Snapper RER Blade Issue

[Mattmotors]

Snapper rear engine rider model 2812523BVE Serial 2013121925. 28 inch blade. Long story short. Daughter in law hit a rather large root. Now the blade hits the deck housing. I thought maybe it was just a bent blade. I guess things are just never that easy. I put a new blade on, same thing. Let me tell you what I found. The blade holder bar which is pretty thick stock has a slight bend in it. you can see the gap when I put a straight edge against it..... Next, when I measure from the end of the blade holder to the; what would be the top of the mower deck, one side is 3 inches and the other side is 2 7/8 inches. no matter what position the blade holder is in, it is consistent. The third item is It is kind of hard to turn the spindle. I have the blade brake lever clamped down to release the blade brake and it is still hard to turn the spindle I'm not sure if the blade brake is connected to the foot pedal or the blade engagement lever. I'm not quite sure what my next step should be. Please share your thoughts. Thanks , Matt.

 

[mattm55]

I did the same thing and cut my deck too. Replace blade, blade holder. Next is to find why the spindle is hard to turn. They are pretty robust bearings but you could have damaged those.

 

[slomo]

That blade bar is adjustable so the blade runs true, inside the deck. You can read all about it in the mower manual. My 33" has a nut and bolt on each side on the blade holder for adjustments.

Jim's Fix It Shop on youtube has a ton of great RER videos.

 

[Hammermechanicman]

Check the welds on the spindle tube to the plate. It is a common failure point. If it is cracked you can reweld but if it breaks out and you need a new one good luck. Last one I ordered took over a month to come in. Getting the spindle assy out is fun too.
That bar the blade mounts to bends easy. It is just mild steel. Bent it till blade is level.