HOW TO REPLACE Loud Noisy DECK BEARINGS on a JOHN DEERE LA145. Riding Lawnmower problem FIXED! 

John Deere said I needed a new deck, about $550.00. Thank the Lord I saw your video. This is ALL my deck needs. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks.

I love the attention to detail and how he so carefully flips the deck over...

Thanks for the video! Being and old man wearing glasses, owning a impact driver, and not wanting to stoop over for the whole project, my choice would be to slip off the blades and use that impact driver to remove each whole bearing housing. Then I would rebuild it on my work bench where I can stand straight up and see it much better. That also might give you a better chance to clean up all parts including your deck and check for any cracking etc. Your method achieves the same results of course. My back just hurts watching you wrestle that deck around on the ground. If you have a pickup truck, the tailgate area makes a good workbench for mower decks if you can get someone to help you put it there initially. Good Luck!

You explained step by step so simple and clear contrary to other videos where you dont know what language they speak. You are now my go to videos for my lawnmower needs...thanks Jeff

I just bought an LA145 with 130 hours, it is probably ten years old but looks new, but the deck has a loose spindle, cant believe it, thought it would be like new... Thus... a mower deck bearing can fail in 130 hours on one of these if not greases, it does not look abused... and original owner and deck... I paid 1000 Canadian, and that was a good to great steal... Thanks for the video, if I have zerks, I will remove the inner bearing seals, and those belt guards are going so I can blow off the dust and debris to prevent rust... wish John Deere was more heavy duty... I have a 445 with the Kawasaki and the five foot mower I thought something was wrong with it so I bought the 145, but when the 145 spindle was screaming after an hour use, I fired up the 445 and it mowed my farm no problem, the mole hills dulled the blades, so I just slowed down for the wiry thick and tall grass... Am going to head to a bearing shop for the best quality bearings, JD is just too overpriced. Same for the oil filter and air filter for the Kawasaki...

Brilliant video. Thank you. I ate a bearing a couple weeks ago on my JD D-140. Dang it. And I'd replaced all three spindle assembles about 2 years ago. This got me up and mowing again. And yes, embarrassed about replacing last time rather than rebuilding. This time a couple of bearings at TSC cost me $17, way cheaper. Then I ordered 10 bearings from Amazon for $16. Now to rebuild those spindles I had on the shelf.

Good vid! A man that knows the value of pre-lubing nuts/bolts, no wasted time!-

Sure am glad I do all my own maintenance and repair work. Everybody treats equipment differently.

Awesome! Thank you for taking the time to put this out there and share.. YOU THE MAN! 👍

It’s a good idea to also add grease fittings to housings too (if the manufacturer didn’t) and then remove seals from inner surfaces of the new bearings so grease can actually enter the bearing and do its job. Leave the seals in place on the outer surfaces of the bearing to help prevent entry of contaminants and water. Then advise/instruct owner to grease the fittings each month and prior to winter storage. The manufacturer builds these machines with sealed bearings and no grease points because they believe most homeowners are too lazy and stupid to service equipment properly. This causes premature wear and bearing failure, which typically ends in service expense.

Really appreciate the effort of filming while you're working on that mower deck. Trying to hold a camera and work must be tough.

Interesting approach to replacing deck bearings. I caution those watching this video to be a bit more gentle installing new bearings in the housings. Never ever beat a bearing into place with a hammer!! The housings should be removed and the bearings pressed into position. Note the 5:10-5:15 sections of the video.That particular housing is clearly shot and should have been replaced.

That video was well-done. I would suggest working on a mower on a concrete slab. Working in grass, you were dropping hardware in the grass, messing with dog crap, having leaves stuck to your leg, kneeling in wet grass. Yecch.

Thanks! It is nice seeing all the parts involved in those spindles and deck bearings and how they fit together!

Nice job! It looms in my future, so youi can imagine how pleased I was to find your vid! I especially liked the camera work - you knew what we needed to see and it was clear and easy to follow. Thanks for a job well done... Yes, I downloaded it for future ref! Cheers!

Absolutely loved this video! VERY informative and filmed well. That's a nasty job you took on there but you made it seem like it wasn't too difficult. My experience is anything that can go wrong will but in this case things went rather well I'd say. Deck was a filthy mess! Probably coulda used a good pressure washing while it was off...but that wasn't your mission. Not sure how long this took you in total time but it would have taken me like a week. And lots of cussing and cut fingers and such along the way. Not sure why you didn't do it in a garage but you showed every single step quite clearly and made what you were doing understandable too. My hat's off to all good mechanics! I think they are under-rated and often under paid. Takes a lot of skill and experience to be a good mechanic. Also love your laid-back attitude and constant informative comments.

