remove lawn mower blades

How to Remove a Lawn Mower Blade

Changing your mower blade(s) is an important part of your routine mower maintenance. Whether your old blade’s have gone dull, you’ve picked up some new blades to try, or you're simply rotating your blades, knowing how to remove (and re-install) a mower blade is essential. Fortunately, the process is fairly simple and remains relatively similar across multiple types of mowers. To start, we’ll go over the tools you will need and a quick overview of the general removal process. After the overview, we’ll go into the specific process for different types of mowers.

Things You Will Need:

  • Socket wrench, breaker bar, or impact wrench
  • Vice grips, a block of wood, or a block of wood with a C-clamp
  • Lawn Mower lift
  • Replacement mower blade(s)
  • Gloves (recommended)
removing a mower blade

Removing a Lawn Mower Blade

Before removing a lawn mower blade it is important to make sure you have your mower in a secure position and disconnect the spark plug(s). These will prevent almost all mower accidents that happen while removing a mower blade. One final thing is to remember than most mower blades are reverse-thread bolts.

  1. Lift or angle the mower so you have access to the blades.
  2. Unplug the spark plug.
  3. Prevent the blade from turning using vice grips, a block of wood, or a block of wood with a C-clamp.
  4. Loosen the nut securing the mower blade.
  5. Remove mower blade(s) and the nut.

Installing a Lawn Mower Blade

  1. Prevent the blade from turning using vice grips, a block of wood, or a block of wood with a C-clamp. 
  2. Place the new mower blade on the bolt.
  3. Tighten the blade nut.
  4. Plug the spark plug back in.
  5. Lower or stand up the mower.

Now that we’ve gone over the general process, let’s go over the specifics you’ll need to know for each major type of mower when changing the blades.

Push Mower

  1. Determine which side of your mower has the air filter. When tilting the mower over, ensure that the air filter is facing upwards to prevent oil from leaking into the air filter. If you’re worried about gas leaking out of the tank, you can also remove the gas tank cover, place a plastic bag over the opening, and replace the gas cap (securing the bag in place).
  2. Unplug the spark plug. This is important because it prevents the machine from accidentally starting while you’re changing the blade.
  3. Secure the blade to prevent it from turning while you remove the nut holding the blade. You can do this using vice grips, a block of wood, or a block of wood with a C-clamp.
  4. Loosen the nut that’s securing the mower blade. You can use a socket wrench, breaker bar, or impact wrench on the nut. Generally, the nut will loosen by turning it to the left, but if you’re unsure you can refer to your owner’s manual.
  5. Remove the nut and take the mower blade off of the bolt.

Riding Lawn Mower

  1. To access the blades on your riding lawn mower, you will have to lift or angle the mower. To do this, you can use ramps or a car jack. Raise the deck to the highest setting, and make sure that the parking brake is engaged to prevent injury.
  2. Unplug the spark plug.
  3. Prevent the blade(s) from turning using vice grips, a block of wood, or a block of wood with a C-clamp.
  4. Loosen the bolt securing the mower blade. Usually, the bolt will loosen by turning it to the right, but if the bolt doesn’t appear to be loosening then you should consult your owner’s guide.
  5. Remove the mower blade, then repeat the same process for the blade on the other side of the deck.

Stand-On Mower

  1. To access the blades, lift the front of the mower using a wheel jack or car jack. Ensure that the parking brake is engaged to prevent the mower from moving while you’re underneath the deck.
  2. Unplug the spark plug.
  3. Most stand-on mowers use a bolt that runs through the deck. To remove this, you will have to secure the nut on the top of the deck (which may require removing the deck cover), while turning the bolt from under the deck. The best way to accomplish this is by placing a wrench on the nut and securing it against the frame (preventing it from turning) so you can remove the bolt from the bottom without having to hold the wrench on the top as well. 
  4. Loosen the bolt from under the deck using an impact wrench (preferred), breaker bar, or socket wrench. If you’re unsure which way to turn the bolt, refer to your owner’s manual for guidance.
  5. Remove the bolt and blade, then repeat the process for each other blade.

Zero-Turn Mower

  1. Angle the mower so you have access to the blades using a wheel jack or car jack. Ensure that the brakes are engaged (if applicable). 
  2. Unplug the spark plug.
  3. Like stand-on mowers, zero-turn mowers generally use a bolt that pops up through the top of the deck to secure the blades. Remove the deck cover (if needed) to access the nuts, then place a wrench on the nut of the blade you are changing and secure it against the frame. This will prevent it from spinning as you attempt to remove the bolt from below. 
  4. Loosen the bolt securing the mower blade using an impact wrench, breaker bar, or socket wrench. If you’re unsure which way you will need to turn the bolt in order to loosen it, refer to your owner’s manual for guidance.
  5. Remove the mower blade and bolt. Repeat this process for all remaining blades.

Wrapping it up

There you have it, the quick and easy steps to removing and replacing a lawn mower blade. This is a fairly simple and straightforward process. It is important to make sure you take the necessary safety precautions before removing or installing any lawnmower blade.

If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them below in the comments!

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