My 42" Ariens riding mower - I successfully replaced both spindles and blades 4 years ago. Last week, one of the blades, with broken bolt and washer, simply fell off during operation. I can try to remove the remaining 1/2" of bolt and reinstall the blade, then block the blade from moving and loosen the pulley nut. That's a lot of hassle with the impacted bolt and no guarantee of success. I have a replacement spindle ready to go. What if I drill multiple holes on the pulley nut, then use a hammer and punch to remove? Or use a rotary saw and cut the pulley nut off? Any thoughts? Thanks for your time.
Spindle Pulley Nut Removal, Blade Bolt Broken
- Thread starter Hill Hank
- Start date
Please supply us with the model and serial numbers for the tractor so I can see which spindle assembly you have. I’m particularly interested in which spindle shaft you have. Once I know this I should be able to give you a couple of things to try before ruining any more parts.
bertsmobile1
Lawn Royalty
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- Nov 29, 2014
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If you have a rattle gun & did not over tighten the pulley nut you should be able to hold the pulley with the belt tight enough to undo the nut
Usually blade bolts will just about fall out once loose as they go into blind hole so rarely rust
So you should be able to remove the remaining bolt easily then reinstall the blade to hold the shaft to undo the pulley nut
The burning question is why do you want to replace the entire assembly ?
Was the bade end badly damaged ?
Usually blade bolts will just about fall out once loose as they go into blind hole so rarely rust
So you should be able to remove the remaining bolt easily then reinstall the blade to hold the shaft to undo the pulley nut
The burning question is why do you want to replace the entire assembly ?
Was the bade end badly damaged ?
sgkent
Lawn Addict
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I would use some penetrating oil on what remains of the bolt, then either try a left hand drill to see if it spins out, or drill and easy out it. In my experience, when the head of a bolt sheers off, the remainder of the bolt often comes right out, sometimes just spinning the edge with a small screwdriver or sharp chisel. The exception would be it if broke when trying to remove it because it was rusted.
Thanks everyone. Yesterday, I successfully replaced the spindle then mowed the back yard! I bought 2 Blade Removal Tools made by Arnold (item number 490-850-0005). I also used a 23mm combination wrench, a hammer, BG In-Force penetrating oil, and the original blade.