Getting ready to replace my bearing, your video will help me so much, thanks.

Many people complain that mower decks don't last that long - rust out. Mower decks must be thoroughly cleaned underneath after the last mowing of the year. Remove the deck - examine the mandrels for wear, check the blades, check the belt for cuts, and clean all clippings from the surfaces of the deck housing. You can double the life of your mower deck by doing so. Riding mower decks are very expensive.

Thanks for the video. Funny you used the video to put the belt back on. I'm glad that I took a picture before I replaced mine a few years ago, Normally I don't have that foresight.

Great video. Whenever I need to change mine on my cub cadet I'm gonna remove the bearings inner seal so some grease actually reaches the bearings. I understand why they made them that way,but I stay ontop of maintenance pretty good.i cant complain about the original bearings either,on their eighth season and no problems.

After 10 years my LA145 mower deck spun a bearing on one of the idler pulleys - I could have replaced just that item but after a decade of use I decided to rebuild the entire deck. I bought a rebuild kit from Green Dade Outdoor the "48” John Deere 100 Series 145, D140, LA145, X140 Deck Rebuild Kit" @ $138.00 + shipping. Includes belt, three blades, three blade spindles, two small and one large idler pulleys. Here are some tips: 1) After removing the deck, clear off any grass clippings and take a picture of the belt arrangement for future reference. 2) After so many years the nuts won't want to come off without a fight - an impact wrench with 10mm, 15mm and 22mm sockets will solve this problem. 3) The idler pulleys are sealed bearings - so no lube required. And UNLIKE the video I did NOT repack the spindle bearings - the new spindles come fully assembled in new spindle housings. The spindle housings have grease fittings so I filled them with grease - they took quite a bit. Other posters claim this is not needed but hey, it's only grease. I was pleased with the quality of the components supplied in the re-build kit - the job itself is pretty straightforward as described in the video - WITH ONE EXCEPTION. 4) When I went to mount the re-worked deck the new belt was about an inch or so too small to fit over the electric clutch pulley. Even using a crow bar to push the belt-tensioner assembly FULLY forward I could not get the new belt over the clutch pulley - close but no cigar. I decided to try removing the idler pulley on the LEFT side of the deck (the left as seen from the drivers normal position). This gave me about 4 more inches of belt to work with so it was easy to get the belt over the clutch pulley - the belt tensioner took up the slack, for now anyway. BUT the left belt guard is now in the way so I left the belt guard off and ran the mower - works fine. Of course, if you try this BE CAREFUL not to make contact with the belt. After four mowings of my 3/4 acre lot I found that the belt had been stretched enough so that it now fits properly with the idler pulley and belt guard back in place. Hope this helps!

thanks. having to work on my husqvarna deck. broke the belt so figured i should take the blades off and sharpen them while i am at it. shafts are wrapped up in old electric fence i ran over last season. glad i can just pound out the shafts instead of replacing the whole mandrel. i'll do new bearings while i am at it since the pulleys aren't moving too nice. they are probably shot anyways after 6 years.

Great video, very informative and great back drop! All I would add is that you can put your wrench on the movable pulley nut and pull it toward the engine (front), giving you slack to remove/put the belt on more easily!

You don't have to remove the blades to replace the bearings. Work from the top of the deck. The shaft and blade will fall loose once you remove the top nut.

This is a great video. I had trouble removing the pulley, the impact wrench was the key! I have a simpicity and it is very similar.

Just a couple of comments. My deck (same model) is still on the original shaft bearings, but has gone through several sets of idlers due to bearing noise. The idlers come as a complete unit, no bearing change possible. The deck you were working on showed lots of neglect. FWIW, the spindle bearings are indeed sealed, but by greasing the spindle shaft zerk fittings you keep the shaft cavity full until it forces grease up & down the shaft and keeps moisture out of the shaft and what is forced out the shaft itself prevents moisture from creeping up the shaft when mowing wet grass. When removing that deck, it is much easier if you RAISE the deck all the way slip a few 2x4's under the sides of the deck and let the deck down on the 2x4's (also suggested in the owners manual). When removing the blades, NEVER use your hands to hold the blade. A block of wood between the blade and deck to jamb it up works better and keeps blood off the paint. Finally, NEVER EVER hammer or press on the inner circle of a bearing that is going to be used. Fine for driving a bearing out, but for installation do what you did with the one bearing and use a deep well socket that is just slightly smaller than the outside diameter of the outer bearing surface. OK, sounds like I found a lot of faults, but at my age I've been to this rodeo a few times and know what saves fingers and parts. Good video overall

Great video. Love the shorts. Winter is a state of mind

cute family day out. Thanks for the video!

