CHANGING BLADES

[bubba]

what does everybody use too get their mowers<br>off the ground too change the blades<br>and what is the best thing too use to stop blades from turning while trying too remove them.<p>----------<br>b&r lawncare<br>

[DMC300]

HEY BUBBA,I EITHER DRIVE UP ON MY RAMP GATE WITH ONE FRONT TIRE ON THE TRAILER AND THE OTHER SUSPENDED,OR IF IM AT HOME I USE A SET OF CAR RAMPS AND A FLOOR JACK SO I CAN GET MY IMPACT UNDER THE DECK.AS FAR AS THE BLADES TURNING JUST ENGAGE THEM.(MOWER NOT RUNNING PREFERABLY)LOL<p>----------<br>DON<br>LIANNES' MOWING

[TPC]

unless you have an elctric pto...if you have a impact gun you shouldnt need to engage the blades..I dont on any of my mowers and works fine,,,I do use a floor jack to lift,if you dont have one maybe a hoist,used to do that

[Mark]

Floor jack breaker bar, racthet, and 15 min, the new sharp blades or ready to roll. I have never had the problem with engaging the blades.<p>----------<br>Mark's Mowing Service<br>

[thelawnguy]

I just lift the front of the machine, stuff a jack stand under, and away I go. The Turf Tracer has two flats on the spindle that fit a one-inch open end wrench so you can hold it while removing the blade bolt.<p>Bill

[Retro67]

I don't want to be too critical because you guys very well may have much more experience in the field than I. However, if you need an impact wrench to remove your blades, you are waiting &lt;b&gt;way&lt;/b&gt; too long to replace your blades. Maybe I'm misunderstanding something here? Of course, I sharpen daily. Try it and see if your mowers don't start making more money for you.&lt;p&gt;John

[cjcland]

i dont think they are saying the HAVE to have an impact wrench to remove there blades i think they are saying that it s just easier and faster, if you have an impact wrench try it and se what you think<p>----------<br>CJC Landscape Management<br>Winter Haven, Florida

[DMC300]

AN IMPACT JUST MAKES IT MUCH QUICKER AND LESS CHANCE OF SLICING YOUR FINGER OPEN!AND YES I CHANGE BLADES DAILY,SOMETIMES TWICE PER DAY ON MY DIXIE.<p>----------<br>DON<br>LIANNES' MOWING

[GrassMaster]

Hello Everybody:<p>The ramp on your trailer is one of the safest ways to do it. If we used ramps we would still put a car jack under for safety. I've seen a car fall pulling up on ramps, I mean like a few minutes later after up on ramps! We only put ramps on concrete for safety.<p>Retro67: We used Impact Wrench mainly for SAFTEY! Then Speed.<p>We used 6 point, deep well impact sockets on our blades & we did tighten the hell out of them. Safety & less skinned knuckles. Every so often we would put never sieze on the threads to save nuts & studs on spindles.<p>It made them harder to remove in the field, but any bolt or nut put on with a impact can be removed by using a breaker bar. I only did it in the field because I didn't want blades to come off (no employees). You don't have to strain so hard jerking the breaker bar, just put hard steady pressure against it & in a little time it will break loose!<p>For some reason it's easier to forget to tighten blades doing it by hand than using impact. <p>Most all cases if blade gets loose the deck will make a roaring noise if blades start to get loose. My employees knew to stop unit at first sign of noise from deck, until I only checked the deck. SAFTEY FIRST!<p>----------<br>GrassMaster - Home: www.lawnservicing.com<br>My Start Up Page www.lawnservicing.com/startup/<br>

[Retro67]

hmmm?<p>My blades seem to break loose really easily without even a threat of cutting my hands. Of course, I would have to turn the wrench ~160 degrees or so to cut myself since I start the wrench just counterclockwise from parallel with the blade.<p>I can see where it would be faster if you already have a compressor full of air and zip, zip, zip! Probably how I will do it once I have my shop set up.&lt;p&gt;John

[Charles]

Impact wrench,floor jack to jack up the deck a little after I have pulled up on the ramps.

[steveair]

If you have a indoor shop, just hang some chains with hooks from the rafters set at the right height to hold the front up where you want it.<p>If you only work outdoors, you can still do the same. We poured a 10 by 10 concrete pad with two 4x4s in it, and then used them to make a rafter to hang our chains from to hold the mowers up. The pad was nice because as you know, if you drop bolts in dirt, they are a ***** to find. Also, the pad is nice because after your done with servicing, you can then powewash the unit right there, without having gravel, dirt, etc flying all over the place. We put the pad away from our house, but still had air. <br>We ran a compressor hose from a compressor in the garage to the pad and left it there. We buried it in coduit under the gravel drive, and never had a problem with the line in 4 years. Air is the way to go! Not only can you change the blades faster, you can blow out your air filters to extend their life, fill the tires, use a air grease gun, blow off the mower engine, etc, etc.<p>Definitely get a compressor if you don't have one.<p> <p>

[Retro67]

Thanks Steve, definitely a lot of food for thought there.<p>John