Abused Craftsman push mower- Wheels are angled inward at the bottom and other stuff

[Gym123]

I got a Craftsman 917.370600 mower and all of the wheels are angled but the mounts are solid. They're easy enough to adjust, but the angle remains. I only took the time to remove the wheels to inspect, clean & lube- the spindles are angled but not bent. What's the best way to make them straight (or ar they angled to make replacement necessary sooner than normal?)?

The photo shows this-

This mower was treated like a farm animal- when I got it, grass was on it, in it, under it and because they probably left it outside, water ate the deck at one of the engione's mounting bolt locations, so they put a washer on the bolt, which did no good, whatsoever. I think someone hit a big tree root because three of the five lobes on the blade adapter were sheared off and if the steel was already compromised, it caused the hole. Sorry about the photo orientation- they open normally in the software.

Thanks

 

[Tiger Small Engine]

I got a Craftsman 917.370600 mower and all of the wheels are angled but the mounts are solid. They're easy enough to adjust, but the angle remains. I only took the time to remove the wheels to inspect, clean & lube- the spindles are angled but not bent. What's the best way to make them straight (or ar they angled to make replacement necessary sooner than normal?)?

The photo shows this-

This mower was treated like a farm animal- when I got it, grass was on it, in it, under it and because they probably left it outside, water ate the deck at one of the engione's mounting bolt locations, so they put a washer on the bolt, which did no good, whatsoever. I think someone hit a big tree root because three of the five lobes on the blade adapter were sheared off and if the steel was already compromised, it caused the hole. Sorry about the photo orientation- they open normally in the software.

Thanks

Plastic wheels mounted on metal axel. The plastic eggs out and causes the wheels to get wonky. New wheels, or bushings installed into the old wheels are the solutions. Installing the bushings and getting them in straight can be tricky.

 

[Gym123]

Plastic wheels mounted on metal axel. The plastic eggs out and causes the wheels to get wonky. New wheels, or bushings installed into the old wheels are the solutions. Installing the bushings and getting them in straight can be tricky.

They don't wobble- I would agree, but all four are angled. I'll post a photo of the axles- they're all angled, but nothing seems to be bent.

I would press the bushings in, but they would have to be very thin because there's not much difference in the diameters. The axles and mounts are pretty strong- I don't know how they would all bend so similarly, even if a lot of weight was on top and if that had happened, I think the plastic housing for the pull cord would have been damaged.

I only took the time to remove, clean and lube the wheels- haven't really looked at adjustments, yet- just installed the new blade adapter yesterday and ran it. I attached the blade with the original adapter last weekend and it was balanced well but before I did that, I checked the shaft for runout and it was good- only about .001 at the ring where the belt guide had kept it clean. The blade needed a bit of sharpening- will spend more time with that, too- it cut the grass but wasn't even able to cut the Dandelion stems. It actually has an edge, now- I don't like to bludgeon my grass.

For anyone who wants to check the runout on the shaft- I used a Harbor Freight dial indicator and after looking for a place to attach the magnetic base, I saw a hole in the bottom of the crankcase that looked suspiciously similar to the diameter of the end of the rod that threads into the magnetic base- perfect fit. I was impressed that Honda thought of that.

 

[vintagerust]

I've had quite a few of those with bent rear wheel brackets, either the handle/wheel bracket gets bent or the deck itself bends from being tipped on its side or just rouch handled. The tall handle brackets put a lot of leverage on the corners of those things and they get out of shape. If the deck is bent, take the wheels and brackets off, then clamp two 2x4's over the area with a couple of big C clamps and use the boards as leverage to bend the deck back into shape. If the brackets are bent, I'd disassemble each one and use vise and big adjustable wrench and a mallet to realign all the parts.

I bent the one's on mine just pushing the mower around tight obstacles using the handle it got worse over time till I had to fix it.

If the wheels get loose, get some 1/2" cpvc, drill out the wheel to fit it and use the cpvc as the new bearing. On my one Bolens, I was able to drill out the center of the plastic rear wheel enough to install actual bearings but i also had to weld up and re machine each spindle since the plastic wheel had worn nearly completely though two of them.

 

[Gym123]

I've had quite a few of those with bent rear wheel brackets, either the handle/wheel bracket gets bent or the deck itself bends from being tipped on its side or just rouch handled. The tall handle brackets put a lot of leverage on the corners of those things and they get out of shape. If the deck is bent, take the wheels and brackets off, then clamp two 2x4's over the area with a couple of big C clamps and use the boards as leverage to bend the deck back into shape. If the brackets are bent, I'd disassemble each one and use vise and big adjustable wrench and a mallet to realign all the parts.

I bent the one's on mine just pushing the mower around tight obstacles using the handle it got worse over time till I had to fix it.

If the wheels get loose, get some 1/2" cpvc, drill out the wheel to fit it and use the cpvc as the new bearing. On my one Bolens, I was able to drill out the center of the plastic rear wheel enough to install actual bearings but i also had to weld up and re machine each spindle since the plastic wheel had worn nearly completely though two of them.

The deck and mounts aren't flexible and they're all at about the same angle- maybe they designed it that way so they could sell more wheels after they all wear and I think the plastic on top would have broken if they piled heavy things on it. Or, maybe it's for hard cornering in turns.....

The deck is steel- it broke around the front engine mounting bolt, so I welded a piece in, to prevent the engine moving when I start it and while it's cutting- the previous owner may have kit a big root- the blade didn't show the kinds of marks it would have if it hit a rock.