✅Click here for a useful clamp ➜ amzn.to/2CnySYM For more videos like this, check out: 👉How To Fix A Lawn Mower With No Compression ➜ ruclips.net/video/1X5j6P4q3YE/видео.html 👉Proper Way To Tip A Lawn Mower Over ➜ ruclips.net/video/eeEVigsVqrE/видео.html 👉How To Test Lawn Mower Compression With NO Gauge ➜ ruclips.net/video/LtJQgkBTkdE/видео.html 👉Straighten A Bent Lawn Mower Crankshaft With A Pipe ➜ ruclips.net/video/w2Ro9GmEyOE/видео.html You can connect with Steve here too: ✅Visit Steve’s WEBSITE ➜ www.stevessmallenginesaloon.com/ ✅Visit Steve’s PARTS & TOOL STORE ➜ www.amazon.com/shop/stevessmallenginesaloon ✅Follow Steve on FACEBOOK ➜ facebook.com/stevessmallenginesaloon ✅Follow Steve on INSTAGRAM ➜ instagram.com/stevessmallenginesaloon/ ✅Follow Steve on TWITTER ➜ twitter.com/SteveSaloon
My career fixing engines began with my dad showing me how to replace a broken crankshaft on a 3-1/2 hp Briggs and Stratton engine. As we tore it down and replaced the crankshaft he explained to me how each part worked. That was a priceless lesson I’ll never forget!
Awesome story I hope you told your old man how he made an impact on your life by spending time with you and sharing his knowledge. I am on my journey of self teaching so that I can do the same with my future son. I am grateful for these videos and ppl who share their knowledge with ppl like me who do not know anything about this stuff.
I had a bent crankshaft on my Briggs motor years ago so I took it to my dad and all he had to do was remove the rewind starter from the top of the engine to gain access to the top of the crankshaft. He had a crankshaft straightener and within 15 minutes the engine was running with a straight crankshaft again. It is such a simple device and it works. I know about the liability of this type of repair but I have never heard of one breaking. I don't remember if the engine had to be removed from the lawnmower or not. I told a guy I worked with that my dad straightened that crankshaft and he all but called me a liar. He said his dad was a machinist and his whole shop of machinist couldn't straighten one in a machine shop. My dad had an eight grade education, enough said.
the thing is when you work in a machine shop, a microscopic defaut or any deformities is considered a no go, that was maybe because they didn't want to take the liability of a part that would've probably costed the same price as a new push mower anyway.. Prices here for a machine shop with COMPETENT machinists is about 120-180$/hourly for custom shops, add to that that any good machinist or metal worker that respects itself, will take more than 15 mins to straigten the shaft, check with some sort of magnetic powder test or else to make sure there are no micro cracks (that can last the very end life of the mower, by the way) and do a perfect job. That said, that is why you go to a mechanic like this guy here to repair small stuff like that. Think about it, your push mower is worth what? 300-400$ at most? is it really worth it to spend 200$ (machine shop) to repair it, or go to a mechanic, that can guarantee you expertise in THAT domain, straighten a shaft for 30$ (15 mins) tell you, might work for 10 years, or 10 mins. The guy in the machine shop has 10+ years into PRECISION work, the mechanic, or in that case the 8th graded guy has 10+ years in making stuff work with duck tape and Ty-raps, those are 2 very far domains.
I assume that the tool he used was a device that held onto the top of the crankshaft with the recoil thing removed and the lower part of the tool was a "vee" block shape that utilized a screw that, when tightened, put pressure on the crank in order to straighten it or "true" it. With a little luck this method would, in essence, perform admirably. Not really a professional way to accurately or safely guarantee a fix but, hey.... I don't see these repair tools around much anymore...and for safety reasons it's understandable. Cheers from Illinois
TOMMIE Lee - I thought he just used a pipe fit snugly to the bent section and pulled it straight. And he called it a "crankshaft straightener" like if you lost your key to a padlock and smashed it off with a sledge hammer and called it your "lock picking tool".
My husband bought a Harley and had it in and out of the shop because it had a bent frame from the factory. No help. My father-in- law use a pole light, some chains and a tractor. No more problems.
Forget all those big RUclips names. You are the reason RUclips is so successful. When people have questions about things, we come here, and heros like you have laid it out and made things easy to understand. Really appreciate this video. I definitely bent my blade, going to check the shaft now. Then I'm going to take a pickaxe to the stump in the yard that keeps hiding in the grass.
@@StevesSmallEngineSaloon yeah, so my shaft is definitely bent. The shaft has this plate on the end that doesn't seem like it can come off to give me a good skinny shaft to get a cheater bar onto. It's a Briggs and Stratton, TroyBilt TB320. Half my backyard is still unmowed...
It's worth the attempt the 1st time to straighten it. Tyral has a good video on straightening a crankshaft with a straightener or while it's on the mower. Very important not to use heat though as it will weaken the shaft.
I hit a pipe that was sticking up in my yard one time that stopped my engine cold.It didn't shear the half moon key in the flywheel completely but it was enough to mark it which threw my engine out of time and it would not start.Took me a while to figure that one out.That might make a good video.? Thanks and love your channel.You're one cool dude,
2012 TB110 (Briggs 550EX) came with parent's house and has been working well despite a severely bent crank and blade. Literally has shaken loose the handle bolts multiple times with the handle sliding forward into the deck with the blade smashing them at least 2-3 times. These seem to really be unkillable (the Briggs OHV) if they have oil in them and it has only recently been replaced when the front axle height assembly vibrated off and was lost. Vibration is not immediate cause to go buy a new, extremely overpriced mower when it runs just fine with a bent crank. Just be sure to check/tighten the handle and deck bolts depending on how severe the shaking is. Didn't have a pipe to try bending it back, and didn't make a significant difference with some light sledgehammer hits so just ran it.
I have an old 6hp Craftsman that I bent the crankshaft on twice using it like a brush hog.... However I fixed it twice via a sledge hammer and a dial indicator. Each time I felt like I had nothing to lose atempting this adjustment... both times the crank was bent more than 0.25 inches and both times adjusted back to 0.003 inches or less of run out... with no noticable vibration afterwards . Maybe Steve could show us his skill with the sledge...lol
Not concerned with the legal angle. More importantly is the moral aspect. Do we respect the health of others as well as our own or are we only concerned with money.
@@wh8085 Thanks for your comment. The point I was making was that financial considerations are in the mix, but the consequences of harm to others should be top of the list. Case in point: Does one come to a complete stop at a Stop Sign to avoid a traffic violation or does one stop to avoid harming others? If the answer is to only avoid financial debt the action of stopping has no moral relevance. If however, you stop to protect the life and health of others then you have committed to a social contract. A social contract that shows a commitment to keep others from harm in a responsible manner. The advantage of a social contract is everyone takes responsibility for their actions to the betterment of all. I hope this clarifies my comment to your satisfaction. Wishing you and yours long life, good health and happiness.
