Blade bolts to tight

[matt man]

Mine usually is a 1/2" breaker bar and a piece of wood.

 

[sgkent]

1/2" breaker bars work great. Never would have imagined we could get to 6 pages on how to remove a bolt holding a mower blade on. Now if this was an axle nut on a VW bus we might be having a different conversation. I've seen those hold up to a ton of pressure without releasing.

 

[Gord Baker]

Blade bolts do not self tighten. If you have difficulty you are tightening them too tight to begin with and fail to clean and lubricate the threads. A simple box end or 8" ratchet will tighten them sufficiently. Small couplers do not lower the Pressure, they lower the Volume.

 

[Gord Baker]

Exactly Been there on both.

 

[sgkent]

Small couplers do not lower the Pressure, they lower the Volume.

Huh? Try standing 280 lbs on the end of a 7' long pipe on a 1" breaker bar sometime on one of those axle nuts, so much that the 1" forged breaker bar snaps. That is a lot of torque put on a nut. Been there. Has nothing to do with volume. Torque is torque. You won't get 2000 lbs of torque on a small mower bolt without breaking something else a long time before. I can see where a blade bolt could rust on after many seasons to where a breaker bar or heat is needed. Normally a good closed end wrench and a block of wood is all that is needed. Just have to position hands so if something gives the hands don't hit the blade.

 

[StarTech]

Small couplers do not lower the Pressure, they lower the Volume.

Try telling that to my pressure gauge that was installed at the impact.

Huh? Try standing 280 lbs on the end of a 7' long pipe on a 1" breaker bar sometime on one of those axle nuts, so much that the 1" forged breaker bar snaps. That is a lot of torque put on a nut. Been there. Has nothing to do with volume. Torque is torque. You won't get 2000 lbs of torque on a small mower bolt without breaking something else a long time before. I can see where a blade bolt could rust on after many seasons to where a breaker bar or heat is needed. Normally a good closed end wrench and a block of wood is all that is needed. Just have to position hands so if something gives the hands don't hit the blade.

I got a Scag Turf Tiger in the shop right now that before I got a good impact I had use a 5' extension on my breaker bar and row boat those blade bolts loose.

So far I have been lucky to only need to torque an axle nut to 300 ft-lbs.

 

[sgkent]

Try telling that to my pressure gauge that was installed at the impact.

I got a Scag Turf Tiger in the shop right now that before I got a good impact I had use a 5 extension on my breaker bar and row boat those blade bolts loose.

So far I have been lucky to only need to torque an axle nut to 300 ft-lbs.

253 ft lbs on, same as a gland nut, but sometimes they won't come off even with a ton of torque literally. They make a special tool, breaker bar goes on it, and while the torque is on it, BFH smacks the tool. The shock breaks the axle nut loose. I didn't have the tool and had to dremel the nut off. Other side came off fine. Go figure. After reading 7 pages on all the ways to remove a mower blade bolt, I think maybe I missed out on some of life's greater thrills......

 

[gamma_ray]

You people are causing yourselves a wagon full of un-necessary problems with those impacts . Oil the threads , tighten the nuts with a box wrench about 12" long until they feel tight and go mow . Those manufacturers are specifying those ridiculous torque values because of liability .

That's what I do too. Block of wood wedged between the blade and deck to hold it, long box wrench loosens the bolt. Reverse to tighten.

 

[ILENGINE]

Blade bolts do not self tighten. If you have difficulty you are tightening them too tight to begin with and fail to clean and lubricate the threads. A simple box end or 8" ratchet will tighten them sufficiently. Small couplers do not lower the Pressure, they lower the Volume.

Tell that to the customer that we used to put the blade nuts on with our fingers in March and in July we had to use the 1" 1600 lb/ft impact to remove them. And in this case it was a long bolt that went through the center of the spindle shaft with the nut on top,

 

[Hammermechanicman]

253 ft lbs on, same as a gland nut, but sometimes they won't come off even with a ton of torque literally. They make a special tool, breaker bar goes on it, and while the torque is on it, BFH smacks the tool. The shock breaks the axle nut loose. I didn't have the tool and had to dremel the nut off. Other side came off fine. Go figure. After reading 7 pages on all the ways to remove a mower blade bolt, I think maybe I missed out on some of life's greater thrills......

Ask 10 bakers how to bake a cake and you will get at least 11 different recipes.