Finish Mower Spindle

[Jerrythepilot]

My three point finish mower had a seized spindle. Once I got it apart I replaced the bearings and seals, but it still wouldn't turn freely. Besides the bad bearings the shaft was damaged. So time to head to the shop and see if I can make a new one. Success! 3/4-16 left hand threads on both ends, bored and counter drilled a grease channel, tapped for a grease zerk, and milled a keyway. It took me two tries and two days, but my deck is bad in service, so I'm thrilled!

[SVS]

“Two tries and two days”.......hard to maintain the mystique in the face of such blatant honesty.

Good job, anyhow!

Was old shaft bent?

[sid pileski]

Very nice.
Two day's worth of work is probably still cheaper than an entire new spindle.
Especially if it's painted green!!

Sid

[Jerrythepilot]

Thanks! Yep, shaft bent and no longer available. I'm still learning, but I'm having more successes than failures now in the shop so I'm making progress.

[Dan Dubeau]

Great job. The beauty of having a home shop and the ability to make replacement parts should put a smile on anyone's face. I made a complete spindle and housing for my swisher tow behind a few years ago, and the only thing I wish I did different is that I wish I made 2 more for the other ones at the same time lol.

[kev74]

Nice work!

[Black Forest]

Great job. You will have a smile on your face while mowing. Hint, pick up the rocks before mowing next time!

[deltap]

I took my bent shaft to a machine shop to get a new one made. They let me watch while the machinist mounted it between centers in the lathe, heated it to red hot, and then pushed it straight with a roller tool. Ten minutes done.

[old mart]

The learning experience was worth a dozen spindles bought in a shop. The more you do, the more confidence you will have to take on projects. Making scrap is one of the best ways to learn.

[Black Forest]

Maybe it was Confucius that said, "Machinist with not big scrap pile no try hard enough."

[psomero]

I turn all of my mistakes into piles of chips, and then pretend like I meant to do that.

[The Metal Butcher]

One of my first lathe projects was a mower spindle to replace the one on a Yazoo mower. Dad had already had a friend make one, but he did a poor job. My first one was scrap too. The second one's bearing fits were eh, but good enough. It's still in service. My biggest regret was making it 3/4-16 instead of 3/4-10. Not many 3/4-16 nuts in the drawer and they were all crap.