Telling anyone who is curious about not scrapping the mower. Mine was super bent. If you take it somewhere to fix it it’s between 5 and 9 hundred dollars. The crankshaft costs between 25-40 dollars. It took me about 3 hours to pull it apart to replace it and 2 hours to put it back together. I had to buy a 30 dollar tool to pull off the flywheel so for about 70 dollars you can fix it in a half day.
Ya I "accidentally" turned my Craftsman M310 mower into a stump grinder earlier. I shut it off to dump the bag and it would not crank back up. Yanked the pull cord back hard when I pulled on it! First I read it might be the flywheel, so I inspected that which looked okay. Then I took off the blade to discover the crankshaft keyway broke loose AND ripped the metal of the actual crankshaft itself too. I found you to figure out what the hell to do from here! Sucks bc I got halfway through the front yard lol. I wondering now if I'm capable of replacing a crankshaft having never done so before. Excellent channel! Very informative, small engine repair is so important!
Love your videos Steve. If I’m tuning up any of my small engines or my buddies and I get stumped, I look for your videos. Very well put together and your right not everyone knows that. I definitely learnt something today.
I hit a rock with my mower and bent the crank. I took the blade off and put on a length of pipe and tweaked the shaft until it was straight and the end of the pipe did not wobble. Still running smooth. Just lucky, I guess.
@@N9IWJ I'm asking because I would assume you could get more leverage to bend it back into place if it were completely upside down. I was curious if that is what he did, and if so, HOW without causing more issues. I'm aware it's what you're suppose to do.
I put my mower on its side and used a pipe to press down on the crankshaft and broke the wheels off that were on the ground. Then I panicked and tried to straighten it up before the wife came out and the handle came off. Now it only cuts grass if you drag it sideways.
Hey I have a suggestion for a video. I’d like to see you make a video on how you start to diagnose a lawnmower when it comes in your shop for repairs Do u have certain steps u always do when u really don’t know what’s wrong with it. Thanks in Advance. I enjoy your Videos
I have one of those bent shaft units that I use as a “battlefield” mower only. Don’t use much but when I do it works hard. Three year old ivy? No problem. Overgrown drainage ditch? Send it. Hit a Rock? Meh. What am I gonna do bend a shaft or something?
Tried this process out on a Honda I have that hit a large brass water valve left in some tall grass by an upgrade crew last year. It definitely was bent. The company ended up replacing the whole mower with a new one. But the episode on how to mix oil/gas for power equipment was great and so simple. Tried it today. Didn't even the calculator. Thanks again. Saved me money!
i bent a brand new craftsman mower crank, and took it back to sears and told them i hit a stump... got it back in a week no charge .... wow i told them thank you sears tech... just love sears, great people...
I straightened a crankshaft in the press a few years ago it ran for years and it was bent bad . If you want to replace it forget it the motors trash . Because the crank costs as much as the mower new . It has to be back within a few thousandths of an inch or it will vibrate . Mine didn't. But I work in a cylinder shop where we straighten shaft for hydraulic cylinders and you must know what your doing.
Hi Steve from the uk. I have successfully straightened a badly bent crank by hitting it with a club hammer providing the crank oil seal is not leaking afterwards it’s all good, just keep measuring the highest point and hit it until it’s good again.
Great video Steve. Me and my brother have been cleaning out my dad's lawnower shop and selling everything that we don't need. So sad selling all his tools. Spare parts, small engines ect. My mom can use the cash tho. (Dad has Dementia)
Took care of both my parents with dementia. Hardest thing I ever did. I wish you and your family well. The saddest thing is to see a self sufficient working father like your dad no longer able to do what was easy for him. My heart goes out to both of you.
@@dogsplantscarsneatstuff176 Thanks man.yeah he can't even hand me a 1/2" wrench. Hanging on the wall in perfect order with the rest of his tools. Sad to see for sure... Both of your parents... Wow! Sorry about that.
Thanks again Steve. You are a legend. Best to trash that engine. It is toast. It appears that the oil seal is damaged and who knows what other internal damage is present? An efficient option for a solution is to remove the engine and replace it with a new Chonda. Otherwise replace the complete mower. I prefer the smaller blades mounted on a cutting disc rather than the blade being a single unit. Shear keys were often installed on shafts to mitigate this.
Yes...fix it. Straightened several shafts in highschool shop class. It was a fairly simple tool. An indicator, and a column with a bolt used to force the shaft back into alignment.
Maybe some shafts can be straitened, probably not this one...If you watch the where he spins it over you can see oil start to leak from the shaft seal. It's very likely the lower bearing was wrecked from the vibration.
@@tobysarsi6864 The oil seal didn't damage itself. It's failure is showing you the lower bearing is beaten up to the point it ate the oil seal. However you wanna word it the non replaceable, non reparable bearing machined into the lower crankcase has been destroyed by the bent crankshaft. So the engine is junk.
Thanks for the video. I just bought a Honda from Lowes that was a store return for $200 and it was cutting low on just one side. It looked like the whole engine was actually low on one side so I used a couple of washers to raise it up and it was cutting pretty good. But I kept thinking "Man this thing rattles a lot". So I checked the crankshaft and, yep, just ever so slightly bent. I'm guessing the previous owner hit something, bent the shaft and deck and took it back. It actually looked underneath like he used it all summer. What a bummer.
My Dad had an old Clinton engined Hayter mower that had "encountered" a few rocks etc. I called by one day and he asked me to cut his roadside verges. After about 20 minutes, I went to check the time on my watch and the minute and hour hands were lying alongside each other by the number 6 on the dial !
Picked up a zipped tied throttle push mower 4th of july about to f with it tomorrow. Just saw the fix your wheels video. Glad I found the channel again
I bent my shaft on my Quantum B&S engine. Checked Amazon and found a new crank shaft for $75 . Good deal but still expensive. So I took the blade off and turned the engine over as Steve showed you and hit the high side of the bent crank with a heavy hammer. Ran for the years after .Yes it’s worth saving.
Briggs used to make a crankshaft straightner, You took the engine off the mower deck and mounted it to a big plate that had a dial indicator on it. I saved a lot of engines that way and got to sell new mowers also when some would eventually fail. Mostly seal leaks. I would be up front with the customers about could happen and they were all pleased with the result. I kept records of the longevity of the repair. If they had the money up front for a new mower I would tell them to go for the new one.
