Mystery Noise from ZD326 Rear End When Accelerating

[Suburban Plowboy]

Today I noticed that my ZD326 seems to make noise when I accelerate using the motion handles. It appears to come from the rear end. It's kind of like a dry door hinge, only, of course, louder. It goes away when I'm not accelerating from a stop.

Any idea what it is? Is the mower about to blow up?

 

[JJT]

Have you checked the hydro fluid level? My zd21 has three dipsticks, I'm guessing the 326 is similar.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

Wait...three?

Let me check the manual.

Page 47 of the manual only mentions one dipstick, and I checked it a month or so ago, but I'll go back and do it again.

The manual also says to shut down the engine and let it idle for several minutes before checking the fluid. Somebody was hitting the sake when he wrote this manual.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

This is embarrassing, but hey, it's not like the Internet never forgets, right?

As I have gotten older I have found that I sometimes make mistakes when trying to locate the sources of sounds. I think that is what happened with regard to the mower. I took it out today, and it looks like the noise is actually coming from the front wheel bearings, which are cheap, unlike the rear bearings, which run about $4,000 installed, since Kubota built the mower around them.

 

[JJT]

Each of my drive units has a dipstick as well as the one under the seat.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

Man, that is crazy.