42" RD Refurbish

[Racinbob 12,222]

Picked up this 42" RD deck from @Derek W a short time ago. He acquired this and a snow thrower when he purchased a new to him 1998 and only wanted the tractor. He told me before I drove over that the center spindle was seized. I had options. The spindles that were on the 42" RD that was on Dino were still spinning free. I also knew that this deck, being a 98, used two 6203 bearings and were easily replaceable. I got it home and pressure washed it. Dang! This thing is solid! 

 

 

Disassembling the spindles didn't fight me at all. I quickly discovered the issue. The center top bearing was installed with the sealed side towards the grease and the open side was exposed to all the fine things a mower deck is exposed to. (Derek did not do this). I've never been accused of being too terribly smart but it sure seems to me that having the open side looking at the grease would be much better.  As I often do, I neglected to take pictures soon enough. I'll just say that whatever used to be bearings looked nothing like it anymore. Fortunately the shafts were unharmed. 

 

Here's where some of you guys will cringe. Just before we moved to this house in 2019 I replaced the bearings on my 48" deck with fully sealed 6203 2RSH bearings. It was pretty much an experiment and I had no clue if they would hold up. That deck mows at least 4-6 hours a week. So far six seasons of mowing and still hanging in there. So you know what's going in this 42". I made sure I got SKF's. There's cheaper out there and are SKF's any better.  Also I went with the 2RSH bearings which are rubber seals on both sides and a heaver seal than the 2RS. The spindle bodies aren't the prettiest but there's nothing wrong with them and the insides are perfect. 

 

 

Now the bad part. I wanted a deck to sell with the 314-H next spring. I'm not a fan of RD decks but the boss lady wants one. Since she'll be the one doing the mowing on Dino she's already won before the battle starts. So, the 48" on the 314? Not a chance. I purchased that one new in the late 70's and currently use it on the 2005. The 42" SD on the 314?  I don't like that idea because I really hate to give up a 2005 deck. So.............I guess I'm back to looking for a deck again. I've got until spring. 

[Blue Chips 183]

42 minutes ago, Racinbob said:

Here's where some of you guys will cringe. Just before we moved to this house in 2019 I replaced the bearings on my 48" deck with fully sealed 6203 2RSH bearings. It was pretty much an experiment and I had no clue if they would hold up. That deck mows at least 4-6 hours a week. So far six seasons of mowing and still hanging in there. So you know what's going in this 42". I made sure I got SKF's. There's cheaper out there and are SKF's any better.  Also I went with the 2RSH bearings which are rubber seals on both sides and a heaver seal than the 2RS. The spindle bodies aren't the prettiest but there's nothing wrong with them and the insides are perfect. 

 

Genuine SKF bearings should serve you well. There are a lot of counterfeit SKF and other bearings out there. I see that SKF has put up a web page for checking the authenticity of SKF bearings:

https://www.skf.com/group/digital-tools/install-and-set-up/authenticate

 

Some aftermarket mower deck spindles that I saw a while ago had fully sealed (both sides) bearings, yet they still had Zerk fittings on the top of the shafts, which I suppose were just for looks, especially since the bearing spacer tubes inside those spindles didn't have any holes drilled in them for the grease to pass through, so the bearings couldn't be greased even if they had been open on one side. 

 

For equipment that I pressure wash, I prefer to have greaseable bearings in case any water gets forced past the seal. If they're not greaseable, then I try to avoid hitting them directly with the pressure washer.

 

If bearings are sealed on both sides, I've known people to grease them anyway with a bearing packer, but I would be concerned about damaging the seals.

 

Edited Friday at 07:10 PM by Blue Chips

[kpinnc 15,547]

20 minutes ago, Blue Chips said:

If bearings are sealed on both sides, I've known people to grease them anyway with a bearing packer, but I would be concerned about damaging the seals.

 

I usually just remove the seals facing inside and then greasing actually works. 

 

Of course high quality sealed bearings are fine to use. Just keep an eye on them for when time to replace. 

[Blue Chips 183]

23 minutes ago, kpinnc said:

I usually just remove the seals facing inside and then greasing actually works. 

 

 

As you said, removing the inside rubber/plastic bearing seal and leaving it off would be a good way to make the spindle bearings greaseable. Even with bearings that I want to keep sealed on both sides, I've often removed one of the seals for greasing, and then replaced it (assuming that I had good enough access to the bearings), which is exactly what I did the other day to grease the front wheel bearings. 

 

Not all bearing seals are designed to be removed, though. For example, some bearings with pressed-in fixed shields can suffer damage when one attempts to remove the shield.

 

Edited Friday at 07:46 PM by Blue Chips

[Racinbob 12,222]

23 minutes ago, kpinnc said:

 

I usually just remove the seals facing inside and then greasing actually works. 

 

Of course high quality sealed bearings are fine to use. Just keep an eye on them for when time to replace. 

Or just purchase 1RS bearings.

 

[Racinbob 12,222]

12 minutes ago, Blue Chips said:

 

As you said, removing the inside seal and leaving it off would be a good way to make the spindle bearings greaseable. Even with bearings that I want to keep sealed on both sides, I've often removed one of the seals for greasing, and then replaced it (assuming that I had good enough access to the bearings), which is exactly what I did the other day to grease the front wheel bearings.

I've used sealed bearings on the front wheels for years. I never liked the grease mess. 

[JoeM 8,832]

1 hour ago, Racinbob said:

Here's where some of you guys will cringe.

No cringe here, I also have had the same experience with sealed deck bearings. So much good that I have switched over to sealed.