I have seen two types lawnmowers: long piece of shaft and short piece of shaft comeing out of the bottom of the mower. long shafts are more likely to bend when hitting rock or something and they may be straightened to some acceptable point if needed. Short shafts are done for good if bent. Once straightened shaft is more likely to bend again so it is a temporay fix. Costwize it is reasonable to buy new mower instead replaceing a crankshaft. If you take mower to shop, it probably takes them a month to order a shaft and replace it and cost would probably 2/3 of chost of an expencive mower and the full price of a cheap one
If the rest of the mower is in good shape it might be worth getting a $119 motor from Harbor Freight. Did this to an old snowblower with a blown Tecumseh. Works good as new.
@@billmers3219 I'm never going to be able to go near a HF again without laughing my ass off! Next time I need to buy something there with their 20/25% discount code I'm going to tell my wife I'm going on an important diplomatic mission to renegotiate an international financial trade deal with the ChiComs at the Chinese Embassy.
Thanks brother for the great instructions. I thought I had a crankshaft issue. You wanted us to make sure the break is off, however when I pulled the handle the break didn't let go, so I followed the cable and found that the break cable was broken.
About 15 or so years ago I hit a chunk of concrete and bent the shaft on my new Craftsmen Briggs and Stratton mower, I was bummed! A new crank for $50 fixed it back up. Fast forward 15 years and I hit something hard and bent it again! Its a yard ornament now and I found a used mower for cheap to replace it.
I hit a steel rod with my mower. Everything was vibrating to pieces after that. After stripping the engine it took about 4 tons of pressure to bend the crank shaft back to straight. Now it runs like new again, that was 2 years ago
I DIDN'T know that - so thank you Steve ! I've got a new mower with the Honda GCV X engine and I think something "cheap" is designed to snap if you hit something so that the crankshaft does not bend.
Yeah, if you are lucky the woodruff key will snap first and the blade will just rotate on the end of the shaft freely. If not lucky then dead stop and bent shaft. If there is a blade carrier on the end of the cranfshaft (with the fan disk on it) then that will be the bit thats keyed onto the shaft. Remove that and there will be a sheared key in the shaft end. Its replaceable.
Thanks! I really needed this today, after having my blade adapter break in half today! I'm just very fortunate I didn't get hurt, as it hit the vinyl siding on the house and literally cracked it a good one! I had to order a new blade adapter, but after I get it, I think I would be wise to put the old blade on (long enough to test the crankshaft), then I can put the new blade on, if the crankshaft doesn't wobble! I don't even know why the adapter broke, I had cleaned under the deck, had the blade "professionally" sharpened, oiled around the bolt area, so I am stumped! Don't think I can buy this mower anymore, plus, the cost of a new one, hoping to fix this one and soon, need it now! Crankshaft for mine cost around 72.00 dollars give or take, so, hmmm, not sure what I'll do if it is bent. Fingers crossed it is not! Thanks for the video, great info!!!
Hey, this was really helpful! Found out my crankshaft was bent, so the Minister of Finance (AKA my wife) decided we should just get a new one. I may try to repair the crankshaft and sell the old mower.
No problem. I've been collecting scrapped lawn mowers for years. I have at least a dozen. Never bought a new one in my life and I'm getting old. Most are easy fixes for little to no money at all. It might still be fixable, but is it really worth the effort?
@@StevesSmallEngineSaloon great. I hate to throw out a good running engine just due to a bent crank. Think about it, these newer engines are no good when compared to the older stuff. Let's just face it lol
A lot of factors. Most of the time It's worth engine swapping if you can do it yourself and can source a good cheap engine from another machine. If it's a quality commercial unit or even high dollar homeowner machine, then, maybe putting a new crank in could be worth it if it's a mower you're really attached to, sky could be the limit on what you're willing to pay to have it fixed. General consumer should think about getting new equipment though. To pay someone to do either job would put you close to the brand new mower range.
Usually if the crankshaft is bent on any mower its not worth repairing as it costs more in labour charges to repair, which can usually be half the cost of a brand new engine. you could strip it out yourself or alternatively you could buy a working second hand engine off ebay etc and just swap engines. You can get the crankshafts straighten but its not advisable as the metal is already weakened from hitting the object and trying to re-straighten only makes the metal even weaker and if you hit a large object again you risk the crankshaft snapping completely.
I bought a used Honda HRR216 super cheap on Facebook... the seller said it ran rough. After I a lot of diagnostic work (I am a novice), I discovered that the crankshaft was bent and the damn thing was practically hovering when it ran. I almost junked the thing, but I saw a RUclips video how someone used a sledgehammer to straiten it.... I tried it and after several hard wacks, I got it pretty strait. The thing ran smooth and cut awesome. I ended up reselling it on Facebook for more three times what I bought it for.
I have a vibrating riding mower now. It’s has new blades,both spindles and all belts replaced. Still vibrates. I can see the belt for the blades shaking for what ever reason but this gives me something to look for. About the only thing left in the blade area is the crank,the deck or a pulley I guess.
Thanks for the videos Steve! I used to be and sometimes on the side now, a small engine mechanic. I've seen shafts bent to the point the engine was locked up. If you have the jig with indicator you could usually save the engine if the sump wasn't cracked. Occasionally, we would use a sledge hammer to straighten them if they were not too bad. Others were just to far gone depending on where the crank was bent.
love your vids. About the scrape or fix. I'm not a mechanic but I would rebuild a Honda but I would have to think about the other small engine manufacturers.
I straightened one myself one time, and it was cast iron, i thought it might break instead of straightened but I didn't have anything to lose. I just beat on it with a hammer until it spun true. Used it for a couple years afterwards. Local repair shop wouldn't touch it because it was cast.
In my opinion. Scrap. I salvage parts. Starters, coils, cases, heads, ect, but it takes about a beer to get it off the deck. A shot of rye to pull it all apart. Two more beers to watch the sun settle. Then 2 shots Vodka and a beer to clean up for the night. Wondering why I wasted all that Damn time pulling it apart.
Well done Steve your mower videos are the best I'm glad you share so much vital information that is often overlooked. I did this check and it was bent. I was never a fan of the single bar blade mower setup. The round disc with 4small blades setup has a better cut and has less of a chance of bent cranks then bar blade setup
Steve I found and older 2cycle lawn mower, which uses a rope to start it (no recoil). It ran great once I cleaned it up until I hit something and now still runs but vibrates. I always assumed a bent crankshaft, perhaps I'll be lucky and find a bent blade? Thank you for this, and all your informative tutorials. All the best Bruce the swimmer New Rochelle N.Y.
Steve! We always expect your magic. We are here for you to tell us. We don't know! I thought this was going to be a "Steve shows you how to fix your bent crankshaft". Anyway, you always do great stuff. I hope there is a follow up on how to fix it.
