Wheel Bearings; To Check The Wheel Bearings; Brakes; Ball Joints - Cub Cadet 6X4 Shop Handbook

Wheel bearings See Figure 4.8.
Figure 4.8
Each wheel hub is supported by a pair of sealed ball
bearings.

To check the wheel bearings:

1. Lift and safely support the front of the vehicle as
described in the INTRODUCTION section of this
manual.
2. Grasp the wheel at the top and bottom, and rock
the wheel around a horizontal axis with light
pressure (less than 10 lbs. / 4.5 kg.).
3. There should be no noticeable rock.
3a. Have an assistant watch for the source of
movement while rocking the wheel.
3b. If there is play, confirm that it is in the
wheel bearings, not the ball joints or con-
trol arm bushings.
3c. Movement of the brake rotor relative to the
hub carrier indicates bearing problems.
NOTE: Steering action and the disc brake pre-
vent an accurate measurement form being taken
around a vertical axis.
4. While checking wheel bearings, spin the wheels.
• They should spin smoothly and easily with no
unusual noises.
• Coarse motion or noise indicate bearing prob-
lems.
Symptoms:
Growling noise when the vehicle is in motion.
In extreme cases worn wheel bearings may produce
brake drag, as the rotor does not run true in the caliper.
Chapter 4 - Front Suspension and steering

Brakes

• While spinning the wheels to check the wheel
bearings, pay attention to the amount of effort
necessary to spin the wheel.
• A wheel that does not spin easily most likely indi-
cates a dragging brake.
Symptoms:
A dragging brake is likely to generate a customer com-
plaint that the vehicle pulls to one side or the other.
Refer to the HYDRAULIC BRAKES chapter of this
manual for specific brake service procedures.

Ball joints

The hub carriers are connected to the upper and lower
control arms by a pair of spherical joints that allow
steering action while the suspension travels through its
range of up and down motion. These are ball joints.
See Figure 4.9.
Upper ball joint
1. Lift and safely support the vehicles as described
in the INTRODUCTION section of this manual.
NOTE: Because the upper ball joints are in com-
pression when this vehicle is supported by the
suspension, it is necessary to isolate the sus-
pension loads from the ball joints in order to
judge the condition of the ball joints. This is
done by lifting the vehicle
127
Figure 4.9