48 inch Side Discharge Deck Restoration

[Horse Newbie 6,872]

29 minutes ago, Jeff-C175 said:

 

All three of them the same?  Not as simple as a 'stuck' zerk?

 

I'm guessing you removed the 'factory' grease?  Did you repack the bearings when you reinstalled the spindles?

 

That 'collar' inside the spindles has to be the right way around for the grease to get down into the spindle.  I believe if you install it upside down it blocks the grease hole inside.

 

 

Nope all 3 not the same… right and left seem to be taking grease fine.

Took the zerk off of the center spindle and flushed it with brake cleaner, pushed on the ball, ball not stuck.

I wonder if it’s the spacer is not installed the correct way ?

[Horse Newbie 6,872]

8 minutes ago, Blasterdad said:

The tolerance in those new spindles will be very tight, grease will be hard to pump in there, run that beauty a couple of times then give it a little shot of grease, you should be good. 

You think I should take the center spindle apart and try to determine if the spacer/ sleeve is in correct ?

[Jeff-C175 7,195]

20 minutes ago, Horse Newbie said:

in correct ?

 

I suppose it could be in correct, or it could be incorrect !  

 

Let me take a quick look at some scrapped parts I have... and see what I can see...  might give some clues.

 

BRB.....

 

 

[Blasterdad 2,564]

21 minutes ago, Horse Newbie said:

You think I should take the center spindle apart and try to determine if the spacer/ sleeve is in correct ?

If the other 2 take grease fine & that one doesn't I would take it apart, ( I take OCD to whole new level,Lol ) just so I could sleep tonight. 

[Blasterdad 2,564]

You're doing a great job, now is the time to make sure it's right. I almost always run into some flying monkey that rips the stuffing outta my roll, Lol

For instance just found some PO's handywork... Not a double D pulley & aluminium to boot. Have a donor deck but the pulleys are rusted on, (cover was on). Just have to be patient & let them soak a few days. 

 

[Horse Newbie 6,872]

Do you guys, @Jeff-C175, and @Blasterdad know if the spindle shafts are supposed to have 2 cross- holes for the grease to come out ?

The center spindle shaft only has one hole and the left spindle shaft has 2 holes…

And also , do you guys know if the spindle shafts are designed for maybe the center having 2, and the right and left having 1, with the spindle shafts having to be in a certain location by design ?

[Horse Newbie 6,872]

Check what I found… the spacer/ sleeve in the center spindle has 1 hole about centered end to end in the middle, while the left spacer/ sleeve has 2 holes - one on each end about a 1/2 inch from the ends… wonder why ?

 

 

left side spindle housing 

 

 

center spindle housing

Edited May 30, 2022 by Horse Newbie

[Jeff-C175 7,195]

19 minutes ago, Horse Newbie said:

spindle shafts are supposed to have 2 cross- holes for the grease to come out ?

 

AFAIK they are, or should be, all the same.  All the ones I've seen have two.

 

I can't find the box with my junk parts!  I did find the 'collar' that I was talking about though.

 

 

IIRC, those notches in the collar need to be on the 'bottom' when the collar is installed.

 

But maybe those newer spindles are different than my old ones, because I thought there was a groove machined around the shaft where the grease exit holes are.

 

Can you get grease through the single hole?  Make sure it's drilled through!

 

 

Edited May 30, 2022 by Jeff-C175

[Horse Newbie 6,872]

8 minutes ago, Jeff-C175 said:

 

AFAIK they are, or should be, all the same.  All the ones I've seen have two.

 

I can't find the box with my junk parts!  I did find the 'collar' that I was talking about though.

 

 

IIRC, those holes in the collar need to be on the 'bottom' when the collar is installed.

 

But maybe those newer spindles are different than my old ones, because I thought there was a groove machined around the shaft where the grease exit holes are.

 

Can you get grease through the single hole?  Make sure it's drilled through!