Awesome video as this comes up in my suggested videos at 2:20am. But it is something I really was wondering about on a second mower I have so time to check in the morning or afternoon lol. Great video!
I have learned more about small engines in the last eighteen months watching this channel than I did in the previous 66 years of hard knock schooling. Keep it up.
Yes! Worth fixing. You take the blade off, measure and then mark at the end of the shaft where the shaft is bent outward the most, and with a heavy pipe around the shaft, bend it back, as close to straight as you can................OK, sorry, I cheated.....I saw Steve’s fix for this before I saw this video. My bad. LOL. Great tip!!
Yes I'm just Southeast about Mmmmmmm 2,628 miles . Would love to travel to British Columbia, it looks absolutely beautiful!! I would definitely stop by to say hello to Steve at the saloon!
I think I would get a new mower and try to convert the older one into a go cart. Unless I watch A video from you changing a shaft first. Then I would feel very confident changing it myself.
@@StevesSmallEngineSaloon Well that is great! Now i don't have to tell them about the 'other guy's video and the machine he used to straighten the crank
I just fixed a Husky 4 wheel drive with a bent crank. I used a yard sale dial indicator and 2 very large hammers. I bent it a little at a time. The mower went from walking from the vibration to smooth as a new one. This was a very good mower to start with. If it was old and abused, It would have gone out with the trash on Friday.
My blade keeps coming loose after I changed blades. It won’t start when the blade loosens and when I look underneath the blade is loose again. I’ve been changing blades on this mower for years and this is the first problem I’ve had like this. I should add that when I initially took the old blade off this last time, it was very hard to get off, so I’m thinking maybe I bent something when taking it off but it doesn’t appear so. It’s very frustrating. Every time I tighten it up and pull the cord, it sounds like it wants to start but doesn’t, when I look underneath, the blade is loose again. Thanks for these great videos.
ive came accross it acouple times trash picking them up, i look where the blade comes closer to the deck and happen to hammer them back. i get them about 95% straight but seeing this one in the video, the crank seal is gone its not worth it. to me it depends on what the mower is really worth. cheers from ottawa ontario!
It's worth fixing if you can do it yourself but probably not if you have to pay someone an hourly rate unless it's a nearly new expensive machine . I hit rocks occasionally with my ride-on but it's belt drive to the deck so all good :-)
Good idea. You might mention especially with over head spark plugs vacuuming any trash around the spark plug. I couldn't get to the base of the plugs on a Honda 750 with the shop vac once and used a straw as an extension. pulled 3 small pebbles and some other trash that was hidden from view. Thanks as always.
I bent the crankshaft on a fairly new machine so badly that i couldn't even move the blades anymore. At that point i was sure it's garbage but since i had nothing to lose, i took my sledge hammer and smacked the shaft till i could move the blades again. I just eyeballed the side walls of the shaft to get it to spin fairly freely. Man was i happy when i started the mower and couldn't feel any noticeable vibration!! My advice would be to atleast try to straighten it because you got nothing to lose and if everything goes well you won't have to throw out couple hundred bucks to buy a new one.
✅Click here for a useful clamp ➜ amzn.to/2CnySYM
For more videos like this, check out:
👉How To Fix A Lawn Mower With No Compression ➜ ruclips.net/video/1X5j6P4q3YE/видео.html
👉Proper Way To Tip A Lawn Mower Over ➜ ruclips.net/video/eeEVigsVqrE/видео.html
👉How To Test Lawn Mower Compression With NO Gauge ➜ ruclips.net/video/LtJQgkBTkdE/видео.html
👉Straighten A Bent Lawn Mower Crankshaft With A Pipe ➜ ruclips.net/video/w2Ro9GmEyOE/видео.html
You can connect with Steve here too:
✅Visit Steve’s WEBSITE ➜ www.stevessmallenginesaloon.com/
✅Visit Steve’s PARTS & TOOL STORE ➜ www.amazon.com/shop/stevessmallenginesaloon
✅Follow Steve on FACEBOOK ➜ facebook.com/stevessmallenginesaloon
✅Follow Steve on INSTAGRAM ➜ instagram.com/stevessmallenginesaloon/
✅Follow Steve on TWITTER ➜ twitter.com/SteveSaloon
Why did you shorten your intro?!?!?!
Not worth fixing for an individual.
Regarding your link for the clamps, I found them at Home Depot tool section for under a dollar each. Just a thought.
A sure way to know if it's bent is if your cousin or neighbor used it last.
So true
🎯
Bingo!
My brother, every damned time he's borrowed my mower! Never again!
Cousin
My career fixing engines began with my dad showing me how to replace a broken crankshaft on a 3-1/2 hp Briggs and Stratton engine. As we tore it down and replaced the crankshaft he explained to me how each part worked. That was a priceless lesson I’ll never forget!
Awesome story I hope you told your old man how he made an impact on your life by spending time with you and sharing his knowledge. I am on my journey of self teaching so that I can do the same with my future son. I am grateful for these videos and ppl who share their knowledge with ppl like me who do not know anything about this stuff.
I had a bent crankshaft on my Briggs motor years ago so I took it to my dad and all he had to do was remove the rewind starter from the top of the engine to gain access to the top of the crankshaft.
He had a crankshaft straightener and within 15 minutes the engine was running with a straight crankshaft again. It is such a simple device and it works. I know about the liability of this type of repair but I have never heard of one breaking. I don't remember if the engine had to be removed from the lawnmower or not. I told a guy I worked with that my dad straightened that crankshaft and he all but called me a liar. He said his dad was a machinist and his whole shop of machinist couldn't straighten one in a machine shop. My dad had an eight grade education, enough said.
padroooo - Good on your dad. 👍 How long did the mower last after he straightened the crank? I can't imagine it was perfect but maybe good enough.
the thing is when you work in a machine shop, a microscopic defaut or any deformities is considered a no go, that was maybe because they didn't want to take the liability of a part that would've probably costed the same price as a new push mower anyway.. Prices here for a machine shop with COMPETENT machinists is about 120-180$/hourly for custom shops, add to that that any good machinist or metal worker that respects itself, will take more than 15 mins to straigten the shaft, check with some sort of magnetic powder test or else to make sure there are no micro cracks (that can last the very end life of the mower, by the way) and do a perfect job. That said, that is why you go to a mechanic like this guy here to repair small stuff like that.
Think about it, your push mower is worth what? 300-400$ at most? is it really worth it to spend 200$ (machine shop) to repair it, or go to a mechanic, that can guarantee you expertise in THAT domain, straighten a shaft for 30$ (15 mins) tell you, might work for 10 years, or 10 mins.