I thank you very much and a good greeting because thanks to your video I learned yesterdayhow to change of my tractor

Thanks really helpful to see how it comes apart, I would have taken off aluminum housing if I hadn't seen your video

Great tutorial! I commend your efforts, but I choose to replace the spindle assemblies along with two pullies that had bad bearings...done and done ✅.

Good job figuring it out. . Gave me an idea of what to do. Though I probably wont hammer on my new bearings since i won't be needing my repeat business next year.

Dude- Just buy the spindle kit and replace it. You made way more work for yourself than needed!

A little anti-seize on the blade side shaft threads will go a long way to increase the life of the shaft, and make the nuts easier to remove.

I'm sorry but I did mine yesterday. I wouldn't even try to do it in the grass. It went a lot quicker than this. I don't think I would be visiting Jeff's Little Engine Service too soon.

Great video, thanks and love your commentary style and sense of humor.

Good video, I'm needing to do the same to my raggedly old 212. I was thinking I might need to replace the whole hub but I'll try your approach and hope that does it. I'm sure it will be way cheaper.

Thank you that was great. Nice of you to take the time. Thank you

As mentioned, if you're using a wrench, you definitely need to keep the blades on with a chock of some sort (2x4) in order to get the spindle bolts off.

Wish mine were that easy.. Pressed bearing and seemingly seized on the double pully, seized clips on the bottom, seized shafts in the bearings, different bearing on the idler... It wasn't the easiest to get together either. It's got new bearing and fresh grease in the idler bearing. It's ready to go on now but they are not all butter like this. I just hope those rivets hold up on the idler lol. If not, it's getting rod through it and peened flat. Don't wanna use bolts, might work loose. It also had to be welded up because of rust around the spindle on one side, also a few cracks around the brackets. You had it easy lol.

I’ve recently acquired a 1982 John Deere 214. I’ve watched tons of how-to videos to make it run. This is by far the best one I’ve seen. Videography is excellent. Your explanations are clear and simple. And your chickens and dog are adorable!! And I like your birdbath. 1) What camera did you use? 2) Did you make the birdbath? 3) Have you removed / replaced a double pulley? On my mower deck, there are no nuts keeping the pulley in place. Not sure how to remove it. Don’t want to damage it. Thanks!!!

Bearings going in a bit too easy. Might be needing to replace mandrel/spindle housing soon. I had a similar experience with my John Deere. Thanks for the video!

Thanks for video. Now I understand what that noise is and how to fix it.

Great video, I noticed when you engaged the deck, it really shakes, you might want to check the balance all 3 blades.

everyone told me this model was junk but I wore out a set of tires before I had to change a belt. still running good at 12yrs old.

Took ALL 6 bearings out of my d140 48" deck today. I grease 2 x per year. ALL 6 bearings were fully packed with grease. the seals on my bearings were not fully covering the bearing innards. Sound like Deere fixed the greasing problem when using the spindle zerts.

I have a mower deck on a 1965 Cub Cadet that has the original bearings greaseable, still good

Good work Jeff it's ready for another season.

On most John Deere mowers the belt diagram is on the bottom side of the running board ! :-)

The 39" deck on a Hydro 175 involves removing the spindles and clamping it into a vice to be able to drive the bearings and shaft out. I bought a shitload of bearings but or new spindles instead. The thing about blade spindles - regardless of brand - is though they have zerk fittings the bearings are sealed so you pump grease into them for no reason as you are not pushing old grease out and pushing new in. That's why the bearings fail and in a few years is why a lot of people get rid rid of their mowers for cheap to buy new ones. I learned to drop the deck too easily.

PA LAWN GUY And Aircraft mech.> Please don't transfer pounding force across the ball bearings. It will Burnell the races so it is good the outer races went in easy.

Also I don't have a impact gun but I jam a peice of wood behind blade to keep it from turning and use a breaker bar to get blades off .

