WHO Greases J. Deere lawn tractors - Factory or Dealer?

[73Chall]

Howdy BITOG members!

I'm tossing this question out in the hopes we have a John Deere guru, walking encyclopedia or even former employee amongst us:

Is there any truth to the assertion that John Deere Front wheel hubs, center front axle steering hub and mower decks (in this case the Accel decks that slide in and out from under the tractor) leave the factory WITHOUT any grease and that the spindles, etc. are greased by the dealer(s) when they receive them?

This assertion is what I read (I believe here, possibly on some other lawn eqpt forum, not 100% sure ....) I do remember the assertion was written more like a doggone assurance and I never really gave it a whole, whole lotta thought - - UNTIL TODAY, when I greased the 3 mower and the idler arm spindles on my 48" deck AND also the front wheel hubs and the fitting at center of the front axle (steering). I was using the John Deere grease ("TY _ _ _ _ " something or other) Owners Manual recommends "2 pumps" and I was very gentle but, noticed every grease fitting took a good 5 slow pumps before I saw any evidence of any area actually being filled with grease.

But, the real big question mark over my head appeared once i reassembled the deck and tractor and I fired the mower up - I was literally blown away by how quiet the entire tractor is now, blades turning or not.

I actually found BITOG not too long after I bought the X580 tractor new; I actually took it back within months (at first 8-hours) terribly worried about the the straining noise and loud humming was so bad, any time the tractor was in forward or reverse gear. I paid out of pocket to have them change the 2 transaxle filters and the fluid (I shoulda asked for the old filters back but, did not! )

Anyhoo, when I got the mower back,, still making that gosh awful moaning and groaning and straining when moving ... UNTIL THAT IS, AFTER I GREASED ALL THE NECESSARY SPINDLES AND BEARUNGS, TODAY! (At 25-hour mark)

All this reminded me of that assertion that it is up to the dealer to fill certain components with grease and has me wondering if there is any truth to it ...

I know some of you know everything there is know about John Deere!

Thanks in advance,

signed - Happy in WNC with a much, MUCH quieter (and obviously happier ) lawn tractor now!

 

[dwendt44]

You could ask the dealer's mechanic.
I know some folks that work at the JD factory, at least the factory that makes
the S240 and the X300 series. They do or should give the front end zerks a shot
of grease on assembly. Some employee turn over the last couple of years so who knows.

Older machines call for more grease on deck spindles, but the bearings are sealed in there.
My guess is that the grease is a kind of heat sink as those spindles get warm with use.
The grease may also quiet any noise the spindles make.

My 2¢

 

[73Chall]

Thanks, dwendt - your .02 appreciated! If I ever encounter any of the dealers mechanics I'm a gonna ask ‘em (have only been to the dealer a half dozen times but, have never seen any of the service staff out and about where customers have ingress and egress).

One thing is fer sure; I am real glad I invested in the JD specified grease, that dedicated grease gun AND the time and effort it took to get the job done yesterday (although it was tough, having to stop every once in awhile and use that old snow shovel to move all the tree pollen out of my work area!

 

[mk378]

It is up to any dealer to prepare the machine and make sure it is ready to use before selling it. I doubt that the factory intentionally leaves the grease out though.

 

[gman2304]

Since you stated it only made the noises when moving in forward or reverse, I can't see how greasing the deck spindles front steering spindles etc would make a difference in the noise. Last summer my LX188 was making a noise when moving but I discovered a small tree limb had wedged around the drive pulley and belt. I'm also wondering if something might have been misaligned and you removing the deck then reinstalling it got it back in alignment. With the 4 year 500 hour warranty on your X580 I would have maybe pushed the dealer a little harder to find the problem. That old saying about the squeaky wheel getting the grease.......LOL!

 

[73Chall]

mk378, I kinda doubt it also (however, I am still puzzled as to why each zerk took 5 pumps easily, before any indication of grease having "filled" its intended void …)

gman, LOL, Johnny Carson, Ed McMahon, Jay Leno and Tim Allen ALL APPROVE of that joke (as well as your point) !

 

[Astro_Guy]

I purchased my D140 nearly five years ago from a John Deere dealer. I recall them saying that they had to grease it up before delivery.

That being said, a lot of these same units get delivered by the big box stores like Home Depot and Lowe's. One has to wonder what level of attention would be given to units delivered via that channel. Three years ago I picked up an Ariens snow blower at Lowe's, [with gift cards] and there was a tag on the dipstick indicating that oil had to be added, so I added oil. Problem was, the oil had already been added. Price being equal, I will always ALLWAYS buy from a local dealer who has a reputation to consider as opposed to a big box store that will simply punt any problems back to the manufacturer.