How to Remove the Blades on an MTD Rider

MTD manufactures some of the most popular rider mowers on the market, including Yard-Man, Yard Machines, Bolens and White Outdoor. If you own one of these products, you know how much ground they can cover in a short period. But whichever MTD rider mower you own, it requires maintenance, including changing blades. Mowing with dull or nicked blades leaves your lawn looking ragged. With the right tools, removing your MTD rider blades should take less than 15 minutes.

Things You'll Need

• Work gloves
• Tire jacks
• Jack stands
• Chocks
• 2-by-4 block of wood
• Electric impact wrench
• Six-point socket

Instructions

1. Position jacks beneath your MTD rider's front bumper, and lift it high enough to provide access to the mower deck. Place chocks behind the rear tires. Use jack stands to support the tractor while it is lifted.

2. Place work gloves on your hands to protect yourself against cuts from handling the mower's blades. Disconnect the spark-plug wire, and remove the key from the mower's ignition to prevent it from accidentally starting while you're working on it.

3. Wedge blocks of wood between the blades and the deck assembly to prevent them from spinning during the blade-removal process. Use an electric impact wrench with a six-point socket to remove each blade bolt. Set the bolts and the lock washers aside.

4. Slide the blades and adapters off of the blade spindles. Avoid coming into contact with the blades' cutting surfaces.

Tips & Warnings

• While you are under the mower deck, remove any build-up of grass in the deck assembly or mower chute to improve performance.

• Check your blades' sharpness after every 25 hours of use, or sooner if you operate in dry or sandy conditions or hit a hard object with the mower.

References

• dl.owneriq.net: Owner's Guide (MTD) Transmatic Front Engine Lawn Tractors