Why am I greasing this?

[bgsengine]

Snapper replied this morning:

Thank you for e-mailing Snapper.
The purpose of the grease is for distribution of heat and to protect from moisture.

Thank you
Snapper Technical Service
800-935-2967

I guess this might make some sense, but if you follow their recommendation of two shots of grease annually, it'll take about twenty years to fill the spindle housing. Going forward, I think I won't lose any sleep if I forget to do this.

Thanks again, everyone.

You DO know that most engines (pretty much all kinds) are also cooled by their lubricating oil, right? even 2-strokes get some cooling from the oil in the gas mix. Even electric motors (especially oil bath) are cooled by their lubrication - same principle applies and the spindle does not need to be filled with grease, as the grease will melt as it heats and spread around, helping to absorb some heat and distribute it to the spindle housing. - Air is an excellent insulator - adding grease gives heat a path to flow, much like adding a carbon track along a distributor cap gives electricity a path to flow.. (Ever wonder why it seems more common for an UPPER spindle bearing to fail before the lower bearing?)

However, it IS true that the cooling ability of the grease is somewhat limited, it can still affect the longevity of the bearings and spindle shaft.

[OverKnight]

Thanks for making me lose sleep!

I change out my blade with a sharpened one about twice a year, and that's normally when I'd grease the spindle. I'm not sure that these sealed bearings get hot enough to melt or at least soften the grease enough to make it flow throughout the housing. Still, I'll assume that the people recommending this procedure (and most of those here at PPETEN) are smarter than I am with this stuff; at least I hope they are...


Thanks again.

[bobodu]

Ya wanna lose sleep?? Ask...why DON'T people grease things that the manual tells them to? We would all be out of business if people would take the manuals into the "reading room". I find I remember a lot more when I read in the john...seems I retain when I expel....

[Deere2me]

Speakin' of greasin'. Just bought one of these:http://www.tooldiscounter.com/ItemDisplay.cfm?lookup=LIN1162&source=froogle&kw=LIN1162 from that site/store. The best price I could find and super fast FREE shipping!!
Anybody wanna buy a box of grease guns, including an old air one?

[38racing]

Snapper replied this morning:

Thank you for e-mailing Snapper.
The purpose of the grease is for distribution of heat and to protect from moisture.

Thank you
Snapper Technical Service
800-935-2967

I guess this might make some sense, but if you follow their recommendation of two shots of grease annually, it'll take about twenty years to fill the spindle housing. Going forward, I think I won't lose any sleep if I forget to do this.

Thanks again, everyone.

would they not be filled at the factory ?

[Arkie]

Just spent couple hours few days ago due to a owners manual being WRONG showing spring and brake cable for a lawn tractor deck that I was replacing a belt on and I could see where the spring and cable was suppose to be on the deck, but they were missing. (the owners manual was WRONG for this model deck) These same parts where the spring and cable were to connect was also used on OTHER model decks that required the spring and cable.

Also seen few years ago the Jeep had grease serts on the their rear axle to grease the outer tapered bearings. They had to quit installing such because bubba would connect his grease gun and pump until he see grease come out somewhere, which would be the axle tube getting filled to the the ring gear and pinion. The outer bearings only required packing with grease when NEW bearing were first installed or replaced then afterwards they got their lube from the 90W oil in the differential.

Like bobodu says, I do my best thinking when I'm expelling and sometimes I smell wood burning when I'm expelling and trying to think, but I don't let it keep me awake unless it sets off the smoke alarm. Had to remove the smoke alarm from the rest room. It was a combo smoke and carbon monoxide alarm. My very serious thinking and expelling would trip both even with the exhaust fan running.

[OverKnight]

We could start an entirely new thread on errors in factory manuals, or directions in these manuals that leave us scratching our heads.

There could be another about configuring alarm systems for the reading room...