Craftsman mower 917.276022

[robertnewman]

Four year old mower, have replaced the three mandrel assemblies once each, now all three are making grinding noise again. The manual shows two bearings, and I was thinking maybe I could replace the bearings rather than replacing the entire mandrel assembly and save some money. Do you feel this is a realistic alternative? Once I solve this grinding problem, how do I prevent the bearings from failing again so soon? Maybe a different supplier mfg's a better bearing? I probably could do a better job of cleaning the underside of the deck after each use but still wonder if i can't protect the bearings from moisture better than a 30 minute cleaning after each use. There has to be a better way!!!

[dpb]

Probably yes to both as long as they don't use a non-standard bearing size.

Not at all likely that's making any difference at all -- if there's anything other than just bearings failing that you're doing it might be running belt tension too tight but even that would likely be a stretch.

Sounds like sorry bearings...

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[Rudy]

here are the bearings Part # 15

Yes, but it seems that these bearings need maintenance..

Friends have a Craftsman tractor/mower about 8 yrs old.. I KNOW they don t ever do any maintenance..After first 3 winters of gelled gasoline/carb crud, I convinced then to DRAIN their fuel at the end of season but thats it. They wouldnt have any idea where/how the bearings worked..but still it runs ?

PACK the bearings with good quality grease before you install them. The other replacement bearing/ mandrel sets may come DRY from the supplier.

I hope you find it..these things usually last for years w/o tinkering with the bearings. I dont suppose there are any grease nipples anywhere down there ??

[dpb]

Rudy wrote: ...

I would certainly expect anything of recent vintage (

[Blattus Slafaly]

That's what I always do. Replace the bearings inside the mandrel. You'll need a bearing press and a puller to remove the pulleys. Try to get industrial grade bearings not commercial grade. You'll do it less often.

[politicallycorrect]

If you pressure wash the deck you may be forcing water into the spindles ( I assume that's what you mean by mandrel ) and thus ruining the bearings. Frequent bearing failure can also occur if you tighten the blades past the recommended torque setting or by not torquing the blade nuts enough. By over torquing you put too much pressure on the bearings. By under torquing you allow the g forces of the blade rotation to cause the blades to over tighten thus causing premature bearing failure. Unbalanced blades can also cause this, though you would probably notice, immediately, the vibration from blades out of balance enough to affect the bearings. Another solution, buy a better mower than a Crapsman.