Finish Mower blade bolt question.

   / Finish Mower blade bolt question. #1  

Pooh_Bear

Platinum Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2005
Messages
739
Location
Dunlap TN 25 miles north of Chattanooga
Tractor
Early 1949 Ford 8N
I wanted to take the blades off my finish mower to sharpen them today.
I didn't know they were left hand thread and I stripped the first one.
Also a metric wrench seems to fit better so it may be metric.
Looks like a fine threaded bolt.

Is this a grade 8 bolt. Should I replace it with a grade 8 bolt.

I have been all over our small town and nobody has this bolt.
Gonna have to go to the big city or mail order one.

Mostly want to make sure of what I am getting.

5 ft Big Bee finish mower.

Thanks for any info.

Pooh Bear
 
   / Finish Mower blade bolt question. #2  
TSC has a good assortment of hard bolts.. including metric and SS.

The bolts on my rotary mower are hardened.. etc.

Soundguy
 
   / Finish Mower blade bolt question.
  • Thread Starter
#3  
Our nearest TSC is in Fort Oglethorpe GA.
Which to me is just the southern part of Chattanooga.
Hate to make a special trip over there just for that.
Maybe somebody here will be going that way.

How can I tell if it is a hardened bolt.
And how can I tell if it is metric or not.
A 3/4 wrench and a 19mm wrench both fit the head.
But the 19mm wrench seems to fit better.
But hard to believe this thing would have a metric bolt on it.

I have no way to accurately measure bolt threads.

Pooh Bear
 
   / Finish Mower blade bolt question. #4  
My YQM-60 blade bolts were 1/2" Grade 8 left hand fine thread, and crossed over to Rhino blade bolts. Don't remember what size wrench I used on them though - sorry. Got them at the Montgomery County Farmer's Coop in Clarksville. Maybe your area Tennessee COOP can help. Expensive buggers though, prepare yourself for about 8 bucks a bolt.

Look for small bars on the top face of the bolt. 6 bars indicates G8, 3 bars indicates G5, no bars is G2. Can only guess about the wrench question, but 3/4 inches is equal to 19.05 millimeters. The bolt head probably has one or more edges previously distorted by a slipped wrench, which might explain why the 19mm "fits" better. So I'd go with the 3/4" myself.

//greg//
 
   / Finish Mower blade bolt question. #5  
Guys, he said the bolts are left hand thread, didn't he? If so, I don't think TSC or anyplace similar is going to have a Grade 5 or 8 bolt to fit. A Woods dealer might as several of their decks use left hand thread, but I'm not sure what sizes are available. I do know my RM 306 uses a 5/8" about 2-3/4" left hand bolt. He'll need to cross to something else if he can't find the exact replacement. Also, I have to assume he meant stripping the head and not the bolt. If the bolts gone, so probably is the spindle.

Sweets Tractors might have something or be a good place to start if someone doesn't have a better location.
 
   / Finish Mower blade bolt question. #6  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Guys, he said the bolts are left hand thread, didn't he? ... Also, I have to assume he meant stripping the head and not the bolt. If the bolts gone, so probably is the spindle. )</font>

I thought "1/2" Grade 8 left hand fine thread was reasonably clear. And I had no difficulty in understanding that "I stripped the first one" meant PB simply rounded off the bolt head.

But I have to take exception to your assertion that the spindle is shot. When one of my blades would encounter an immovable object (usually a small hidden stump), the ONLY damage was to the blade bolt. The hardened blade (and washer) simply dropped on the ground after the bolt snapped at the point where the threads stopped. Replaced 3-4 broken Grade 8 blade bolts over time - and a couple of flat washers that got lost in the grass - but never a blade or a spindle. Never even had to drill out the remaining part of the bolt - the shock loosened them to the point where I was able to turn them out by hand. I attribute this to oiling the replacement grade 8 bolt before installation (flat washer only - no lock washer), then tightening to the RECOMMENDED torque specs

//greg//
 
   / Finish Mower blade bolt question.
  • Thread Starter
#7  
Yes, I stripped the bolt head.
The threads of the bolt are ok.
The spindle is in great shape also.
Just needs a new bolt now.

I haven't checked the website but I have a TSC catalog.
Only blade bolts I can find are for a king kutter.
Blade Bolt Set - Finish Mower OEM# 502310 TSC# 21-19067 Price= $13.51
Doesn't say anything about the bolt size or other info.

If I have to drive to Chattanooga anyway to pick it up,
there are bolt places over there where I can stop and buy it.

I will check out the TSC website and see if I can get more info.

Pooh Bear
 
   / Finish Mower blade bolt question. #8  
Try your local JD or Case (or other) dealer. The Case-IH dealers around here carry all sorts of bolts RH and LH and metric (though it probably isn't a metric).
 
   / Finish Mower blade bolt question. #9  
   / Finish Mower blade bolt question.
  • Thread Starter
#10  
I tried our local co-op.
The little girl behind the counter said try the dealer.
I reminded her that they are the dealer.
She said they didn't have it.

Mite call the co-ops down the valley some.
Whitwell, Jasper, Kimball, South Pittsburgh.
Also we have a Case dealership here in town.
And an AC dealer in Jasper.

I'm not making a special trip to Chattanooga for a bolt.
Mite have to wait till next week when somebody heads that way.

Pooh Bear
 
 
 
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