LA105 Spindles Dead....I think

[stihlman32]

Hi all,

LA105 w/ 150 hours. The deck (42") probably has 75 hours on it. I've noticed a whine that from the deck when it is engaged. I've shot grease into the spindles hoping that was the issue, but no joy. Now I'm not sure if the spindles are shot or the idler pulley bearings. Is there any sure fire way to diagnose either, and if it's the spindles are they rebuildable or should I just replace the whole unit?

Thanks for your replies.

 

[rayikeo2]

Sounds like the idler pulley bearings. Spindles will viabrate the mower deck without the squeel. When they go bad you will be able to wiggle the blade by hand. The idlers are sealed and a high pitched whine is the first warning. To check run the mower till you hear the whine or 4 to 5 min then shut it off and feel the idler pulley to see if it is hot to the tutch. Or the other way is to take the belt off and spin them by hand. If they are hard to spin replace them. You probably have 2 idlers and usually they go out one at a time. About $15 replacement cost for a new idler pulley.
If it completely seizes before you change it, you will have to buy a $30 belt also. Check your warranty if it's still in effect they might be covered, but chances are they won't be. Spindles are about $100 each.

 

[whistlepig]

I doubt your spindles are shot with only 75 hours. Even an idler wouldn't go bad in that length of time. Look to see if something is rubbing a belt or pulley that may be making the noise.

 

[stihlman32]

Thanks for the replies. I'm getting no odd vibrations or movement from the deck itself, and I've pulled the deck and nothing is rubbing on the belts etc. I'll start with the idler pulley's and go from there. I assume its easiest/best to replace the entire pulley assembly versus trying to remove/reinstall the bearings in them. Anyone happen to know the JD part numbers for both pulleys?

 

[whistlepig]

Although blade spindles are almost always rebuildable most idler pulleys are disposable items and not rebuildable. Check to see if you don't have something wrapped around your spindle that can cause it to squeal. Things that can cause squealing wrapped around a mower spindle: Horse tail hair, plastic like garbage bags, baler twine, and tall grass. My wife has used our riding tractor like a brush hog and got so much long grass wrapped the spindles it made them squeal. If you get just a little grease on your belt that can make it squeal. With only 75 hours on your spindles the spindles would be the last place I would suspect a problem.

 

[stihlman32]

Whistle thanks for you input. It's not a squeal per say, but definately the sound of a bearing failing. Hard to describe but almost a the sound of a gear drive running on a hopped up car or metal on metal of a bearing. I ran the deck for about 5 min and the small idler pulley is warmer than the rest, and almost uncomfortable to the touch on the nut. I think it's the culprit, and for $15 its not a bad place to start...

 

[beenthere]

That's the spirit.
Go get um, and let us know the result.

:welcome: to TBN

 

[whistlepig]

I gave 'er a go anyway. If you have more than one idler I would replace them both. It's a bit of work getting the belt off. Hope you get it fixed.

 

[mjncad]

Anyone happen to know the JD part numbers for both pulleys?

Go to www.jdparts.com

 

[stihlman32]

I'll have parts this afternoon and let you all know how it goes. FWIW I like http://jdpc.deere.com which is the direct link to the parts catalog and ties into jdparts.com. I've been to jdparts.com and can figure out where the link to the parts catalog is. Ahh well!

 

[stihlman32]

Turned out the large idler bearing was shot. I could feel it dragging when I took it off and spun it on my finger. $17 and 10 min later, both pulleys replaced.

 

[rayikeo2]

Turned out the large idler bearing was shot. I could feel it dragging when I took it off and spun it on my finger. $17 and 10 min later, both pulleys replaced.

Congratulations, that should be the end of your noise problem. Keep us posted after you mow the next time. Sure beats replacing good spindles. Just remember to grease them.

 

[jinman]

Turned out the large idler bearing was shot. I could feel it dragging when I took it off and spun it on my finger. $17 and 10 min later, both pulleys replaced.

I didn't see your post until this morning, but I've replaced the first small idler on my 48" deck and have purchased spares for the small and large idlers. They are cheap in both price and performance and I like having one handy for immediate replacement. On my deck, there is no shock mounting on the first small pulley and it takes a beating when the PTO is engaged because I have an electric PTO.

I also noticed a tiny bit of slop in my center deck spindle at the beginning of this season. When I pumped in grease, the slop went away and the spindle seems to be holding fine. I grease spindles about every 10 hours of operation. I also bought a spare spindle because I am sure it will eventually go out within a couple of years. I'm almost 80 miles round trip from my JD dealer and it's easier for me to order parts online and have them delivered by UPS. That way I'm never caught needing a part I don't have with the lawn half mowed.

