Older Craftsman Edger Shaft Broke

[Blaine B.]

Good evening,

I've owned this Craftsman model 536.772320 circa 2002 for 4 years now and it has served me well being used about 3-4 times annually. Today I was pulling it back and unfortunately I have done this many times before, and have always noticed it results in more mut getting lodged in the blade guard. Today was the final straw and the shaft that holds the blade sheered clean off and the blade went flying into the street - luckily no cars were passing by!

I've searched on ereplacement parts and I do see a QUILL ROD that is discontinued and unable to be purchased anymore. However I don't think that this is the quill rod that is broken as it appears to be perpendicular to the quill rod and supported by bearings at both ends.

Can anyone help me identify these parts? I've considered taking it to a machine shop and see if they can rebuild it, although I have a feeling that wouldn't be cheap in 2021 dollars and perhaps this machine has met its match and is done. It would be a difficult spot to weld considering that it's supported by a bearing right behind the break point. What do you think?

 

[ILENGINE]

The are calling the shaft assembly with the bearings the quill rod. doesn't look like they offered the individual parts for that assy.

 

[Born2Mow]

It's a very simple shaft. Looks like a junior machine shop could make one in 2 hours. This time mount the blade sandwiched between 2 large washers to act as a clutch. Next time you hit something the blade will be able to stop.

 

[upupandaway]

How attached to this edger are you? In my area you can find an edger like this for $20 left and right. Someone even had McLane edgers for $20 posted for over 1 month.

I'm all for fixing old broken stuff but upgrading for the same if not less $$ is tempting.

 

[Blaine B.]

It's a very simple shaft. Looks like a junior machine shop could make one in 2 hours. This time mount the blade sandwiched between 2 large washers to act as a clutch. Next time you hit something the blade will be able to stop.

Thanks I'll consider that if I can find a replacement reasonably priced. I doubt a machine shop would be able to produce a part such as this for an economical price though. I believe this edger was $50 when I bought it, which is a good deal. Was just curious if it could be fixed. I'm seeing some random edger shafts on eBay but I'll have to disassemble this first and take measurements because it's truthfully unknown what the shafts fit.

By the way I tighten that nut pretty well so the blade is unable to spin. It wasn't that I hit something, but it was getting bogged down by dirt that accumulates inside of the blade shield. That happens often when pulling in reverse rather than pushing. I've noticed some of the newer edgers have less of a blade guard that isn't as enclosed, maybe for this reason.

 

[Blaine B.]

How attached to this edger are you? In my area you can find an edger like this for $20 left and right. Someone even had McLane edgers for $20 posted for over 1 month.

I'm all for fixing old broken stuff but upgrading for the same if not less $$ is tempting.

That's rare. Looking at my local Craigslist there is nothing gas powered being sold locally. If I wanted to drive 90 minutes I have some choices, $150 or $180 for used units that appear to be somewhat newer, however.

 

[Blaine B.]

The are calling the shaft assembly with the bearings the quill rod. doesn't look like they offered the individual parts for that assy.

What exactly is the "quill rod?" From what I see it's the shaft that is surrounded by a spring that supports the blade housing and has nothing to do with the "drive" of the blade. I believe the spring helps to keep the blade housing perpendicular to the ground and also to tension the belt, maybe.

 

[ILENGINE]

@Blaine B. The quill rod has the tension spring around it, but is attached to the housing tube that contains the drive shaft and bearings..

 

[Blaine B.]

@Blaine B. The quill rod has the tension spring around it, but is attached to the housing tube that contains the drive shaft and bearings..

Gotcha. I recall reading on this forum years ago about the difficulty of sourcing a quill rod. That seems like the easiest part to repair - it's just a solid rod. Weld away!

 

[Blaine B.]

Here you can see the shaft disassembled. Maybe it was fractured for awhile. Perhaps due to over tightening of the nut. There are 2 nuts actually which sandwich the blade. You can see rust on the exterior areas of the shaft, whereas in the very center the metal is very shiny and "fresh." You can also see the miscellaneous parts including 2 piece pulley, bearings, nuts, and washers too. The shaft seems to be a total length of 9-1/8" including the threaded portion that has broken off.