 

 

Yes grease goes through the zerk, down the shaft and at least out of the single hole… think I should drill that single hole where it will go all the way through the shaft ?

Also note:

 On the center spindle, where the hole in the spacer/ sleeve is about 2 inches from each end/ centered, the holes in the haft will NOT be in alignment. And the left side where the spacer/ sleeve has a hole on each end, the holes there will not be in alignment either…

Edited May 30, 2022 by Horse Newbie

[Horse Newbie 6,872]

10 minutes ago, Jeff-C175 said:

 

AFAIK they are, or should be, all the same.  All the ones I've seen have two.

 

I can't find the box with my junk parts!  I did find the 'collar' that I was talking about though.

 

 

IIRC, those holes in the collar need to be on the 'bottom' when the collar is installed.

 

But maybe those newer spindles are different than my old ones, because I thought there was a groove machined around the shaft where the grease exit holes are.

 

Can you get grease through the single hole?  Make sure it's drilled through!

 

 

And where does this collar with the 2 slits go ?… I don’t have that .

Does it go under the bottom bearings between the bearing and the spindle cup ?

[Jeff-C175 7,195]

7 minutes ago, Horse Newbie said:

where does this collar with the 2 slits go ?… I don’t have that

 

I see that... that part is from my old spindles and I did not take the new ones apart.

 

Obviously a different design.  I see much different stuff in there than in my old ones.

 

This collar goes on TOP.  I THINK that the top seal rides on it.  Below this collar was a sleeve.

 

If I could find the box with the old parts I could be more pacific.

 

BUT, having not had the new ones apart yet, I can't really  comment on those...

 

 

[Jeff-C175 7,195]

17 minutes ago, Horse Newbie said:

think I should drill that single hole where it will go all the way through the shaft ?

 

I don't think it would hurt to make it like the others, but the differences in the location of the holes in the spacer confuses me... so I dunno !

 

 

[Blasterdad 2,564]

Seen all kinds of goofy things go on with WH/TORO parts, new batch, old batch, made on Monday, NOS, put together with wrong part... I'd try to ID yours & compare

[Jeff-C175 7,195]

This one is a lot easier to read, but only goes to '89.  I think the other one chart may be newer?

 

 

 

[Horse Newbie 6,872]

Thanks @Jeff-C175 for taking the time to help me with this…

Now that I have basically took the deck apart again , this is my plan…

Tell me what you think about these points…

1. The right and left spindle housings have spacer/ sleeves between the top and bottom bearings that have 2 holes in each- about  1/4” from each end.

 

2. The center spindle housing has a spacer/sleeve with one hole in the center about 2” from the ends.

 

3. The right and left spindle shafts have the grease hole bored all the way through and the center spindles shaft has one hole that doesn’t go all the way through.

 

So here’s my plan…

 

Drill a hole the rest of the way through the center spindle shaft so it will have 2 exit holes for the grease…

 

I do not plan to take apart the parts in the housings as I don’t have a way to press out the bearings, and I do not want to risk damaging the bearings by knocking them out.

 

Reassemble the deck, and when I go to apply grease, hopefully with the 2 holes that will now be in the center shaft, it will take grease as the right and left appeared to.

 

( I saw signs that grease had reached the bearings on the right and left sides with only a few, 3 or 4 pumps)

 

One more question… when I bolted the spindle housings to the deck, I used anti seize to keep the steel bolts from seizing to the threads in the aluminum housings… when I took off the spindle housing just now they didn’t seem very tight… think I should have used anti seize  ?

[Horse Newbie 6,872]

And thank you @Blasterdad  also !

[Blasterdad 2,564]

There are so many different spindles but I agree with Jeff, you would think the same spindles would be the same... The center driven spindle will always have more load on it Hence 2 holes...?

I usually just take them apart noting which spindle went where looking for any differences. Look at these old monsters.. Shaft is keyed & Check out the nut on the bottom... WH/TORO just couldnt leave well enough alone, Lol

 

 

[Jeff-C175 7,195]

1 minute ago, Blasterdad said:

The center driven spindle will always have more load on it Hence 2 holes...?

