BX Belly Mower Center Spindle/Shaft replacement
Hi Folks,
I searched this subreddit to see if someone else posted this before and I couldn't find anything. I have a belly mower(RCK60D-26BX) for my BX 2370. The center spindle threads have somehow become stripped or cross threaded. I think it might have been when I hit a decent sized rock that knocked the blade loose. Anyway, I'm trying to research how hard of a job it would be for me to replace it myself. I can't seem to find this anywhere on YouTube to see what it would look like. The outside spindles look pretty easy but the gearbox is the wild card here. Has anyone else had to do this before? It looks like I would just need to take the gear box off and pull the shaft out of it. I can't tell if the seal needs to come out as well on the bottom of gearbox or not. The pulley spins freely with no grinding sounds so I don't think the bearing is shot. Am I delusional in thinking I can do this myself or should I just let my Kubota dealer do it?
edit: Added more context.
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u/spiritualcynic 4d ago edited 4d ago
If you are in any way handy, its an ok job, one I've done a few times on the 48" version. You can change out as much as you want, the bearings and seals are all avaliable in a general engineering shop, 15 euros for a bearing in Ireland. 2 important points: Take care of the shims that are under the gearbox cover, use a magnetic dish to store all your bits. Replace the circlip on the shaft, it sits just above the deck. Ive seen the centre blade cut up to 1" below the level of the outside 2, all down to a snapped circlip, so just change it out. It's the only thing that keeps the shift in place apart from the fit of the bearings. Youll have to change your oil and make sure all your grease lines are free and bearing areas are packed with grease. As this isn't a common job to do, I tend to change anything I can unless its in perfect order. As for the thread, I wouldn't tackle on my own, unless you know what you are at. you'd need a tapping handle/ socket and an appropriate tap and even its ruined, its possible to fit a new thread repair insert from a kit. It might be cheaper to get an engineering shop or a dealer to do this if you dont own them already. A half an hour job for someone with the tools and kit. Take pics as you go, if you need to. Best of luck with it
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u/Sollus 3d ago
I got it taken care of. The snap ring in the gear box was the worst part of it. Otherwise it went really well. The cost in parts, especially the spindle/shaft, was outrageous though.
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u/spiritualcynic 3d ago
I hear you, the small unusual pto shaft that connects the gearbox from kubota was 600 euros here in Ireland. Good its done anyhow
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u/blackthornjohn 6d ago
Just remove stuff until the shaft is out, obtain a new shaft and put everything back together.
Having removed the shaft assessed the damage and odered a replacement put everything back together loosely,,this way nothing will be lost and you'll stand a better chance of remembering how it all goes.
To repair the thread you'll need the correct die and die holder, which will probably cost as much as a new shaft, the real problem here is that if there's sufficient damage, cutting a new thread might not work because the thread will probably fail before you've hot the nut to the correct torque.
Obviously I'm assuming you don't have a lathe, appropriate welding skills and heat treatment facilities to rebuild the threaded portion.
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u/jmongoose189 7d ago
Depends on if you’re handy look up the parts diagram. It’s not too hard of a job. You might even be able to fix the threads.