The guy in the machine shop has 10+ years into PRECISION work, the mechanic, or in that case the 8th graded guy has 10+ years in making stuff work with duck tape and Ty-raps, those are 2 very far domains.
I assume that the tool he used was a device that held onto the top of the crankshaft with the recoil thing removed and the lower part of the tool was a "vee" block shape that utilized a screw that, when tightened, put pressure on the crank in order to straighten it or "true" it. With a little luck this method would, in essence, perform admirably. Not really a professional way to accurately or safely guarantee a fix but, hey....
I don't see these repair tools around much anymore...and for safety reasons it's understandable. Cheers from Illinois
TOMMIE Lee - I thought he just used a pipe fit snugly to the bent section and pulled it straight. And he called it a "crankshaft straightener" like if you lost your key to a padlock and smashed it off with a sledge hammer and called it your "lock picking tool".
My husband bought a Harley and had it in and out of the shop because it had a bent frame from the factory. No help. My father-in- law use a pole light, some chains and a tractor. No more problems.
Great stuff I took blade off thinking it may be bent or off balance now im going to check the shaft THANKS
Right on
Forget all those big RUclips names. You are the reason RUclips is so successful. When people have questions about things, we come here, and heros like you have laid it out and made things easy to understand. Really appreciate this video. I definitely bent my blade, going to check the shaft now. Then I'm going to take a pickaxe to the stump in the yard that keeps hiding in the grass.
I appreciate that!
@@StevesSmallEngineSaloon yeah, so my shaft is definitely bent. The shaft has this plate on the end that doesn't seem like it can come off to give me a good skinny shaft to get a cheater bar onto. It's a Briggs and Stratton, TroyBilt TB320. Half my backyard is still unmowed...
Actually, watching this video, looks like I've got another part to remove: ruclips.net/video/qANgSJnnEj8/видео.html
Ditto! Great explanation, I’m checking shaft next, and definitely getting the axe out too.
It's worth the attempt the 1st time to straighten it. Tyral has a good video on straightening a crankshaft with a straightener or while it's on the mower. Very important not to use heat though as it will weaken the shaft.
Good point! If you gotta use heat, ya better know everthing about heating, quenching, annealing, and tempering.
I hit a pipe that was sticking up in my yard one time that stopped my engine cold.It didn't shear the half moon key in the flywheel completely but it was enough to mark it which threw my engine out of time and it would not start.Took me a while to figure that one out.That might make a good video.? Thanks and love your channel.You're one cool dude,
That would make an excellent video!
2012 TB110 (Briggs 550EX) came with parent's house and has been working well despite a severely bent crank and blade. Literally has shaken loose the handle bolts multiple times with the handle sliding forward into the deck with the blade smashing them at least 2-3 times. These seem to really be unkillable (the Briggs OHV) if they have oil in them and it has only recently been replaced when the front axle height assembly vibrated off and was lost.
Vibration is not immediate cause to go buy a new, extremely overpriced mower when it runs just fine with a bent crank. Just be sure to check/tighten the handle and deck bolts depending on how severe the shaking is. Didn't have a pipe to try bending it back, and didn't make a significant difference with some light sledgehammer hits so just ran it.
I have an old 6hp Craftsman that I bent the crankshaft on twice using it like a brush hog.... However I fixed it twice via a sledge hammer and a dial indicator. Each time I felt like I had nothing to lose atempting this adjustment... both times the crank was bent more than 0.25 inches and both times adjusted back to 0.003 inches or less of run out... with no noticable vibration afterwards . Maybe Steve could show us his skill with the sledge...lol
There's a liability issue involved with fixing a bent shaft. I just push them out to the end of the driveway. Great channel Steve. Love the format.
Not concerned with the legal angle. More importantly is the moral aspect. Do we respect the health of others as well as our own or are we only concerned with money.
Right on
Then I take it and use it for learning purposes thanks to all the people like you that have helped me learn because of your donations
@@RaysLaughsAndLyrics If you ask that question to hospital administrator don't expect a truthful answer .
@@wh8085 Thanks for your comment. The point I was making was that financial considerations are in the mix, but the consequences of harm to others should be top of the list.
Case in point:
Does one come to a complete stop at a Stop Sign to avoid a traffic violation or does one stop to avoid harming others?
If the answer is to only avoid financial debt the action of stopping has no moral relevance. If however, you stop to protect the life and health of others then you have committed to a social contract. A social contract that shows a commitment to keep others from harm in a responsible manner.
The advantage of a social contract is everyone takes responsibility for their actions to the betterment of all.
I hope this clarifies my comment to your satisfaction.
Wishing you and yours long life, good health and happiness.
One of the most worthwhile RUclips channels... 👍
Thank You...
Well I did not know this, and as a guy who got oil in his air filter a lot, I appreciate what you show us. You are everybody's friend, Steve.
Thank You...
Glad he mentioned that. I gonna have to try this. Hit a bolt on fire hydrant this evening.
Telling anyone who is curious about not scrapping the mower. Mine was super bent. If you take it somewhere to fix it it’s between 5 and 9 hundred dollars. The crankshaft costs between 25-40 dollars. It took me about 3 hours to pull it apart to replace it and 2 hours to put it back together. I had to buy a 30 dollar tool to pull off the flywheel so for about 70 dollars you can fix it in a half day.
Ya I "accidentally" turned my Craftsman M310 mower into a stump grinder earlier. I shut it off to dump the bag and it would not crank back up. Yanked the pull cord back hard when I pulled on it! First I read it might be the flywheel, so I inspected that which looked okay. Then I took off the blade to discover the crankshaft keyway broke loose AND ripped the metal of the actual crankshaft itself too. I found you to figure out what the hell to do from here! Sucks bc I got halfway through the front yard lol. I wondering now if I'm capable of replacing a crankshaft having never done so before. Excellent channel! Very informative, small engine repair is so important!
Briggs and Stratton make a shaft straightener. So it would seam like it is worthwhile to try to fix.
Love your videos Steve. If I’m tuning up any of my small engines or my buddies and I get stumped, I look for your videos. Very well put together and your right not everyone knows that. I definitely learnt something today.
Thanks 👍
Oil leaking past crank seal is olso a tell tale sign great video
I hit a rock with my mower and bent the crank. I took the blade off and put on a length of pipe and tweaked the shaft until it was straight and the end of the pipe did not wobble. Still running smooth. Just lucky, I guess.
This man fancy right here. Everyone I know gets a hammer and gives a nice **whack** to the thing
You did this with the mower sitting on its side and the filter on top?
