I just gave my old Craftsman LT1000 42" tractor to my nephew and bought a new Craftsman Pro Series 42" Turn Tight Extreme rider. It's a nice mower with one aggravation. The blades aren't nearly as thick or sturdy as the old 42" blades on the LT1000.
My new blades with the 6 point star center hole measure about 1/8" thick (.125") and the old 5 point star Craftsman blades I used to use are noticeably thicker when I compare them at the local Sears Hometown store.
I'm wondering if it will be OK to use blades I've seen online that have the 6 point star configuration with a .149" thickness. They are advertised to be made a USA shop with good quality steel. I've bent 3 blades in four times cutting my 2.25 acre yard. There's lots of hardwoods and some roots that hide in tall grass. My concern with the thicker blade is that it's probably .014" thicker than the star on the mandrel, although the nut will still press the blade firmly to the mandrel's flat surface. Is that an issue?
I used the thicker 5 point star blades on the old Craftsman 42" and never bent a blade despite an occasional contact with the top of a root. It would just slice off the top and continue on. I know that's not recommended, but it's going to happen here and there with wooded acreage. When I gave away the old mower after 14 years of use it still had the original mandrels installed and working just fine, so I obviously didn't destroy anything by chopping small dead branches and infrequent contact with an exposed root.
The new mower is obviously lightweight in the blade department, despite being excellent in all other aspects. One tap on something other than grass and the blade is toast. I love the 5" turn tight radius and the handling that it provides. Handling is almost like power steering.
Another question I have is that some blades in my search returns for 6 point star use the universal blade center hole that is supposed to be compatible with the 6 point star config. Is the universal center hole really compatible with 6 point star blades?
Thanks, DaveP
