rickmacheske said:
Well...I had a blade fall off of my 6' Landpride finish mower. Does anyone know where I can get a new bolt? Also, I remember taken the blades off to sharpen them was very difficult. How am I going to get the broken bolt out?
Thanks,
Rick
This is the bolt that holds the blade on, correct?
Pull one of the other bolts. If it's a standard bolt, take it to your local hardware store for a replacement. If nonstandard, you may have to order one.
Per the Landpride website, your bolt should be
½-20 x 2" long, grade 8. Since I don't know what model you have, I just picked one of the finishing mower parts manuals.
Now, you wrote the bolt broke off. Did this happen when you were installing the blade? Did it break flush with the spindle? If any of the bolt is still sticking out, you may be able to get vicegrips or a pipe wrench on it
after you've soaked it in penetrating oil for a few hours. If you have an acetylene rig or MAPP gas torch, you can try heating the spindle, but this might damage a spindle bearing.
If the bolt is broken flush to the surface or down inside, you'll need a bolt extractor (aka Easy Out). Bolt extractors are easy to use. You want to ensure you get one of the proper size for the bolt you want to remove.
Basically, you want to drill a hole through the length of the bolt. The diameter of the drill should be a bit larger then the minimum diameter of the extractor, but smaller then the maximum diameter of the extractor.
Once you've drilled the hole as straight through the bolt as you can (remember to use goggles!), tap the extractor into the hole. You'll notice the flutes on the extractor are
left hand which is the opposite of the bolt thread (right hand). There are flats for a wrench on the extractor. Get a good purchase on the flats and keep tapping the extractor as you try to back the bolt out. Hopefully, the extractor will cut into the bolt as you're tapping and unscrew the bolt.
It's actually easier to do then reading it. It'll take longer to get all the tools together and position the mower safely.
That mower weighs several hundred pounds. If it falls on you, you will be severely injured or killed. Do not just raise it on the 3PH and work under it. My mower isn't that heavy (about 450-500 pounds). Whenever I'm pulling the blades, I chain it to the bucket hooks and position it so it would fall away from me (if it fell). I'd consider rolling it all the way over if I had to drill out a bolt. If you do this, drain the gearbox. Otherwise, the gear oil will drain out of the vent holes.
Drilling the hole is the toughest part. It would be advisable to drill a smaller diameter hole through the bolt first. You may not have to drill the hole length of the bolt, but you'll want that extractor well seated in the hole before you try to back the screw out.
Once you get the screw out, I suggest you look for the torque value per the owner's manual of your mower. Torquing to the correct spec not only ensures the bolt is properly tightened, it ensures the bolt is not overly tightened which may have been why it failed. I use an anti-seize compound to prevent the bolt from rusting in place.
If you're not sure of your ability to do this, take it to the dealer or a mechanic.
Good luck!
