A rotary mower includes a cutterbar having a fluid-tight gear housing made up of a plurality of identical gear housing sections connected together in end-to-end relationship with each other. Each section is a casting including spaced apart top and bottom walls, the top wall being provided with a pair of circular openings and the bottom wall being provided with a pair of upwardly opening cylindrical receptacles respectively located in axial alignment with the pair of openings and having respective annular upper ends defining bearing seating surfaces. Each idler gear has a bearing received in a central bore thereof and the assembled idler gear and bearing is located in a housing section such that the inner race of the bearing rests on a selected one of the seating surfaces and is held in place by means of a stub shaft tightly received in the bearing and in a selected one of the receptacles and having an enlarged head which is tightly received in the opening which is aligned with the receptacle. An o-ring seal is received in a groove located circumferentially in the head and operates to prevent leakage of lubricating fluid from the gear housing. A cap screw is threaded axially through the stub shaft and into the bottom wall of the module and operates to hold the stub shaft in place with its enlarged head being held tightly against the bearing. A second o-ring seal is provided at the bottom of each receptacle for preventing leakage along the cap screw.
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