How to Loosen Bolt on Lawn Mower Blade [Any Kind of Bolt]

Whether an electric device or mechanical, every instrument needs maintenance, and the lawn mower is no exception.

Your lawn mower needs to be taken care of now and then to get a smooth-cutting performance.

And the most essential maintenance is the maintenance of the blades.

However, for removing and reattaching the blades to get a smooth cut, you first need to take off the bolts.

But what if the bolts are not coming off due to rust? What if you cannot loosen them?

To solve this issue, we’re with this detailed guide where we’ll show you how to loosen the bolt on the lawn mower blade for maintenance purposes of your mower.

So let’s begin…

How to Loosen bolt on Lawn Mower Blade

Loosening a bolt on a lawn mower is not at all difficult if you have the right set of tools and proper guidelines.

However, as you’ll be working with heavy tools and lawnmowers have sharp edges, there’s a possibility of cuts and physical damage.

But don’t worry.

As you’re reading this, we’ll try to make the process as simple as we can. We will provide a detailed step-by-step guide so you can loosen bolts and remove a stuck bolt on mower blades easily and without any damage.

Usually, people use an impact wrench to loosen stuck bolts on lawnmowers.

You can even use a socket tool with an extended bar, a chisel, or a hammer if you don’t have an impact range.

Here’s how to loosen a mower blade bolt-

Step 1: Switch off Lawn Mower’s Engine

Firstly, you must turn off your lawn mower and let it cool down.

After that, you must suck out gas from the fuel tank using a siphon pump. Then disconnect the wire from the spark plug and keep it in a secure place.

Step 2: Tilt the Mower Wearing Hand Gloves

This is a crucial step, and there’s a chance of injuring yourself.

Keep this in mind; it’s recommended to wear hand gloves while doing this operation.

Begin by tilting your lawn mower on its side of the engine. It would be best if you kept the air cleaner facing in an upward direction.

Now, place a wooden block between the tips of the mower’s blades. This will prevent the sharp blades from moving in the counter-clockwise direction and help you loosen bolts on lawn mower blades.

Step 3: Loosening Bolt on Lawn Mower

For this step, place a wrench socket over the bolt. Ensure that the wrench’s size and the bolt’s head are the same diameters.

After that, put pressure on the wrench handle and move it.

But the question is, in what direction do you turn the bolt on a lawnmower blade to loosen it?

Well, you need to rotate it in a counter-clockwise direction.

By doing this, you will be able to loosen your bolt.

And after that, you can also take off the mower blades and replace them with a new ones if needed.

So that’s how to loosen the bolt on the lawn mower blade.

Easy, right? Of course. But there’s a problem!

Often it’s seen that bolts don’t tend to come off that easily. The reason is that they’re stuck due to rust, dirt, and moisture.

So they get frozen, which makes it really difficult to loosen them.

How to Remove Rusted and Frozen Mower Bolts

Removing a rusted and frozen mower bolt is the same as loosening it.

But you need to follow a couple of easy extra steps.

Here are the best ways to loosen bolts on lawn mower blades-

Method 1: Using an Impact Wrench or Socket Wrench

An impact wrench will come in very handy while fixing a stuck bolt on a lawn mower.

However, you can use a socket wrench and extension bar if you don’t have one.

Now, you need to place a wooden block between the blade and the deck, so the blade doesn’t move.

As most of the lawn mower blade bolts are right-handed thread, you need to turn them in the anti-clockwise direction.

That will most likely solve the problem.

However, if you still can’t get the bolt off the lawn mower blade, there’s another method for you.

Method 2: Using Lubrication

Using a lubricant on bolts is an effective way to maintain your bolts.

On top of that, you can also use it while unscrewing the bolts.

So, use a little WD40 lubricant on the bolts and wait a while.

The lubricant will automatically try to loosen the bolt from the blades.

And after that, you can use a screwdriver or wrench to remove the bolt from the blades.

How to Remove Stripped Bolt From Lawn Mower Blade

Is your lawn mower bolt stripped?

Can’t get the nut off the lawn mower blade?

Well, if that’s the case, you’re at the right place.

Removing a stripped bolt from a lawn mower can be tricky but not impossible.

For removing a stripped bolt, you’ll need a vice grip to do the job efficiently.

Here’s how to remove the stripped bolt from a lawn mower blade in 3 methods-

Method 1: Using Vice Grip

This method is helpful when the mower bolt is a little bit stripped. Start with attaching the vice grip with the bolt as strongly as possible.

After that, take a hammer (the one with the rubber head) and slowly hit the end of the grip.

While doing this, keep the rotating direction anti-clockwise.

Hopefully, this will help to remove a stripped lawn mower bolt.

Method 2: Using Hammer and Chisel

If you couldn’t remove a stuck and stripped bolt from the lawn mower using the above method, this method will work for sure!

Take a chisel and place it on the top of the bolt you want to remove.

As you need to rotate it in an anti-clockwise direction, you need to place the chisel on the left corner of the bolt.

After that, use your hammer and tap on the chisel slowly and gradually increase the speed.

And after a while, you’ll see that the stripped bolt is beginning to rotate along the threads and you’ll come off at one time!

Method 3: Welding

In some cases, it’s seen that the chisel can’t be placed on top of stripped bolts.

If you’re also facing the same problem and can’t get the bolt off the lawn mower blade, it’s advisable to weld an extra bolt.

This will help you to get a good grip on the bolt and remove it easily.

Welding is a very risky job and very sensitive as well.

So while welding, you have to ensure that the welding is good and the stuck bolt doesn’t get damaged.

How to Remove a Rounded Lawn Mower Blade Bolt

Often it’s seen that people over-tighten bolts on their lawnmowers.

As a result, the blades get extra pressure and torque than required, and the blades can get bent.

If you’ve done that too, you’ll get a stuck bolt on the mower blade, and that’s not easy to take off!

Besides, people sometimes rotate the bolts in the wrong direction.

This also results from the same outcomes as before.

So if you have a stuck rounded lawn mower blade, you can follow the above steps.

Normally, a wrench might be effective in this task.

However, if the bolt is frozen or stuck, you can use the hammer and chisel technique or the welding method. We bet it’ll work!

Conclusion:

Having a lawn mower that doesn’t work properly is a headache.

And the first step to getting away from it is maintaining your lawn mower blades and taking them off the mower blades.

Taking off mower blades or maintaining them is very simple.

As you’ve read this far, you now know how to loosen the bolt on a lawn mower blade. Besides, you also learn to remove a stuck or stripped lawn mower bolt. So now it’s your turn to fix your lawn mower!

Frequently Asked Questions