Hex Flange Bearing

Started at the bottom, Removed the screw that held in the bottom of the shaft. Went to the steering wheel, popped the plastic cover off and removed the bolt. Then needed to remove the plastic steering cover to get the gear thru. The bottom screw was very tight , needed to remove the deck, tip the machine over, brace it and then remove the screw. When I put it back together I did not need to tip it over. Put the deck back on. DONE Went easier than I thought.

Removed the steering pinion gear. and pulled the steering wheel and shaft out of the gearing flange. I tapped the bearing flange hex out of the frame with a small hammer. Reverse order to reassemble.

Remove hood, fuel tank, steering wheel, inner dash support, phillips screw and washer from bottom end of steering shaft and plastic bushing/sleeve from inner dash. this will give you enough wiggle room to pull shaft and pinion out through bottom side. Poor design with the pinion machined onto the shaft. The holes in dash support are not large enough to let the shaft and pinion pass through. So its the hard way. So to reassemble just reverse the BS. I added a grease cup, full of grease to shaft just above rack and pinion and let gravity deliver the grease. A dirty dusty place and the grease may make it worse in the long run. Time will tell but it works fine and steers easier now than new. that's my wife's opinion and she the mower. Good luck

Took off steering wheel. Jacked up mower, removed screw from bottom of steering shaft and removed shaft and flange bearing. Put new flange bearing in place, put in new steering shaft and put the steering wheel together.

I removed gas tank, removed steering wheel. I then remove screw holding steering shaft in Flex Bearing and removed both. (It would have been easier if a bolt instead of a screw had been used to retain steering gear shaft) I used a bolt when I replaced my steering gear shaft. (A socket wrench works a lot better than a screw driver)

Art in Virginia

Removed the top part of the dash and steering wheel. The steering shaft has a phillips screw in the bottom this was the only problem getting the screw loosened. Instead of putting the screw back I put a short Bolt in its place and added a little thread lock. The parts fit perfect. P. S. Don't forget to put some heavy grease on the steering gears !!! Hope this helps !!!

Removed hood, to keep from shutting at the most inopportune time
Disassembled dash after removing the steering wheel
Removed screw from bottom of the steering shaft
Removed shaft and both worn bearings
Reassembled in reverse order with new bearings and steering shaft

Discharge chute was not exact fit, requires drilling 2 new holes in the deck and new mounting bolts

Throttle cable r and r straight forward

1. Removed the steering column screws.
2. Removed the steering wheel and shaft.
3. Removed and exchanged the steering bushing.
4. Sprayed graphite dry lubricant on end of steering shaft.
5. Reinstalled the steering shaft and steering column.
6. Confirmed that the steering performance was normal.
7. Reinstalled the screws that holds the steering column.

1. Disassembled dash and steering components. This is straight foreword but does require some time. Removing the mower deck may make this easier but I just jacked up the mower and lowered the front, leaving the back of the deck connected. The lower bolt on the steering shaft had to be heated to get it to break loose.
2. I first replace the Lower Dash, then the lower components of the steering assembly. When the parts in the lower steering assembly do wear out, the spacer allowed play in the steering assembly which will cause the lower gear on the steering shaft to wear out.
3. Next the steering shaft went into place and the upper dash went back together. I used anti-seize on everything.
4. On reassemble, I replaced the lower steering shaft Phillips head screw with a standard hex bolt to make removal easier next time.
5. Next was to ensure the front wheels were centered, adjust the steering linkage and install the steering wheel.
6. Then just raise the front of the deck and reconnect the linkage. Once the mower is off the jack, check/adjust the deck to ensure it is level, it should be OK.

I do recommend having the parts book with the expanded drawings, just to reference for the parts and the locations. It is not difficult, but I still took my time with it and could have probably shaved quite a bit of time off the project it the lower steering shaft screw wasn't locked up and required heat to break loose. Removing the mower deck completely may also give you a little more room to work, but is not necessary. Using one of those mower jacks that picks up the front end also makes this easier but anything to raise it and block it in place will work.

1. Order repair parts after I saw that the bearing and the gear at the bottom of the steering shaft was shot.
2. Lower the deck and remove it.
3. Lift up tractor to get access to Phillips head screw. Back sure that you put a stable support under mower.
4. Screw will not come out because thread locking liquid was used when it was assembled. Use the torch to heat the screw threads above 500 F and then remove the screw.
5. Remove the bearing and shaft and washer. Replace with new parts. I think it helps to epoxy glue the bearing in place after the area has been cleaned. Use flange head hex bolt with same thread to instead of Philips screw. In the future this will allow you to do the repair without removing the mower deck. Use a fiber washer with the bolt to reduce friction. Be sure to lock the bolt threads because if you don't everything come apart when your are mowing.