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Mower Blade Bolt Removal


jlasater

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I tore down my 48" deck that came with my Deutz Allis 1920. The bolt securing one of the mower blades will not budge. It was rounded off a bit and would not hold a 5/8" socket. Neither a vise grips nor a pipe wrench seemed to work. I tried filing down the head to accept a 9/16 socket, but that was not too successful (the socket does not fit too well). So, what to do now? I wonder if I should have my local welder weld something onto the remaining bolt head that will allow me to remove the bolt. Any other ideas? By the way, only one of the blades has a grease fitting under the deck to grease the bearings. Is this odd? Thanks.
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Welding on a piece of bar stock would give you a good hold to remove the bolt. One of the tricks I've used before is to grind the head of the bolt clear off, thereby removing all the tension on it. Then, remove the blade, and soak the heck out of the bolt threads with your favorite light oil. Wait a few days, and go at the bolt stub with a pair of vise grips. A little heat might help, but be careful of messing up the bearings. I'd probably recommend pulling the shaft before using a torch on it. Ultimately, if the stub just won't budge, a local machine shop could bore the stub out on a lathe and put a Heli-Coil in there. Be sure to use antiseize compound when putting the bolts back in. Good luck.[A href='http://www.wheatfarm.com']http://www.wheatfarm.com[/a]
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One trick a mechanic once taught me is to never use a 12 point socket on stuck bolts. Always make sure you use a 6 point socket. It will fit much tighter and is less apt to slip. I also liked the idea of grinding the head right off of the bolt. Many of my friends swear by Kroil penetrating oil on removing stuck bolts. I have yet to get any myself and try but they say it works the best for removing stuck bolts. Good luck. GR-Made
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Tim, Since you already started filing the bolt head, you might have to file a little more to try this. Try a metric socket, and hammer it over the bolt head (preferably 6 point, but a 12 will work if it's really tight). Then use an air impact wrench. As for the zerk fitting, it sounds like one of the shaft housings was replaced at one time. Many of the original housings didn't have grease fittings. All use double sealed bearings, and greasing is really unnecessary. I think the "no need to grease" concept makes some owners nervous because most people like to grease their machines. Overgreasing the arbors can be harmful. The biggest enemy to deck bearings is water. Be careful if you're a deck washer.
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I would take the shaft out, remove the bearing, then heat the shaft at the bolt area. Then quickly put water on it. The bolt will turn out with your fingers!. The reason it is stuck is rust in the thread area, not the head of the bolt. The heat expands the shaft, and the water quickly shrinks it back to size, in the mean time breaking the rust loose. The shaft will not be affected by this process. Use a small amount of "grafite grease" or mix a little dry grafite with oil and put on threads. It will not seize up for 10 years or more.. Marion W. Kerr
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Before you grind the bolt head off you could try filing two opposite sides flat to snugly fit an open end wrench on. Soak it with penetrating oil for a day or so and then try tightening and losening to work it off without letting the wrench slip. Having the welder here I would weld a stub of steel to it and get it off like that, but most people don't have the equipment. Sam
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