How to Change Blades on a Craftsman Ride-on Mower

Knowing how to change the blades yourself on your Sears Craftsman Riding Lawn Mower is beneficial for several reasons. It can save you a lot of money, because the cost to have a professional do this for you is not cheap. It also greatly enhances the performance of your riding mower to have new blades. Replacement blades are a wise idea to install each season, and doing so is a relatively simple task.

• 1

  Raise the riding mower onto small automotive ramps or blocks so that there is room to work underneath the mower. Be certain to stabilize the wheels by placing a wedge on both sides of the tires so the tires cannot move while on the ramps/blocks. Engage the brake on the mower.

• 2

  Raise the mower deck to the highest allowed position. Remove the existing mower blade by loosening and taking off the hex bolt, lock washer and flat washer that hold the blade in place from the mandrel assembly. To remove the hex bolt, grip the head with an adjustable wrench and apply force in a counter clockwise direction, turning it loose. If the hex bolt does not budge, spray it with a lubricant such as WD-40 to release the bolt. Set these three parts aside to be used to install the new blades.

• 3

  Replace the used blades with the new blades purchased in the proper size for the mower. It is best to take the mower model number with you when you purchase the replacement blades so you will be certain to purchase the correct model of blade for your mower. When installing the new blades, the trailing edge of the blade must be pointing up towards the deck. The trailing edge can be determined by looking at the blade and checking how it is formed. It will have a bend on the ends and that needs to be pointing up towards the mower deck (not towards the ground). Some blades will have "bottom" stamped onto them, making the installation orientation much simpler to determine.

• 4

  Fasten the hex bolt, lock washer and flat washer back onto the mandrel assembly in the following order: blade, flat washer, lock washer and finally the hex bolt. Use a wrench to tighten down the bolt in place. Remove the mower from the ramps or blocks.