Your dog is the best ❤️😘😘🐾🐾 Like ours: the Labradors aren’t interested in birds unless they fall from the sky 😂🤓

Looking at the parts as you were working on them the spindles looked the same as on my Deere 7H17 except the spindles had holes where mine has zerks (grease fittings) installed. If they are then I would have popped the inner dust covers off the berrings and installed zerks. On my mower I need to replace the berrings as they have over 10,000 hours on them. Deere commercial mowers are almost bullet proof!

Nice video. Good shot of the doggy -do...

Recently acquired mower about shake me out of the seat when blades engaged. Figured something was worn or bent...not a mechanic....Good video ! Now know where to look for vibration producing wear ! Chickens nice touch....lol

Literally a backyard mechanic. I wonder how many parts you lost in the grass lol.

Love the Sears/Craftsman vintage tractors I was never into John Deere

Kudos, great video! Thanks, for being so informative and clear.

Hey, Loved your video! I really liked you making it fun with the chickens and then the yellow lab. Also, thanks for cleaning up dog poop! Do the chickens try to peck dog and does dog chase chickens? 🤠

I have to drop my deck on a D100. From a wheelchair. Gotta grind of the deck and paint it. Wife loves to use it

This is good DIY video, but doing this in the grass might loose a lot of parts, but each to their own.

The bearing is spun in the spindle housing you need all new spindle assemblies.

My la110 idler pulley system is easy to replace, grind the ring of fasteners to pull the pulley in two, replace the $4 bearing, bolt back on

anyone watching this in 2021 + I wouldn't waste time changing out bearings. You can get a complete deck rebuild kit from 8ten for $109 on Amazon or Ebay. Comes with 3 spindles, set of good blades, and a belt. Just have to remove 4 bolts for each spindle and a whole lot easier. Not much more money in respect, and with as easy as deck comes off on a John Deere anyone with halfway sense can do. He is right about impact. If you don't have one, borrow one!! I got a can of yellow tractor paint and cleaned and painted underneath deck. Put everything on, and let leveled deck and was out only $130 shipping,tax, and all counting paint. Took 3 hours total. Put deck in sun with fan and paint dried quick! If you want to pay $130 ish + tax you can get kit pulleys too, but they have sealed bearings so if your's are fine save the money and just get spindles, blades, and belt. Did my drive belt last year and do regular maintenance ( oil, plug, flters) every year and I have over 300 hours on my D-140 and it is like new from just doing basic maintenance. I mow 2 yards, too. Mine 2 acres and my mom's 1 acre and twice a month i drive through back field to do small cemetery. So don't let people knock your/a John Deere. They still a durable mower . Yes, once you pull deck and look under you see a lot of made in China stamps,but the frame is solid and deck is 12 guage steal. 22 horse Briggs and Stratton is a beast of an engine. Gentlemen is right, keep top deck clean, especially if mowing early, late, or when wet. If clean when dry can blow grass right out or I sometimes just use broom. But reply to this if anyone needs help fixing or looking for parts. I have seen pretty much everything you need to rebuild pretty much anything on the LA's and D series. Not trying to advertise for any company or anything like that, just trying to help as I know sometimes people need help. I thank gentleman who made video. Some people may not have the money to replace whole spindle assembly , but like i said that you can't beat 8ten's deck rebuild kit. Happy mowing fellers......

Thanks Jeff!

We appreciate your time! Thank you so much! Job well done.

Brilliant video thank you very much.

Man, you made that look easy.I'm a rookie at this, but will be attempting it for the first time on my LA145 very soon.I guess the bright side is if it goes awry I can always buy 3 new spindle assemblies and replace them.Just curious, are both sides of the bearing supposed to be closed?The ones I ordered are, but I've watched a couple videos where one side was open.Thanks for the video!

Thanks for teaching sir

Some of what you say is wrong, particularly needing an impact wrench. First clue was not knowing how to take off the deck. Lower the deck on 2x4s and all the tension is gone. Owner doesn't take care of it either.

Some of the shaft housings have grease fittings to apply grease when it is fully assembled. Problem is that if the bearings are sealed from both sides they won't receive any lubricating grease. On mine I have removed the seals from the bearings on the side facing down from the top and up from the bottom. Thought this made sense and now when I add grease I can be sure that the bearings are being lubricated potentially extending the life of these bearings. If they don't have grease fittings it won't matter much.

