Kent Posted May 27, 2000 Share Posted May 27, 2000 If the spindles turn smoothly, turn easily, and don't have excess clearance the bearing are OK. Bad bearings will be rough, noisey, hard to turn, and/or have excess clearance. The side-to-side play could be some bearing wear and/or due to excess axial clearance. If the play isn't excessive I wouldn't worry about it. If I did anything I would try to adjust the axial clearance (reduce it). My experience is that bearings will run a lot longer if they are a little loose and fail soon if the clearances are too tight. Just my 2¢ worth. Roy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffG Posted May 27, 2000 Author Share Posted May 27, 2000 When exactly do you know when it's time to replace the bearings (short of coming apart)? I notice a little side-to-side play, but no noise or belt problems. I want to be sure and replace the bearings before I have more major problems, like having to replace the spindles and everything. What's the general rule of thumb here. Thanks. Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JB Posted May 28, 2000 Share Posted May 28, 2000 What model do you have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffG Posted May 30, 2000 Author Share Posted May 30, 2000 Jeff, It's a Cub Cadet 2185 with a 48" deck. The tractor was repayment on a loan to a friend. I'm just getting it ready to sell - I think the deck bearings are indeed in good condition. My concern was that they wouldn't take any grease, so I was wondering when they were last greased. But, I replaced the Zerks and everything seems to be fine. If you know anyone interested, see the newly posted for- sale ad. It seems like an excellent tractor, just the wrong color for me. Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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