Changing Mower Blades
Mortimer Schnerd
blades on. Today I drove it up onto a set of car ramps and reached up
under it to try to remove the two blades. All I managed to accomplish
today was refill the tires with air and remove some twine that had
wrapped itself tenaciously around the hub of the blade. As for
loosening the two end caps that actually hold the blades on: forget it.
I couldn't budge any of them.
Looking in the owner's manual says they're supposed to be torqued to 42
ft-lbs. Well, even using a piece of pipe as a cheat, I got nowhere.
Are these things reversed threaded? Is there a trick I don't know? I
was using a 1/2" socket wrench with a 15mm socket. Maybe I need to move
up to a bigger wrench?
I hate to pay for something I should be able to do myself.
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerd at carolina.rr.com
Van Chocstraw
You may have to remove the deck so you can adequately hold the jack
shaft and blade while you torque the bolts. Try a air wrench if you have
one. They should be standard counterclockwise to unscrew. Careful you
don't round off the corners of the hex bolts, then you will be in deep
poo poo. Put some grease on the threads when before you replace them so
you don't go through that again.
--
<<//--------------------\\>>
Van Chocstraw
>>\\--------------------//<<
Bob F
Reverse threads are not unknown.
ng_reader
"Van Chocstraw" <boobooil...@roadrunner.com> wrote in message
news:GuydnZ3uUeGVDlzU...@giganews.com...
Or, of course, a shot of spray lubricant
or
Heat with torch and then wrench off.
but not both (!)
One of those bound to work.
But, by now, that penetrant worked, right?
Dimitrios Paskoudniakis
"Mortimer Schnerd" <msch...@carolina.rr.com.XXX> wrote in message
news:0aedncSrJ_LTEVzU...@giganews.com...
You must remove the deck, turn it over, then remove the blades. Guess what,
it's easy.
Don Young
"Mortimer Schnerd" <msch...@carolina.rr.com.XXX> wrote in message
news:0aedncSrJ_LTEVzU...@giganews.com...
common, the fastener will be normal right hand threads. It is fairly easy to
get confused and turn the wrong direction when working upside down. You may
need a six point socket and a handle about 18" long, as these bolts get
rusted and the heads get worn down. A 2X4 or something similar to block the
blade from turning helps a lot. When you pull the wrench the right direction
the blade should try to turn the same way it normally runs.
Be careful.
Don Young
Jim Elbrecht
-snip-.
>
>Or, of course, a shot of spray lubricant
>or
>Heat with torch and then wrench off.
>but not both (!)
>
Why not both? I try force first, then soak overnight in PB Blaster-
but when I apply heat I like to spray a little PB blaster on to cool
-- soak for a bit- re-apply heat and try again.
>One of those bound to work.
>
>But, by now, that penetrant worked, right?
>
Good point.
Patience is a virtue with those buggers. Spray & go do something
else. Try again tomorrow.
Jim
Hustlin' Hank
wrote:
You can do it yourself. You just need the correct tool. You can buy a
1/2 impact gun for about $30-$40. I bought mine at a yard sale for $10
many years ago and it still works fine. Once you get the impact wrench
and use it, you'll find you'll be using it on other things and saving
your knuckles and bolt heads and a lot of frustration. You can thank
me later. :-)
Hank <~~~loves the impact
Stormin Mormon
wrench. Bought a Wel Bilt, from Northern. About $70. Used
it, and had a lot of fun. Until it broke, two lugs into a
brake job. I was about three hours from home, helping a
friend. Finished the job with hand wrenches. Caught one at
Harbor Freight, on sale. It has served well. Problem with
the electrics, they are too big to get into some spaces. So,
this year I'm going to clear enough space to buy a little
compressor, and a length of air hose, and a smaller impact
wrench.
--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.
"Hustlin' Hank" <nineb...@aol.com> wrote in message
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Stormin Mormon
bolt, you can shrink the bolt away from the nut. Helps
separate them and loosen. I've used impact wrench on a hot
nut, that helps. Heat it up, then slam on the impact gun,
and pull the trigger. Removed a trailer hitch off a truck
that way, one time. Heat-n-beat.
--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.
"Jim Elbrecht" <elbr...@email.com> wrote in message
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Van Chocstraw
problem. Probably never sharpened them.
dpb
...
> loosening the two end caps that actually hold the blades on: forget it.
> I couldn't budge any of them.
>
> Looking in the owner's manual says they're supposed to be torqued to 42
> ft-lbs. Well, even using a piece of pipe as a cheat, I got nowhere. Are
> these things reversed threaded? Is there a trick I don't know? I was
> using a 1/2" socket wrench with a 15mm socket. Maybe I need to move up
> to a bigger wrench?
Remember hitting anything?
It's possible you've stretched the bolts which has the effect of locking
them in there like the blazes. Managed that w/ the outside blade on the
72" deck last year; took about a 4-ft cheater and initially bent a 1/2"
small pry bar had used as the lock through the drive sprocket to hold
it. Had to get a stouter stop... :)
Heat/cool can help on this; heat alone only makes this problem worse
because it's a mechanical distortion problem and swelling the bolt by
heating it only tightens it even further. When it cools after a heat
cycle it may help some.
If it is this problem, the only real solution is bigger wrench. As
somebody else said, go to a six-point socket to minimize the likelihood
of rounding them over 'cause if you do, you're toast.
_IF_ (the proverbial big if) you have a good-size knick in the knives,
that'd be a clue--I didn't recall hitting anything I thought was
significant enough to have caused the problem but w/ that larger mower,
sometimes you don't realize what you've gone over in heavy brush. In
that case, you might consider taking it to the JD dealer simply to put
the onus on them if twist one off. They're hardened, but I was really
beginning to wonder before this one came out finally. It was amazing it
could have stretched and distorted the threads so much while in
place--never seen it to such a degree before in 60-something years.