 

[rayikeo2]

Jinman, I grease my spindles about every 10 hours too, and I give them plenty of grease, about 8 shots from the gun. My theory is, You can't get too much grease in them. (grease is a lot cheaper than a spindle) I have never had one go bad from over greasing.
Just remembered, I have to go mow for a couple of hours, darn it.

 

[stihlman32]

Here's the question that has me stumped. I owned the mower for 1 season and mid year, the cotter pins released and the whole deck took a dump while in operation. While I felt it was a warranty issue, the dealer felt otherwise and I got to spend about $800 on a new deck. Assuming these were new idlers they are a little over a year old. Is it possible for the $800 I received a new shell, and all the old brakes, pulleys, etc were transfered on to it? It seems idlers should last more than 1 year, or am I being obtuse?

 

[rayikeo2]

I am not quite following your post so I will recap part of it for calification. Correct me if I am wrong. Your mower was 1 year old last year and your deck had to be replaced for $800? What cotter pins gave way and how was the deck damaged? Was it the rear support pins that are spring loaded that released the back of the deck? I have never heard of one destroying itself. Does your mower set out all winter? Fill in more information if you can. I would say an idler pulley could go bad in 1 year but it would be unusual for it to happen. I do not know what the price of a complete deck is. What deck model do you have?

 

[jinman]

My first small idler started howling with 25 hours on my mower. It was under warranty, but I sure wasn't going to load up my mower and take it 40 miles to the dealer for repair when the idler only cost about $8.50. When you figure I'd have to tow a trailer 80 miles round trip to take the mower to the dealer and another 80 miles to get the mower home, it just did not make economic sense. That's when I decided to try and stockpile common failure items. Now, I have 90 hours on my LA145 and I can hear another idler starting to howl a bit. I think it's the bigger one. I think if the parts weren't so cheap, I'd redesign the first idler to make it a shock mount and I'd see if I could find a better grade of idler. After all, these things are pretty common parts on almost any level of mower deck. Our mowers are $2500 or less in cost and I don't expect them to perform like a $10,000 mower. I paid $2100 for my LA145 and I've spent a little over $200 in stockpiled and replacement parts. That's acceptable in my book at 90 hours.

So Stihlman32, I do think this is common for these mowers. I also think it would be something similar or something else on any brand of mower in this price range. I also think that $800 sounds like the price of a complete deck with all new parts on a LA105. BTW: I hit an uneven part of my lawn and the mower deck dropped, but I instantly saw it scalping on that side and put everything back together. I haven't had the slightest problem since and my deck is structurally perfect.

 

[mjncad]

If Stihlman32's deck is like my L-130's 48" deck, it's held in place with two links per side and one link in front. These are secured with hair pins that could pop off if a stick or something caught them just right. I always re-insert those pins front-to-back in case something hits them while moving forward. Some of the newer JD pins look like a bow-tie to act as a redundant method of keeping the pins in place.

 

[rayikeo2]

That system of 'hairpin clips' doesn't sound very secure. My Lx279 mower is held on with a 3/8 inch rod and 3/8" pin system. There is no way it's going to fall off.:confused2:

 

[stihlman32]

I am not quite following your post so I will recap part of it for calification. Correct me if I am wrong. Your mower was 1 year old last year and your deck had to be replaced for $800? What cotter pins gave way and how was the deck damaged? Was it the rear support pins that are spring loaded that released the back of the deck? I have never heard of one destroying itself. Does your mower set out all winter? Fill in more information if you can. I would say an idler pulley could go bad in 1 year but it would be unusual for it to happen. I do not know what the price of a complete deck is. What deck model do you have?

Thats it. The mower (LA105 42" deck) is now starting its 3rd season. I bought it new, and in 3 months, the hairpins that attached the 3/8" rods that support the rear of the deck to the frame let go while the mower was in operation. Destroyed the blades, deck shell etc. The dealer was going to charge $700 to straighten the old deck, or $800 for new. I opted for new, essentially making theses idlers 1 year old. As cheap as they are I guess failure at any time is an option. At the time it was a hard pill to swallow being told that I must have hit something to cause the deck to drop and this made it a non warranty issue. As insurance I now bend the hairpins to prevent them from springing loose and causing the first issue. Live and learn...But I learn pretty quickly at $800 a pop!