Lubricating spindles on Bolen riding lawnmower

[jrcowboys]

Guys:

The blades on my Bolen riding lawnmower (a gift from my neighbor that was moving) froze (from rust I think) and I had a heck of a time getting them back working.

As far as I can tell there are no grease fitting on the spindles and I have just been spraying WD40 plus other liquid lubricants on the top of the spindle junction below the pulley.

Any suggestions for a better solution?

Thanks

JR

 

[oldhp]

Most are a press-on sealed bearing. Replace only.

 

[Donald]

I would try something a little thicker like gear oil. Possibly if you heat it some, as it cools it will draw in the lubricant.

Replace is the best option.

 

[GreeCguy]

The problem with WD-40 is that too much will wash out the grease in your bearing. What I just did with my spindles, (just did it yesterday as I had to replace a broken mandrel) is install a grease fitting on the side of the mandrel. The metal is super soft and it was easy to drill and tap. I did remove the bearings and pop off the inside seal so the grease could get to the bearings. I was amazed at how little grease a self sealing bearing contains.

 

[KD0AXS]

What kind of Bolens are we talking about here?

If it's a real Bolens, it's definitely worth fixing.

If it's an MTD Bolens, run it until it doesn't run anymore, scrap it, and get a new mower.

 

[jrcowboys]

The mower is the MTD version, but the engine seems pretty sound. I adjusted the valves on the engine and it looked pretty good inside from what I could see. I realize this is a "cheap" version and don't expect it to last a long time, however I do hope to run it a couple of years if I can keep the blades from freezing up.

JR