@@treborkroy5280 that's what you're supposed to do
@@N9IWJ I'm asking because I would assume you could get more leverage to bend it back into place if it were completely upside down. I was curious if that is what he did, and if so, HOW without causing more issues. I'm aware it's what you're suppose to do.
I put my mower on its side and used a pipe to press down on the crankshaft and broke the wheels off that were on the ground. Then I panicked and tried to straighten it up before the wife came out and the handle came off. Now it only cuts grass if you drag it sideways.
Hey I have a suggestion for a video. I’d like to see you make a video on how you start to diagnose a lawnmower when it comes in your shop for repairs Do u have certain steps u always do when u really don’t know what’s wrong with it. Thanks in Advance. I enjoy your Videos
I have one of those bent shaft units that I use as a “battlefield” mower only. Don’t use much but when I do it works hard. Three year old ivy? No problem. Overgrown drainage ditch? Send it. Hit a Rock? Meh.
What am I gonna do bend a shaft or something?
Love it!!, Battle field , that's my entire yard
A man has to do what a man has to do. That's why we have implementat s of destruction. Got one myself
Lol
Best comment on the thread!
Tried this process out on a Honda I have that hit a large brass water valve left in some tall grass by an upgrade crew last year. It definitely was bent. The company ended up replacing the whole mower with a new one.
But the episode on how to mix oil/gas for power equipment was great and so simple. Tried it today. Didn't even the calculator. Thanks again. Saved me money!
You're Welcome...
i bent a brand new craftsman mower crank, and took it back to sears and told them i hit a stump... got it back in a week no charge .... wow i told them thank you sears tech... just love sears, great people...
I straightened a crankshaft in the press a few years ago it ran for years and it was bent bad . If you want to replace it forget it the motors trash . Because the crank costs as much as the mower new
. It has to be back within a few thousandths of an inch or it will vibrate . Mine didn't. But I work in a cylinder shop where we straighten shaft for hydraulic cylinders and you must know what your doing.
Hi Steve from the uk. I have successfully straightened a badly bent crank by hitting it with a club hammer providing the crank oil seal is not leaking afterwards it’s all good, just keep measuring the highest point and hit it until it’s good again.
Great video Steve. Me and my brother have been cleaning out my dad's lawnower shop and selling everything that we don't need. So sad selling all his tools. Spare parts, small engines ect. My mom can use the cash tho. (Dad has Dementia)
Damn, sorry to hear that BigDmike.
May you and yours be blessed
Took care of both my parents with dementia. Hardest thing I ever did. I wish you and your family well. The saddest thing is to see a self sufficient working father like your dad no longer able to do what was easy for him. My heart goes out to both of you.
@@bradrolling8637 thank you sir.
@@dogsplantscarsneatstuff176 Thanks man.yeah he can't even hand me a 1/2" wrench. Hanging on the wall in perfect order with the rest of his tools. Sad to see for sure... Both of your parents... Wow! Sorry about that.
I am sorry to hear that. I know for him its probably no big deal but fir you its sad to see dad slowly fade away.
Thanks again Steve. You are a legend. Best to trash that engine. It is toast. It appears that the oil seal is damaged and who knows what other internal damage is present? An efficient option for a solution is to remove the engine and replace it with a new Chonda. Otherwise replace the complete mower. I prefer the smaller blades mounted on a cutting disc rather than the blade being a single unit. Shear keys were often installed on shafts to mitigate this.
great video. simple and to the point but with just the right amount of explanation for anyone who might not know what they're doing.
I appreciate that!
It’s worth giving it a shot. Nothing to lose.
Thank you for making it easy to understand for those of us with no mechanical experience.
You're Welcome...
Hold open beer in hand run mower at full rpm..if beer foams out of can cranks bent ..
Finish 🍺
LMAO Buddy! Thats awesome....
THERE YA GOOO.....
So. I changed the head gasket and now running great and clean the carberater
Too funny!!
Yes...fix it. Straightened several shafts in highschool shop class. It was a fairly simple tool. An indicator, and a column with a bolt used to force the shaft back into alignment.
Maybe some shafts can be straitened, probably not this one...If you watch the where he spins it over you can see oil start to leak from the shaft seal. It's very likely the lower bearing was wrecked from the vibration.
@@THX..1138 eyes like a hawk!!!
Insight like Columbo 👍
@@THX..1138 Walk behind mowers don't have bearings, like a lot of Japanese smaller motorbikes, the crank or camshaft runs in the ally casing only.
Agree with David Dale, no bearings but definitely an oil seal. So to be accurate, the oil seal has damaged, not the bearing.
@@tobysarsi6864 The oil seal didn't damage itself. It's failure is showing you the lower bearing is beaten up to the point it ate the oil seal. However you wanna word it the non replaceable, non reparable bearing machined into the lower crankcase has been destroyed by the bent crankshaft. So the engine is junk.
Thanks for the video. I just bought a Honda from Lowes that was a store return for $200 and it was cutting low on just one side. It looked like the whole engine was actually low on one side so I used a couple of washers to raise it up and it was cutting pretty good. But I kept thinking "Man this thing rattles a lot". So I checked the crankshaft and, yep, just ever so slightly bent. I'm guessing the previous owner hit something, bent the shaft and deck and took it back. It actually looked underneath like he used it all summer. What a bummer.
My Dad had an old Clinton engined Hayter mower that had "encountered" a few rocks etc. I called by one day and he asked me to cut his roadside verges. After about 20 minutes, I went to check the time on my watch and the minute and hour hands were lying alongside each other by the number 6 on the dial !
God, that made me laugh.........sorry, I know I shouldn't!!
Shoulda bought a timex watch, mine got run over in the driveway by my son, the metal band broke, but the watch was unfazed.
Picked up a zipped tied throttle push mower 4th of july about to f with it tomorrow. Just saw the fix your wheels video. Glad I found the channel again
Have fun!
I bent my shaft on my Quantum B&S engine. Checked Amazon and found a new crank shaft for $75 . Good deal but still expensive. So I took the blade off and turned the engine over as Steve showed you and hit the high side of the bent crank with a heavy hammer. Ran for the years after .Yes it’s worth saving.
Briggs used to make a crankshaft straightner, You took the engine off the mower deck and mounted it to a big plate that had
a dial indicator on it. I saved a lot of engines that way and got to sell new mowers also when some would eventually fail. Mostly
seal leaks. I would be up front with the customers about could happen and they were all pleased with the result. I kept records of the longevity of the repair. If they had the money up front for a new mower I would tell them to go for the new one.
