Most walk-behind lawnmowers have a bolt that holds the blade in place. This allows the blade to turn to the right when you are mowing. The bolt is designed to turn in the opposite direction of the engine as a safety feature so the blade doesn’t fly off. If you want to change your lawnmower blade, you’ll need to turn the bolt to the left or counterclockwise.
Let’s look at how to change a lawnmower blade; we’ll give you details of the lawnmower blade bolt direction.
Which Way to Turn the Bolt on a Lawnmower
Most lawnmowers also have a nut that’s got a reverse thread to hold the blade securely in place. This is a safety feature that helps ensure that the blade won’t be able to loosen the nut as it rotates. It’s worth noting that not all lawnmower blades have a reverse-threaded nut, as the design of each lawnmower varies slightly. Follow these steps to remove the blade from your lawnmower:
1. Secure the blade
When a lawnmower blade becomes blunt due to overuse, you’ll need to change it by loosening the bolt to remove the blade. You can do this by putting a block of wood between the lawnmower blade and deck to hold the blade stable.
2. Loosen the bolt
If the blade has been in place for a long time, undoing the bolt may be challenging. You can use a rust-penetrating spray to help loosen the bolt. You may also need to rub the bolt with a wire brush to help loosen the rust deposits. If you’re still struggling to get the bolt undone, you can knock the side of the bolt with a hammer.
3. Undo the nut
You can then undo the nut using the correct size of wrench on the head of the bolt. Then apply adequate force to the wrench handle and turn the bolt to the left to loosen.
Conclusion
To open a lawnmower blade bolt, you generally have to turn the nut to the left or in a counterclockwise direction. When replacing the blade, it’s crucial to ensure that the new blade is fitted the right way up and the bolt is done up tightly. Most lawnmower blades have a stamp to indicate which side points down towards the lawnmower deck.