lawn mower repair

My lawn mower is 16 years old and on its last leg. Last evening, the right front wheel fall off - it fall off due to the bolt holding it on shearing off about 1/4 of an inch below the frame. DK says that I need to take it to someplace and have the bolt drilled out with a drill press and replace it with a new one. That sounds expensive for an old lawn mower we are planning to replace this fall anyway. Does anyone have any other suggestions? I thought maybe drilling a pilot hole and putting a smaller bolt into the "axle bolt" for something to grip but on second thought I don't think that would work. It may be time to leave it at the landfill and fondly wave good bye as we drive away.

If I was going to go DK's route what kind of shop would I need to go to. I know the local mower repair shop doesn't have one so they'd be sending it out anyway. I'd think a drill press that large is pretty hard to find. I'm open for ideas. Thanks, Lisa

If you have a good mechanic you trust with your car then a broken bolt is a broken bolt
Car or mower. A pilot hole with a hand drill is all that's needed
The optimum bit is a left handed drill bit as it cuts the hole in the direction of extraction and thus relieves the stress in the correct direction. This followed by a "easy out" or bolt extractor should unscrew it
It you soak it first with pb blaster or such that will aid it's removal
The trick with the drilling process is slow speed with sharp bit
High speed bits are for drill presses not hand drills

How did it break? Was it done while trying to remove it?

Post a picture Lisa.

You can usually get them out with a tool like this:

http://www.amazon.com/piece-Easy-Screw- ... B0002UJNWE


You drill a hole in the center of the bolt. The threads on the extractor are left hand, once it grips you can turn it out. Use some penetrating oil. If it still doesn't want to come out easily try some heat with a torch.

If you have a electric drill that can reverse rotation here's what I suggest. Go to your local Harbor Freight store and buy a set of left hand drills. They sell an inexpensive set of 4-5 drills. File flat what's left of the bolt so you can punch a point at the center-line of bolt. This is where you will drill, first with the smallest drill, then working up to the larger ones. As you are drilling the drill turns in the direction of removing the bolt. Sometimes it just screws out. If you don't own a punch use a pointed masonry nail. They are hardened and can be sharpened to a better point with the same stone used to sharpen your kitchen knives. If you have really stubborn bolt and it doesn't come out when you have drilled most of it away, you can collapse it in on itself with a chisel or junk flat point screw driver. Be sure to clean and soak the threads with penetrating oil several times, a day or two before you start. Good luck.

Thanks for the replies - I'll get the left handed drill bits and go from there. It sounds like this is something I can handle. I have my weekend project. I'll let you know how it goes. Lisa

Poconoeagle wrote:How did it break? Was it done while trying to remove it?

I was mowing on a up hill grade and when I turned the corner it just snapped. It's a clean break so I think that I will be able to drill it out without a problem. I have a heavy duty reversible drill I use in the yard for transplanting that should handle this job. The "funny" part is I had just picked it up from the repair shop after a rear wheel replacement. That wheel sort of exploded while I was mowing the wilds of my back yard. The plastic had just dried out over the years and when I was mowing across an incline it crumbled; too much stress. That was an easy fix, just replace the wheel. Thanks again for your ideas, I think this is something I can do and make it through the summer with this mower. The engine runs great. Take care, Lisa

ahh good news there. if it broke while trying to remove it , usually it is quite stuck then and is a more difficult process.
since it sheared off due to metalurgical failure the left drilling should make it easy. do indeed check that there isnt a nut on the inside of the deck that can be loosened first... usually tho, they are spot welded to the deck...



the nut that is....... in fact, they are often chineeze nuts........

If it were me I would just drill it out with a normal hand drill, then just put a nut on the end of a bolt. Maybe a couple washers too. Done - end of story .. and cheap.

Just make sure the blade wont hit it! Could install the bolt from the inside & have the nut on the other end on the wheel.

I am the Mickey Mouse Master!

SMITTY wrote:If it were me I would just drill it out with a normal hand drill, then just put a nut on the end of a bolt. Maybe a couple washers too. Done - end of story .. and cheap.

Just make sure the blade wont hit it! Could install the bolt from the inside & have the nut on the other end on the wheel.

good idea!!! most times tho the problem is always the "nut behind the wheel"..... sort of like a I.D. ten tee issue

certainly this is not true in Lisa's case tho...

May be true in my case .....

naw......your confused between mickey and ......Goofy!!!

Is it any wonder?

CASE??? after reading all this, I'm going to Town to get a case

SMITTY wrote:May be true in my case .....

Sounds like a plan Fred!

Poconoeagle wrote:ahh good news there. if it broke while trying to remove it , usually it is quite stuck then and is a more difficult process.
since it sheared off due to metalurgical failure the left drilling should make it easy. do indeed check that there isnt a nut on the inside of the deck that can be loosened first... usually tho, they are spot welded to the deck...

Sooo, it's all fixed. It turns out that the reason it was such a clean break is that the bolt or screw merely came loose and the wheel fell off. There is no nut, just a threaded hole the bolt goes in. You'd have thought DK, designer of ocean going vessels, would have have spotted something like that. I'll give him a break because it was dusk and the hole was in shadows. This morning I went to our local independently owned hardware store and gotten the left handed drill bit and screw retractor. I was getting ready to soak it in WD-4 so I could take care of it after work but I couldn't find the broken bolt on the deck frame My neighbor, a retired gentleman, saw me messing with it and came over. He discovered the problem instantly. Two twists of his socket wrench and it's good to go. He, too, suggested a nut and bolt if I couldn't get the "broken" one out. I couldn't believe it was such an easy fix. It's great to have good neighbors and great friends like all of you on the forum. Thanks for all your input. I'm sure you saved me a bundle at the repair shop. Thanks again, Take care, Lisa