I have seen two types lawnmowers: long piece of shaft and short piece of shaft comeing out of the bottom of the mower. long shafts are more likely to bend when hitting rock or something and they may be straightened to some acceptable point if needed. Short shafts are done for good if bent. Once straightened shaft is more likely to bend again so it is a temporay fix. Costwize it is reasonable to buy new mower instead replaceing a crankshaft. If you take mower to shop, it probably takes them a month to order a shaft and replace it and cost would probably 2/3 of chost of an expencive mower and the full price of a cheap one
If the rest of the mower is in good shape it might be worth getting a $119 motor from Harbor Freight. Did this to an old snowblower with a blown Tecumseh. Works good as new.
I did the same with a tiller works great
Honestly, those motors you buy at the Chinese Embassy (Harbor Freight)are pretty decent👍
That Predator Motor is actually pretty stout!!
@@billmers3219 I'm never going to be able to go near a HF again without laughing my ass off! Next time I need to buy something there with their 20/25% discount code I'm going to tell my wife I'm going on an important diplomatic mission to renegotiate an international financial trade deal with the ChiComs at the Chinese Embassy.
@@Jiminico yeah man!!👍
😂😂😂😂
You got this 👍👍
I did the same with a good size wood chipper. I then out of curiosity repaired the B&S that came off it and it ran great.
Thanks brother for the great instructions. I thought I had a crankshaft issue. You wanted us to make sure the break is off, however when I pulled the handle the break didn't let go, so I followed the cable and found that the break cable was broken.
A great diagnostic video--I hope he did one on how to fix or replace the shaft once you determine it's bent! 🙂
Unfortunately not the fix for my mower. I have always enjoyed your videos Steve and never previously commented though, so cheers!
Why not run over the root again to bend it back? Duh.
You have to be sure to attack it from the opposite side.
👍🏻I'm grabbing another beer and my mower and heading to that 150 y.o. oak now! Thanks, problem solved! 😉
Hahahahahahahahaha
Make sure and flip the starter and the ignition coil and swap your carb and muffler so you can run the engine backwards for maximum effect hahaha
You would have to back over the root .lol
About 15 or so years ago I hit a chunk of concrete and bent the shaft on my new Craftsmen Briggs and Stratton mower, I was bummed! A new crank for $50 fixed it back up. Fast forward 15 years and I hit something hard and bent it again! Its a yard ornament now and I found a used mower for cheap to replace it.
I hit a steel rod with my mower. Everything was vibrating to pieces after that. After stripping the engine it took about 4 tons of pressure to bend the crank shaft back to straight. Now it runs like new again, that was 2 years ago
HOw did you get your ex and new gf to stand on and straighten the crankshaft without going at each other like the do on Jerry Springer?
@@metalfingerYour comment made me laugh out loud. Well done
Thank you Steve for this video as it makes it simple and clear what is good vs bad. I appreciate your work.
Glad to help
Save the spark plug... It just became the most valuable part on that Chinesium lump of scrap
I DIDN'T know that - so thank you Steve !
I've got a new mower with the Honda GCV X engine and I think something "cheap" is designed to snap if you hit something so that the crankshaft does not bend.
Yeah, if you are lucky the woodruff key will snap first and the blade will just rotate on the end of the shaft freely. If not lucky then dead stop and bent shaft. If there is a blade carrier on the end of the cranfshaft (with the fan disk on it) then that will be the bit thats keyed onto the shaft. Remove that and there will be a sheared key in the shaft end. Its replaceable.
@@rikwhite6337 That's great - Thank you for breaking that down and explaining it.
Thanks! I really needed this today, after having my blade adapter break in half today! I'm just very fortunate I didn't get hurt, as it hit the vinyl siding on the house and literally cracked it a good one! I had to order a new blade adapter, but after I get it, I think I would be wise to put the old blade on (long enough to test the crankshaft), then I can put the new blade on, if the crankshaft doesn't wobble! I don't even know why the adapter broke, I had cleaned under the deck, had the blade "professionally" sharpened, oiled around the bolt area, so I am stumped! Don't think I can buy this mower anymore, plus, the cost of a new one, hoping to fix this one and soon, need it now! Crankshaft for mine cost around 72.00 dollars give or take, so, hmmm, not sure what I'll do if it is bent. Fingers crossed it is not! Thanks for the video, great info!!!
Hey, this was really helpful! Found out my crankshaft was bent, so the Minister of Finance (AKA my wife) decided we should just get a new one. I may try to repair the crankshaft and sell the old mower.
Exactly when I will be doing but for now the grass be a growing the dog is about a foot tall and you can't see her! Haha
Hi Steve, Bless you for sharing your wisdom with us!!!
My pleasure!
No problem. I've been collecting scrapped lawn mowers for years. I have at least a dozen. Never bought a new one in my life and I'm getting old. Most are easy fixes for little to no money at all. It might still be fixable, but is it really worth the effort?
I like to repair equipment, so I'm going to say yes, it's worth it! Yo u should do a video on how you do it.
Ok will do
@@StevesSmallEngineSaloon great. I hate to throw out a good running engine just due to a bent crank. Think about it, these newer engines are no good when compared to the older stuff. Let's just face it lol
Steve's Small Engine Saloon please do it mine is bent as hell. 2 years old mower
A lot of factors. Most of the time It's worth engine swapping if you can do it yourself and can source a good cheap engine from another machine. If it's a quality commercial unit or even high dollar homeowner machine, then, maybe putting a new crank in could be worth it if it's a mower you're really attached to, sky could be the limit on what you're willing to pay to have it fixed. General consumer should think about getting new equipment though. To pay someone to do either job would put you close to the brand new mower range.
hey man really like the way you go about showing things and 'splainin' and using what's on hand to fix it all up....great stuff Steve.
I appreciate that!
Well done Steve!! Saves the mover and gets job done.. but thing is, shaft is easier to go crooked next time
Usually if the crankshaft is bent on any mower its not worth repairing as it costs more in labour charges to repair, which can usually be half the cost of a brand new engine. you could strip it out yourself or alternatively you could buy a working second hand engine off ebay etc and just swap engines. You can get the crankshafts straighten but its not advisable as the metal is already weakened from hitting the object and trying to re-straighten only makes the metal even weaker and if you hit a large object again you risk the crankshaft snapping completely.
Oh my God so the blade could actually fly off or something and cut your legs off?
I bought a used Honda HRR216 super cheap on Facebook... the seller said it ran rough. After I a lot of diagnostic work (I am a novice), I discovered that the crankshaft was bent and the damn thing was practically hovering when it ran. I almost junked the thing, but I saw a RUclips video how someone used a sledgehammer to straiten it.... I tried it and after several hard wacks, I got it pretty strait. The thing ran smooth and cut awesome. I ended up reselling it on Facebook for more three times what I bought it for.
