You will quickly realize if you have a problem with your lawn mower deck spindle. If you haven’t noticed it, trust me, you soon will.
In my experience, knowing what signs to look out for is essential. A bad spindle will wreak havoc on both the lawn and the lawn mower.
Therefore, fixing a bad spindle should be your top priority when something goes wrong.
How You Can Tell If Your Mower Deck Spindle is Bad (The Short Answer)
As soon as you notice an irregular noise, squeaking belt, vibrating mower, or an uneven cut, stop the engine and check the spindles.
These symptoms can signify a bad spindle and point to a more significant problem ready to happen.
What is a Lawn Mower Spindle?
Lawn mower spindles assist in transferring the engine’s power to the blade. This is a high-speed and high-torque process.
A spindle has an inner part that connects to the pulley and blade. Its outer connects to the deck. Bearings separate the two parts.
6 Telltale Signs that Something is Wrong with Your Mower Deck Spindle
Even the high-strength materials used in the manufacturing of a spindle can fail when subjected to external forces.
So let’s look at the signs to watch out for to tell if the mower deck spindle is bad or going bad.
A Noise Coming from the Lawn Mower
A new, unfamiliar noise can typically be heard when a spindle starts to go bad. Collapsed bearings allow the spindle to come into contact with the housing.
As a result, there will be an audible sound of this happening. It’s an unnerving sound of metal on metal. Urgh, I just hate that sound. Almost as much as cutlery scratching a plate.
An Uneven Cut to the Lawn
The spindle will wear down with the continued use of a lawn mower with collapsed bearings. As a result, it will no longer sit straight within the housing. This can also occur if the spindle is bent.
Consequently, the attached blade will also no longer be straight. Therefore, when cutting the lawn, you should be able to notice if the blade is cutting at a sloped angle, as it’ll leave a trail of unevenly cut grass in its wake.
The Belt Keeps Falling Off
Due to the spindle being at an irregular angle, the belt could be prone to fall off of the pulley. Additionally, you may discover slack in the belt that wasn’t there before.
There’s Visibly Something Wrong
You may be able to tell that something is out of place just by looking at the lawn mower.
For example, the blade may not be sitting square in the deck. Or perhaps the belt shows unusual movement up and down on the pulleys.
Both of these could be caused by either bad bearings or a bent spindle.
An Unnatural Vibration in the Mower
Vibration in a lawn mower is to be expected, but the vibration of a shifting spindle isn’t.
A bad spindle with bad bearings will have additional room within the housing to move around. As a result, there will be considerable movement as the belt moves. The movement will cause the lawn mower to vibrate really bad.
In addition, if your spindle is bent, the blade will rotate as if the blade was very unbalanced. This is going to cause continuous heavy vibration.
Broken Parts Can Fall Off the Lawn Mower
If a bad spindle goes unnoticed, it will, in time, break apart. With the continuous rubbing of metal on metal due to the lack of bearings, the spindle will wear completely through.
In this event, the blade will come off, as will the pulley and belt.
A Quick Test You Can Do to Confirm Your Deck Spindle is Damaged
First, start by removing the belt from the pulley. Then, with the spindle and pulley free from obstruction, you can give it a spin.
Initially, look to see how the spindle rotates. If it spins freely without unusual noises, the internal section appears to be in working order.
Next, check the housing of the spindle. When it’s turned, it should be turning nice and straight with no cause for alarm.
You’ll know the bearings are damaged if you hear a noise coming from the inside. If the spindle spins from side to side, then it’s unfortunately bent. In both of these cases, the spindle needs to be replaced.
Ways to Protect and Prolong the Lifespan of a Spindle
There are several ways in which you can prolong the life of a spindle.
Firstly, you need to know if the spindle is serviceable. If it is, you must add grease to it periodically as required.
Also, you should clean out any material beginning to work its way into the pulley. Adding grease and preventing foreign material from getting into the pulley will help protect the internal bearings.
Secondly, don’t power-wash the pulleys when cleaning down the lawn mower. The high-pressure water can find its way into the bearings and cause corrosion. As a result, the corrosion will destroy the bearings and the spindle.
Finally, be careful with the deck. Hitting objects as you mow can cause the spindle to bend. This is a considerable risk to be aware of when loading a mower in and out of a trailer.
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