--
Joe
wrote:
Don't even think about doing that without an impact wrench. And for
Heaven's sake always put the nuts back on dry since that friction is
all that holds them on. As cheap as compressors and air tools are
these days its foolhardy to waste time take chances not to use the
right tools. And always use a six point impact socket. But you knew
that, didn't you? Cheers,
Joe
Phisherman
Try some Liquid Wrench, tap it several times, and give it 10-15
minutes to work. Dont strip the threads!
Mortimer Schnerd
> Don't even think about doing that without an impact wrench. And for
> Heaven's sake always put the nuts back on dry since that friction is
> all that holds them on. As cheap as compressors and air tools are
> these days its foolhardy to waste time take chances not to use the
> right tools. And always use a six point impact socket. But you knew
> that, didn't you? Cheers,
I thank everybody who did me the courtesy of replying. I resolved the
problem today: First I tried running the mower up the car ramps and
then using the torch on them. No joy. I just couldn't put enough ass
on them to make any of them budge. So I moved on to plan B.
I laid a old blanket down in the driveway and then drove the lawn
tractor up just one ramp (under the left front wheel. Then I got off
and carefully lowered the tractor over onto its right side on the
blanket. Some gas started dripping from its cap but it was relatively
minor so I chose to ignore it. The main thing was that I now had FULL
access to the blades.
I heated them up for longer than I had tried before and then put a 6
point 1/2" drive socket wrench on them. I blocked the blade with a wood
clamp. I was then able to apply enough pressure to remove the bolts.
I then took the blades one at a time and reground the edges on my Tormek
water cooled grinder.
Previously I have only changed the oil on the tractor myself. I have
paid for the professional servicing of the machine twice and those bolts
apparently welded themselves in during or after last spring's servicing.
I just can't see paying for stuff like blades if I can do it myself...
just like changing the oil.
As for the suggestion to remove the mower deck: why? It didn't require
that and looking at the manual made the procedure look more complicated
than I wanted to try. Rolling it onto its side was much easier.
Hustlin' Hank
wrote:
>
> I heated them up for longer than I had tried before and then put a 6
> point 1/2" drive socket wrench on them. �I blocked the blade with a wood
> clamp. �I was then able to apply enough pressure to remove the bolts.
>
> Mortimer Schnerd, RN
> mschnerd at carolina.rr.com
Well, I guess it may be too late for this but.......never heat
anything where the heat can get to the bearings or seals, you may melt
them or loose the grease that is on them. In this case, the spindle
bearings. I hope you didnt' screw them up by listening to the others
that suggested heat.
Hank <~~~~ can't stand the heat
Stormin Mormon
like a dab of grease on the threads before I reassemble.
Makes dissembly easier, next time.
--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.
"Joe" <jbo...@aol.com> wrote in message
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Stormin Mormon
know. With the economy being such a mess, I'm doing
everything I can by myself. At least until my 14 million
dollar bail out comes through.
--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.
"Mortimer Schnerd" <msch...@carolina.rr.com.XXX> wrote in
message
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Mortimer Schnerd
> Too late. Sounds like he used heat, and a breaker bar. I
> like a dab of grease on the threads before I reassemble.
> Makes dissembly easier, next time.
I didn't need a breaker bar or a cheat. I moved up from a 3/8" ratchet
to a 1/2" drive, heated the bolts for a bit with a LP torch and just put
some oomph on them.
I polished the threads with a scotchbrite pad and put some machine oil
on the threads before I put them back in.
I don't believe I fried anything. The bolts screw into a substantial
block of metal. That metal block would act as a heat shield before the
heat would travel up the shaft to the bearings. When I say I heated
them, I don't mean to say they were red hot. I was able to handle them
bare handed after removing them from the block.
No screeching metal so far....
Don Young
"Mortimer Schnerd" <msch...@carolina.rr.com.XXX> wrote in message
news:WsGdnR87-LT2XF_U...@giganews.com...
leaks. You generally should remove the battery so it doesn't leak. Gasoline
from the carburetor and oil from the engine can leak also. Glad you got it
apart okay.
Don Young
Twayne
Very true, PLUS, loosening overtightened nuts is often eased by trying
to tighten and then loosen. So try it both ways. Something that tight,
it's not going to hurt.
Liquid Wrench is often a good idea for such a setup. Follow
instructions on cans.
As for which way it's threaded, check the rotation direction of the
blades. Tightening direction of the nut will be opposite to the
direction of the blade rotation. e.g. if you hit a rock, the blade
tries to tighten the nut, not loosen it.
Twayne
Twayne
It really is. Lower the deck, pull 4 to 6 pins depending, and slide it
out, usually to the left side.
Bill
Just replaced my John Deere (L110) blades yesterday. My procedure: jacked up
rear end to put rear tires on top of 8" (8X16") blocks to allow access to
blades (without having to remove deck). Set brake and blocked two tires to
prevent movement of mower. Using a 15mm socket and a pipe (18" long) I slide
the pipe onto the socket handle. Due to the torque leverage (length of the
pipe) it was easy to remove the bolts (Right-hand threads). Changed both
blades making sure the correct side of the blade (bow side facing ground -
like blades you removed) were installed. Two most important things: safety and
a long pipe for your wrench.
--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/maintenance/changing-mower-blades-364646-.htm
William Adley
https://tractordir.com/john-deere-la115-attachments-you-should-consider-for-your-tractor/