Craftsman 42" mower deck - questions about blade bolt

[KirklandMike]

StarTech, I don't know what bolts you found. Mine match what I found at PartsDirect - 5/8.

 

[StarTech]

StarTech, I don't know what bolts you found. Mine match what I found at PartsDirect - 5/8.

I just verified the in stock 532193003. They are 7/16-20 screws. A 5/8 screw will never fit in place of the 7/16; unless, the hole is rebored and threaded to the 5/8 size. Either coarse or fine thread.

What you are probably referring to is the hex head size which is 5/8 (16mm). This is not the screw (bolt) size.

Now I got to get with Gardner as they have listed as 3/8-24 screws.

 

[KirklandMike]

I just verified the in stock 532193003. They are 7/16-20 screws. A 5/8 screw will never fit in place of the 7/16; unless, the hole is rebored and threaded to the 5/8 size. Either coarse or fine thread.

What you are probably referring to is the hex head size which is 5/8 (16mm). This is not the screw (bolt) size.

Now I got to get with Gardner as they have listed as 3/8-24 screws.

You are correct of course. The diameter not the head. Sorry.

 

[SamB]

It has been my recent experiences that the cheaper the blade is to buy the easier it is to bend when hitting roots,sticks,etc,
I have also found that OEM blades usually are not as good as top brand aftermarket blades. By top brand,I mean Oregon brand blades. Oregon makes a blade branded as "Durable" that is stronger and thicker than the OEM blades for my particular mower,a 2005 Husqvarna CZ42175 ztr. This mower has a Craftsman twin made in the same years,also 5 point star blades. bertsmobile1 is 100% correct,unless you are really strapped for cash,trying to fix/straighten a bent blade is a fools errand,and I don't mean that as anything personal. Shoot,I've tried it myself using a hydraulic press,resulting in failure and frustration,along with some possibility of injury! These are the blades I'm using and am quite pleased with them.

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They are $19.99 for one blade at that Bezos place,but $35.43 a pair from the reddog. I trust the dog and have had good service from there.

 

[oldlawnguy]

@Cusser. I was able to confirm that the blade bolts are right hand thread - but not by removing.

@slomo. The point of reusing the blade was to see if it's worth doing anything at all. Since I'm mentally committed to a new lawn tractor, I don't think it's worth doing much - although depending on how I deal with scrub it might be worth keeping the old one as well. The stump I hit was in the better part of the yard - although right on the edge. But yes, walking around more is a good idea. When we moved into the last house we had an arborist check things out. At that time the neighbor was doing most of the mowing. The arborist called the damage to the base of the trees "mower blight".

UPDATE. I was able to remove the pulley at the top of the mandrel. The impact screwdriver did the trick for the bolt, and I used a gear puller to get the pulley off. Then I sheared all four of the bolts holding the mandrel to the deck without even using the impact screwdriver. But I was able to bring the mandrel and the blade to the workbench. Still wasn't able to get the bolt to shift. I take the points about stuck bolts - different approaches and time. But I decided that enough was enough. Ordered mandrel assembly, blade bolt, and blades from SearsPartsDirect. Fingers crossed for June 10.

Since I still have the blade attached to the mandrel with the stuck bolt, it's probably a good idea to get adapters for the cordless impact driver and see if it's able to move the bolt when the manual impact screwdriver couldn't. I like the manual tool, but I'm only 100% certain that I've rotated the innards properly is if the stuck bolt gets unstuck.

Thanks all!

I just replaced this Friday both mandrels on my 42" deck because they basically were out of balance (when spinning new blade you could see 1/2" variation from blade tip to tip and yes over the years crunched a few blades when in a hurry before kids had practice...). I think you are on the right path going with mandrel replacement.

Here is what worked for my 2009 Craftsman B&S 24HP YTS4000 model 917.289250

Your is probably similar to mine, however always good to check part numbers. I usually go to SearsPartsDirect and look up part number. Then I go to one of the other sites like ProPartsDirect (Turf Depot) and cross reference the AYP/Husqvarna part number and order that one. Many mower brands use the same common parts. So for example if you add a 532 or 587 in front of the Sears part number you get the AYP/Husqvarna part number. Then I go pick it up at the Turf Depot and avoid shipping and MA sales tax.

I ordered (2) 587819701 mandrels which is the exact part number substituted on the SearsPartDirect website for 187281 which is no longer available. I can usually get most parts in 2 days or less or sometimes 10+ days if PPD has to source deeper in their supply chain.

2 USA made Husqvarna genuine OEM mandrels showed up and I replaced both which was pretty straight forward. I do recommend you detach the deck from the tractor (6 cotter pins and 2 washers) and unhook belt from engine spindle and clutch cable attached to deck. Then it's nice and easy to work on the mower deck and move as needed.

I did snap one mandrel bolt on removal and did have to use good force to remove spindle bolts on top. Used anti seize on new bolts and mandrel threads as mentioned previously by another member. Also I replaced the old clutch cable with a new OEM cable as yes I was burned by using a cheap substitute cable that was too long and snapped (2 cables worth) so you usually get what you pay for

Also noticed the arm brake pads are pretty worn so I ordered 532199478 and 532189402 and will replace these too when I get the parts.

I know you are inclined for purchasing a new mower which is your choice. However, most of the new stuff is designed to be disposable rather than fixable (common topic on this forum) and you may have a nice older (decently built) tractor that just needs a little TLC from a capable DIY like yourself. My mower gets stored in a shed and is not exposed to the weather year after year. So I basically gave myself a new cutting deck for $100 US. Attached some before and after pics. New Husqvarna mandrels are silver.

Good luck you can do it!

 

[Born2Mow]

It requires a 5/8 socket to take those blades off. I use an impact wrench and 5/8 6-point socket to remove them, and reinstall them by hand with Never-Seeze on the threads. The decks on the MTD/Craftsman have so little adjustment that my BIL has already bent 2 sets of blades this season !!

Replacing one more set and I'll be a qualified expert !

 

[StarTech]

I ordered (2) 587819701 mandrels which is the exact part number substituted on the SearsPartDirect website for 187281 which is no longer available. I can usually get most parts in 2 days or less or sometimes 10+ days if PPD has to source deeper in their supply chain.

The 187281 are the grease-able mandrels which Sears is subbing non-grease-able ones for.

The 587819701 are non-grease-able mandrels (spindles)

IF you wanted the grease-able version you should order PN 587820301.

Also note that when replacing the older mandrels the spacer washer under the pulley is no longer used due a new bearing design. Remove keep them for later bearing replacement as the common 6203-2RS will need them again upon replacement.

From my distributor both they are the same price which is my Husqvarna source.

 

[oldlawnguy]

Very good points StarTech; the Husqvarna mandrels came with a paper insert instructing to not use the spacer from originals as the spacer is built in. I'm keeping originals as backups and experimenting just in case. The original mandrels on my mower did not have zerks, but if I knew I could have gotten ones with zerks for same price would have ordered those instead. I grease the zerks on the mower cast iron front end and wheels religiously. Thanks for the info.

 

[slomo]

Oregon blades. End of conversation. They are Chuck Norris tough.

slomo

 

[Born2Mow]

Oregon blades. End of conversation. They are Chuck Norris tough.

...and no one is tougher that Chuck Norris.