 

I've never seen where there is any differentiation between 'outside' or 'center' spindles though... that's what's weird.

 

2 minutes ago, Blasterdad said:

these old monsters..

 

Those are the ones that were on my 1980 48" SD deck, and the ones that have that collar with the two notches in it.

 

 

[Blasterdad 2,564]

6 minutes ago, Horse Newbie said:

Thanks @Jeff-C175 for taking the time to help me with this…

Now that I have basically took the deck apart again , this is my plan…

Tell me what you think about these points…

1. The right and left spindle housings have spacer/ sleeves between the top and bottom bearings that have 2 holes in each- about  1/4” from each end.

 

2. The center spindle housing has a spacer/sleeve with one hole in the center about 2” from the ends.

 

3. The right and left spindle shafts have the grease hole bored all the way through and the center spindles shaft has one hole that doesn’t go all the way through.

 

So here’s my plan…

 

Drill a hole the rest of the way through the center spindle shaft so it will have 2 exit holes for the grease…

 

I do not plan to take apart the parts in the housings as I don’t have a way to press out the bearings, and I do not want to risk damaging the bearings by knocking them out.

 

Reassemble the deck, and when I go to apply grease, hopefully with the 2 holes that will now be in the center shaft, it will take grease as the right and left appeared to.

 

( I saw signs that grease had reached the bearings on the right and left sides with only a few, 3 or 4 pumps)

 

One more question… when I bolted the spindle housings to the deck, I used anti seize to keep the steel bolts from seizing to the threads in the aluminum housings… when I took off the spindle housing just now they didn’t seem very tight… think I should have used anti seize  ?

Great plan, Love it! They came from the factory wth blue Loc Tite, (you can see it on the bolts in the last pic). I put anti seize on mine because of dissimilar metals & they do break easily...

[Blasterdad 2,564]

Just re-purposed this old deck, 1969 42" SD. converted it to a Tach-A-Matic mount, love these old spindles, they run SMOOTH ! 

 

[Horse Newbie 6,872]

When I ordered the complete spindle kits from @76c12091520h, Brian DID TELL ME that they were rebuilt spindle shafts/ like new … maybe the center shaft did have 2 holes because it may see a slightly bigger load, but I have heard many here say “ all shafts are the same across the 48 inch deck” ( there I go with quotes… )

 

When Brian worked them up, I wound up with 2 shafts with 2 holes, and 1 shaft with 1 hole… well all 3 of mine have 2 holes now !  

[Blasterdad 2,564]

1 minute ago, Horse Newbie said:

When I ordered the complete spindle kits from @76c12091520h, Brian DID TELL ME that they were rebuilt spindle shafts/ like new … maybe the center shaft did have 2 holes because it may see a slightly bigger load, but I have heard many here say “ all shafts are the same across the 48 inch deck” ( there I go with quotes… )

 

When Brian worked them up, I wound up with 2 shafts with 2 holes, and 1 shaft with 1 hole… well all 3 of mine have 2 holes now !  

You sir are my new HERO!  

[Horse Newbie 6,872]

13 minutes ago, Blasterdad said:

Great plan, Love it! They came from the factory wth blue Loc Tite, (you can see it on the bolts in the last pic). I put anti seize on mine because of dissimilar metals & they do break easily...

You mean they break loose easily with anti seize, or the aluminum breaks easily if you over tighten ?

[Jeff-C175 7,195]

2 minutes ago, Horse Newbie said:

blue Loc Tite

 

I used that on mine when I installed the new spindles.  I figured I wouldn't be taking them apart again in my lifetime !       

[Blasterdad 2,564]

The housing breaks, one broke on my 48" deck like a crecent moon chunk around the bolt hole, it broke clean so I just bolted it back on, got lucky, Lol.