Solution To Bent Mower Spindles
Robert McMahon, Knoxville, Tenn.: “We use a small 4-WD Kubota loader tractor and a 3-pt. mounted, 6-ft. Woods finish mower to cut grass. We farm a lot of rough terrain and when we made a sharp turn with the tractor, we accidentally bent the spindles on the mower’s caster wheels.
“To solve the problem I replaced the 1-in. spindles with stronger 4140 tool steel. The tougher spindles worked better, but after a few years they finally bent causing the support arm bushings to wear out. That made the mower’s wheels drag, which caused the deck to cut into the ground.
“Factory replacement arms and spindles cost more than $500, so I went to www.trailerpart.com, an internet trailer parts supplier, and bought four weld-on 1,750-lb. axle spindles and hubs for a total cost of about $200. The spindles and hubs come as a kit to build your own trailer axle. The trailer spindles and hubs are much stronger than the factory ones on the mower. The photos show ‘before and after’ photos of the conversion.
“I cut the original 1-in. dia. spindle off each mower wheel and welded on a new spindle in its place. The kit came with a 1/2-in. thick steel plate that was made to fit the 5-bolt pattern on a trailer’s wheel hub. I drilled 5 holes into the plate and also cut a big hole for the wheel hub to go through the plate, and then bolted the plate to the hub on the caster wheel. Then I welded the plate to the support arm already on the mower deck. The new setup has 2-in. dia., true tapered double roller bearings just like on a trailer, which should last much longer than the mower’s original bearings.
“My wife does most of the mowing and says she likes the job a lot better now because the mower always cuts even.”
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Solution To Bent Mower Spindles FARM HOME Lawn Mowers 31h 38 Robert McMahon Knoxville Tenn : “We use a small 4-WD Kubota loader tractor and a 3-pt mounted 6-ft Woods finish mower to cut grass We farm a lot of rough terrain and when we made a sharp turn with the tractor we accidentally bent the spindles on the mower’s caster wheels “To solve the problem I replaced the 1-in spindles with stronger 4140 tool steel The tougher spindles worked better but after a few years they finally bent causing the support arm bushings to wear out That made the mower’s wheels drag which caused the deck to cut into the ground “Factory replacement arms and spindles cost more than $500 so I went to www trailerpart com an internet trailer parts supplier and bought four weld-on 1 750-lb axle spindles and hubs for a total cost of about $200 The spindles and hubs come as a kit to build your own trailer axle The trailer spindles and hubs are much stronger than the factory ones on the mower The photos show ‘before and after’ photos of the conversion “I cut the original 1-in dia spindle off each mower wheel and welded on a new spindle in its place The kit came with a 1/2-in thick steel plate that was made to fit the 5-bolt pattern on a trailer’s wheel hub I drilled 5 holes into the plate and also cut a big hole for the wheel hub to go through the plate and then bolted the plate to the hub on the caster wheel Then I welded the plate to the support arm already on the mower deck The new setup has 2-in dia true tapered double roller bearings just like on a trailer which should last much longer than the mower’s original bearings “My wife does most of the mowing and says she likes the job a lot better now because the mower always cuts even ”
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