Toro Z-Master BallBearing Replacement

[joc]

Hi,
This is my first post. So....yeah...okay.

I have a Toro Z Master 62" and have just purchased the ball bearing assembly for the center blade. I haven't been able to find any detailed drawings of how the thing goes together. I have a clue but need some help. If anyone has any experience with this it would be greatly appreciated. My grass is now a foot high and Memorial Day is drawing ever closer.

Thanks,

Dan

[joc]

I have been unsuccessful in my efforts to replace the spindle and ball bearings by myself. I sort of figured out how the assembly goes on the the spindle but I am not real sure...regardless...it seems impossible to get the spindle with the bearings back into the housing without taking the housing off first. And it seems that in order to provide enough torque to break the nuts on the housing I would only end up pulling the entire mower off the shoddy ramp I built to work on it with onto my pour tired head...so..

I have solved the problem by renting a trailer and will take the whole thing to a qualified repairman.

In the future: I know a lot of you guys do this stuff on your own mowers...
so...I was wondering what you do for a ramp? The ones I have seen at the auto part store don't seem high enough.

[MASTERMOWER]

In the future, NAPA has the same bearing and race for much much cheaper than Toro wants to rob you for.

Yeah, it's a heck of a lot easier to take the housing off the deck to replace the bearings. It doesn't take tremendous force to break the nuts loose. I always have used a 3/8" ratchet....maybe with a cheater bar, can't remember. The mower weighs nearly a half-ton. If you can pull a mower that heavy around trying to break a nut loose you must be superman!

Once you get the mower back remember to grease those spindles with a couple shots of grease every 8 hours. It's beyond me why Toro designed them that way..............

[joc]

Hmmmm...okay thanks! I think rather than being superman, I am just playing it safe knowing how shoddy the ramp I am using is....that being said...maybe all I need to do is redesign the thing so it can't fall on me...and that being said...

...what I really need to know is how the bearings go in...there is a part on the bottom and an o-ring sits on that...then what? the picture I have makes no sense to me...

I have: the piece on the bottom with the ring on it...then two ball bearing assy that I think go one on top of the other one facing up and one facing down...and then I have a steel ring, a smaller steel ring with two holes in it, two steel rings that aren't completely together...maybe locking rings? and then another o ring that I think goes on top of it all...

If that makes any sense to you and you can tell me how they go I may give it another shot.

[MASTERMOWER]

These are not sealed bearings.....right??

[joc]

Right! There are two sets of bearings...each bearing set consists of: the bearings and a ring that the bearings fit into. One ring faces up and one faces down. I found a place really close to where I live (5 miles) that can fix it and they can do it for a lot less than where I was planning on taking it so I am going there tomorrow...I have a sprinkler business to run and I just gotta get this thing fixed...I like doing all this kind of stuff myself, but time is really an issue here.
I will get them to show me how to do it though so next time...I'll know.
Thanks for all your help.

[lawrence stone]

Those of us with a real clue remove the entire housing and have a machine shop R & R the bearings off the shaft.

[Seascape]

In the future: I know a lot of you guys do this stuff on your own mowers...
so...I was wondering what you do for a ramp? The ones I have seen at the auto part store don't seem high enough.

Hang one of these in your shop..... Tractor Supply $80 bux

http://www.protoolsexpress.com/hit-chain-hoists.html

[joc]

Those of us with a real clue remove the entire housing and have a machine shop R & R the bearings off the shaft.

I don't really have a clue! lol...if I did, I would have done proper greasing maintenance to begin with...

...when I was 20 I had a Kawasaki motorcycle....didn't have a clue there either...lucky I survived...during a cross country excursion piece by piece the thing fell apart...first the kick starter then the piece of housing that covers the gears...then the main sprocket nut went...and I was stranded on the Interstate...

...then I read a book called Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance...I am beginning to understand that these commercial mowers need lots of TLC otherwise you get stranded in the middle of 4 acres....

That's why I am here: to hopefully 'get a clue' and I really appreciate all the help.

Hang one of these in your shop..... Tractor Supply $80 bux

http://www.protoolsexpress.com/hit-chain-hoists.html

I don't really have a shop Seascape...but when I do I'll certainly get one...great idea. Actually...I don't even need a shop come to think of it...I just need an old heavy duty swingset....thanks! And thinking about it more...what a great way to just hoist the thing up and powerwash underneath....

[joc]

Thanks...sorry double post

[MASTERMOWER]

Those of us with a real clue remove the entire housing and have a machine shop R & R the bearings off the shaft.

Toro spindles are butt easy to rebuild. No need to have a machine shop do the work for you. The hardest part is removing the bearing races. Installation of the new races is somewhat easier. Just be sure to assemble the parts in the correct order and pack the bearings w/ grease very well.

Hell, my Toro dealer tells me they usually don't even remove the old races unless they are visually worn...............