 

One note, after getting Chinese bearings from Toro and SKF now has large manufacturing plant there, I purchase the PGN brand (electric motor quality) and they run just as good if not better. 

I understand 60% of all the bearings in the world are now manufactured in China. (don't get me wrong, you have to purchase the better one even tho.)

Edited Friday at 08:16 PM by JoeM

[kpinnc 15,547]

1 hour ago, Blue Chips said:

Not all bearing seals are designed to be removed, though. For example, some bearings with pressed-in fixed shields can suffer damage when one attempts to remove the shield.

 

That is very true. I've seen somewhere that someone used a hypodermic needle to gently pry the seal back at the edge and push grease in that way. 

 

I may have to try that. 

Edited Friday at 09:21 PM by kpinnc

[ineedanother 1,719]

I just installed some 6203 in a mule drive and was able to lift the seals out with a dental pick and load them with Lucas  Running smooth...No other option to lube on a mule drive and similar service hours as those on spindles.

[kpinnc 15,547]

10 minutes ago, ineedanother said:

was able to lift the seals out with a dental pick and load them

 

I definitely have done this many times with good results. The trick is not to mangle the seal and they will run smooth for a long time. 

[Racinbob 12,222]

1 hour ago, JoeM said:

No cringe here, I also have had the same experience with sealed deck bearings. So much good that I have switched over to sealed.

 

One note, after getting Chinese bearings from Toro and SKF now has large manufacturing plant there, I purchase the PGN brand (electric motor quality) and they run just as good if not better. 

I understand 60% of all the bearings in the world are now manufactured in China. (don't get me wrong, you have to purchase the better one even tho.)

 

I had 4 in my stash. The 4 left over when I ordered a 10 pack when I did the 48" deck. They were made in France. The 2 I ordered to get to 6 were made in China. I wouldn't have a problem switching to a different brand based on recommendations here. Pick a seal out to regrease?  Not on deck bearings. 

[peter lena 9,432]

@ineedanother  those mule drive bearings are , very often neglected , often refer to  being able to  , spin up my  pto drive belt  , downward  toward the mule  drive with ease , my entire  rotational set up  has been , cleaned out and re greased with , lucas  xtra hd  green chassis grease , 550  deg flash point , polyurea rated , not had any failures or   whyining noise , from my dacks at all , also a great  spot to , improve your , PTO LEVER START  , NEXT TO BATTERY TRAY , @Racinbob   done this on my 3 horses , note 3 rd picture down , swing arm pto  clip , see the extension  spring on the lower corner of  attachment clip ?  attach  that to the frame mounted  hitch pin clip ?  stops noise and vibration , the heim joint  is a re thread over original threads  , course vs fine , hiding plane site , pete   

 

[Brockport Bill 2,046]

for those of us non experts about bearings --  could someone just clarify the meaning/definition of the various bearing designations?

SKF

RSH

1RS

2RS

etc

etc

thanks, Bill

[Racinbob 12,222]

6 hours ago, Brockport Bill said:

for those of us non experts about bearings --  could someone just clarify the meaning/definition of the various bearing designations?

SKF brand name

RSH rubber shield heavy

1RS 1 standard rubber shield-one side

2RS 2 standard rubber shields-both sides

etc

etc

thanks, Bill

 

I took the easy ones! 

 

You can find bearing guides online that will give you all the poop.

[JoeM 8,832]

 

EMQ (Electric Motor Quality) bearings are designed to handle high-speed, high-stress applications. The demands of these applications can wear out a lower quality ball bearing, damaging it and even the machine around it. EMQ bearings are held to a higher ABEC standard, created with greater precision in mind and tested to ensure optimal performance.

 

C3 bearings provide larger internal clearance, making them an ideal choice for high-speed and high-temperature applications. Whether you are using motors, compressors, pumps, or fans, C3 bearings offer the necessary clearance to ensure smooth operation and prevent failure. They can handle more misalignment. 

 

It is really unnecessary to re-lubricate EMQ / C3 grade bearings. These come with premium lubricate installed.

 

 

[peter lena 9,432]

@JoeM  been experimenting with  bearing  loading  , for each application , the  tough one to  match up  is the IDLER PULLEY , definitely involved  in the belt  return stage , but typically , pathetic undersized / lubricated bearing , often refer to  mower deck  unsupported  long back side return , its the  TINY INCREMENTAL , BEARING HANG UP , that starts the  buzzing  . that led me to the counter support  idler pulley  , eliminates the bounce , initially  laid out  the most effective area / spot . tried , tested . verified on one deck . then installed to my other 2 decks . always use one horse as the test /  trial  , unit , then add it to the other 2 horses . also do a lot of  roller stool  snooping  around  a trouble spot  . just  trying a what if , thought  . all my bearings have , lucas green chassis grease  , polyurea rated 550 drop point , years in , with no noise or  failures . personally  prefer a REPEDITIVE  PROBLEM AREA  , ?  allows me to ENHANCE FUNCTION , every stage has to  hand off  INTENSION , don,t look in a book for it , its not there . let me know if  I can help  , pete   

 

[Brockport Bill 2,046]

8 hours ago, Racinbob said:

 

I took the easy ones! 

 

You can find bearing guides online that will give you all the poop.

thnaks -- I  was just trying to learn what the Alpha suffix designations mean -- and what is difference to which ones to use on a wh deck? 

[Racinbob 12,222]

There's about 4.6 gazillion different spindles using different bearings. Some are even sealed and not greasable from the factory. It's best to find the parts manual for your specific deck. 

There's a file with all the spindle exploded drawings somewhere. I thought I had it but I can't find it.