)

[Skywatcher]

Hi Hanz

Does the X300 service manual refer to a special tool for removing those bearings? If you find yourself doing enough of those spindles, would it be worth getting the tool? Could your nearest JD dealer find a part number for the spacer if you took one in along with the service manual? This might help us understand what exactly you're up against. The bearing driver I've been using for years is the outer end of a broken retractable finger from the header auger of a JD 9600 combine Harvester. I pulled wrench for a JD dealer for 15 years, so ended up with all sorts of handy bits of metal. Just some thoughts,

Sky

[KE4AVB]

Well my manual is the TM2308 JANUARY 2011 version. I have no problem disassembling the spindles on the pages 546-547. If yours is different please PM me copies of the pages you are referencing.

Plus the bearing spacer you linked is usually use in disc harrows axles pulled behind tractors or at least is what mine disc bearings is using.

[KE4AVB]

Also if you can get the spindle shaft out, have tried a blind hole bearing puller? This something I use here a lot to rebuild spindles but I see there is another one on Amazon that would cover a larger range of bearings than the one below.

https://www.amazon.com/MOSTPLUS-Bearing-Puller-Remover-Extractor/dp/B07BY3V26T/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=slide+hammer+bearing+puller&qid=1613221453&sr=8-10

But this one is coming in February and it goes from 1/4 to 2-1/3 inch diameter (6-59 mm) for bearings and bushings.

https://www.amazon.com/OrionMotorTech-Bearing-Extractor-Internal-Removal/dp/B07BNMB42N/ref=sr_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=slide+hammer+bearing+puller&qid=1613221453&sr=8-9

[KE4AVB]

IS the item circle in the following image what you are referring to?

[hanz63]

Yep, that's it. The ones I did the other day were a bugger and I don't keep all of these spindles. Which replacing would have been the easier solution. I had what I think is called a race style punch that was smaller than a half, maybe 3/8 or so. Note the word had. At least that diameter allowed me to drive the edge at a bit of an angle. My bigger body punches are of no help. This last one I did had no give at all to slide the top of the spacer over to drive at the top bearing, which isn't easy anyways. I appreciate your input guys. I've not used one of those blind extractor tools like this. It has a thin enough edge to expand in between the bearing and spacer and can pull away a stubborn bearing? Or does it have its shortcomings?

[KE4AVB]

Usually there is enough give in the bearing it to get a grip. So far I only had a couple bearing I could get to move. On those I installed the puller and then using a 1/2 impact extension hammer out the bearings. If I remember correct it was a MTD spindle that gave me heck.

Originally I brought the tool to do needle bearing in those MTD CVT pulleys.