Since you used sandpaper and grease on the shaft it will not be a pressfitted bearing installation which is needed. The innerring of the bearing will now spin freely on the shaft = wrong.

If you can just push the bearings into the housing,like that,then you should replace the housing,as well. They are a "tap fit",...that is,they are made to be tapped in place,snugly. Those are going to wobble. Also if the bearing is sealed on both sides,you don't use grease,if they're open,on one side/sealed on the other,you pack them with grease,and install a zerk fitting. But,don't mind me,...I've only been doing this work for 48 years....

@11:18 "A little tap with a rubber mallet here..." and the bolt slides out in fear. :) What tool are you using, an air impact wrench or an air impact driver?

look at the rust on that deck. every john deere deck ive seen has been in that state. you would think they would do a decent paint job with undercoat given the price they charge for those machines.

14:30 The dog looks like he's hungry and is thinking a chicken sandwich would be good right about now.

Excellent and fun video, sir; thank you!!

Very detailed! Thanks for the video!!

Very good ,must of did many times

Great job and nice dog and chickens to help you.

Use old motor oil when you change oil and paint the bottom of deck with it Take time to pressure wash it and dry first

Hello - thanks for the instruction - I will be replacing the bearings on my MTD yard machine today thanks to this. Questions: what causes the bearings to go? And what kind of cordless drill are you using to remove the bolts around the belt housings? I'm a newbie at this but really like working on stuff. Thank you!

ok got the bearing,s in,now make a run 2 hardware store 2 get all the nut,s and bolts,I drop n grass!!!!

The idler pulley also needs the bearing replaced. I always keep 2 sets of spindles in reserve , makes it easier. Also take the seal out of one side of the new bearing so when you grease it the bearing gets the grease.

Jeff, HELP!...First, THANK YOU for the video!Without it and videos like it I wouldnt even attempt half the jobs I am able to accomplish now.After months of putting this task off, today much to my surprise I successfully changed the 6 bearings in my LA145 deck with little to no major obstacles.The pulleys which had had some play in them are now tight, buuuuut after re-attaching the deck and firing her up and engaging the blades she was AS LOUD if not LOUDER than before.Any ideas as to why or what else may be causing her to run so loud with the blades on?Any help would be greatly appreciated.Thanks sgain!

All these manufacturers should be ashamed of themselves for not installing grease fittings on the spindle housings. I have an old Cushman three wheeled front deck mower, and it has grease fittings. Haven't had to change the spindle bearings in fifteen years. Just acquired a Toro time cutter, and immediately took the spindle housings out and installed grease fittings in them. I used to have to change the bearings for the previous owner once a year. Just a make work project for the dealers.

Hi question..Shouldn't the shaft be a tighter tap in fit inside the bearing inner race( time 14 .50 in video)..otherwise the shaft is just turning in the inner race and the bearingins't actually performing its function ?

Thanks for the video. Were the idler bearings o.k. I have to change them often on my JD.

That was entertaining and informative. 👍

What a cosy fellow, very glad for his hammer. Nice to get it all 3 times without walking in the dog pooh..........

I really liked this video thanks I've had some belt to go early I know I need to check the pulleys

I don't know about using a 12 point socket with an impact gun. Not good for the nuts or bolts usually.

Jeff, thanks for this video. Have you replaced bearings on a JD x350 with spindle part # AM144608? That's what I have on my mower and I can't get the shaft out of the spindle so I was wondering if this particular spindle is designed that way. Thanks.

Because you left both seals in the bearings, packing grease in the spindle won't do a thing for them.

Good video, lots of useful information for first timers. One of my spindle pulley nuts and the shaft thread galled when I took them off (first time removed in 13 years of service). Do you know the metric size (diameter and pitch) die and tap needed to dress these threads?

Thanks your video was a great help in understanding!

Very helpful, thank you!

How often do you have to trim the feathers around the eyes on your chickens? Have a friend who has these chickens and the rooster has a problem with those feathers growing out and actually covering his eyes so that he can't even see. She has to wait until he can't see so she can grab and hold him while her husband snips off those heavy feathers around the eyes. Then, he's all good again for awhile until he can't see anything again. It's really funny how he sometimes walks into something, doesn't know what it is, and attacks whatever he has just run in to.

I leave my belt guards off both sides so i can blow the clippings/dirt off after i mow. Just remember to not put your feet there with the PTO engaged. If you have kids that use the tractor DO NOT leave the belt guards off!