I have a vibrating riding mower now. It’s has new blades,both spindles and all belts replaced. Still vibrates. I can see the belt for the blades shaking for what ever reason but this gives me something to look for. About the only thing left in the blade area is the crank,the deck or a pulley I guess.
Always worth trying to fix.
II really enjoyed your video
Now I can check of my crankshaft is bent. Thank you
Good luck!
Thanks my friend next door just ran over a old fence post metal and I think the shat is bent now I can check for sure
You're Welcome...
Thanks for the videos Steve! I used to be and sometimes on the side now, a small engine mechanic. I've seen shafts bent to the point the engine was locked up. If you have the jig with indicator you could usually save the engine if the sump wasn't cracked. Occasionally, we would use a sledge hammer to straighten them if they were not too bad. Others were just to far gone depending on where the crank was bent.
love your vids. About the scrape or fix. I'm not a mechanic but I would rebuild a Honda but I would have to think about the other small engine manufacturers.
I hit a 1 inch grounding rod next to a telephone pole a few years ago. It turned that Craftsman mower into a boat anchor =)
That is EXACTLY what I did.
Love all your videos they have helped me to diagnose and fix many of my small engine problems
Thank You...
I straightened one myself one time, and it was cast iron, i thought it might break instead of straightened but I didn't have anything to lose. I just beat on it with a hammer until it spun true. Used it for a couple years afterwards. Local repair shop wouldn't touch it because it was cast.
You can't bend cast iron, I think mower cranks are made of cast steel maybe drop forged too.
Yeah it’s worth fixing not everyone can afford a new lawnmower great job 👍👍👍
Thank You...
I am sure hoping it is financially sound to fix a bent crankshaft as I bent mine with a 2 month old lawn mower. Eagerly awaiting Part 2 Steve! :)
If it's not bent out of place too bad maybe you could bend it back using some leverage sand like a crowbar or a sledgehammer if you have one
@@truthhunter5195 it needs to be within 1 -2 thousands of a inch , you won't get that with a sledgehammer or crowbar
In my opinion. Scrap. I salvage parts. Starters, coils, cases, heads, ect, but it takes about a beer to get it off the deck. A shot of rye to pull it all apart. Two more beers to watch the sun settle. Then 2 shots Vodka and a beer to clean up for the night. Wondering why I wasted all that Damn time pulling it apart.
Well done Steve your mower videos are the best I'm glad you share so much vital information that is often overlooked. I did this check and it was bent. I was never a fan of the single bar blade mower setup. The round disc with 4small blades setup has a better cut and has less of a chance of bent cranks then bar blade setup
Steve
I found and older 2cycle lawn mower, which uses a rope to start it (no recoil). It ran great once I cleaned it up until I hit something and now still runs but vibrates. I always assumed a bent crankshaft, perhaps I'll be lucky and find a bent blade? Thank you for this, and all your informative tutorials. All the best Bruce the swimmer New Rochelle N.Y.
Yes ittworth fixing. I didn’t know how to straighten one and junked a few. Thanks so much
Happy to help!
Steve! We always expect your magic. We are here for you to tell us. We don't know! I thought this was going to be a "Steve shows you how to fix your bent crankshaft". Anyway, you always do great stuff. I hope there is a follow up on how to fix it.
That really is the easiest way to check for a bent crankshaft thanks a lot steve
No problem 👍
I almost wanted to fix it myself, but the mower repair guy said 20 buck chuck. SOLD.
Awesome video as this comes up in my suggested videos at 2:20am. But it is something I really was wondering about on a second mower I have so time to check in the morning or afternoon lol. Great video!
Thank You...
I have learned more about small engines in the last eighteen months watching this channel than I did in the previous 66 years of hard knock schooling. Keep it up.
Thank you very much!
Nicely done Steve! Not much extra verbiage, and good video. Thanks.
Much appreciated!
Yes! Worth fixing. You take the blade off, measure and then mark at the end of the shaft where the shaft is bent outward the most, and with a heavy pipe around the shaft, bend it back, as close to straight as you can................OK, sorry, I cheated.....I saw Steve’s fix for this before I saw this video. My bad. LOL. Great tip!!
Right on
Simple and easy for everyone to understand as always, thanks Steve! Keep up the great videos!
Thanks, will do!
Steve, you're about as Canadian as it gets. I'm just south of you on VI. Great channel, buds!
Yes I'm just Southeast about
Mmmmmmm
2,628 miles .
Would love to travel to British Columbia, it looks absolutely beautiful!! I would definitely stop by to say hello to Steve at the saloon!
I think I would get a new mower and try to convert the older one into a go cart. Unless I watch A video from you changing a shaft first. Then I would feel very confident changing it myself.
"Air filter to the top when you turn the mower on it's side" Thank you, I did not know that. Great channel Steve, love your videos.
Glad to help
Best small engine guy in the business. Steve is da man.
Thank You...
I hope you are going to do a follow up video showing us how you would go about repairing or replacing the crankshaft. 👍🍺
That's the plan!
@@StevesSmallEngineSaloon Well that is great! Now i don't have to tell them about the 'other guy's video and the machine he used to straighten the crank
Cool episode! I wouldn’t fix it. I’d scrap it for parts to fix others!
I just fixed a Husky 4 wheel drive with a bent crank. I used a yard sale dial indicator and 2 very large hammers. I bent it a little at a time. The mower went from walking from the vibration to smooth as a new one. This was a very good mower to start with. If it was old and abused, It would have gone out with the trash on Friday.
GOOD JOB /GREAT VIDEO/ THANKS ;HELPED ME VERY MUCH /NEVER KNEW IT WAS THAT EASY TO CHECK ;65 YEARS OLD
Glad it helped!
My blade keeps coming loose after I changed blades. It won’t start when the blade loosens and when I look underneath the blade is loose again. I’ve been changing blades on this mower for years and this is the first problem I’ve had like this. I should add that when I initially took the old blade off this last time, it was very hard to get off, so I’m thinking maybe I bent something when taking it off but it doesn’t appear so. It’s very frustrating. Every time I tighten it up and pull the cord, it sounds like it wants to start but doesn’t, when I look underneath, the blade is loose again. Thanks for these great videos.
Use it to vibrate your wet cement mix or gallon of paint....waste not , want not . Then go have another brew. Thanks Steveo
All your videos are very useful to someone Steve, keep on producing! Thank you
Thanks, will do!
ive came accross it acouple times trash picking them up, i look where the blade comes closer to the deck and happen to hammer them back. i get them about 95% straight but seeing this one in the video, the crank seal is gone its not worth it. to me it depends on what the mower is really worth. cheers from ottawa ontario!
Holy bent crankshafts!! I have bent a few back by beating on the end with a support between the crank and the deck.
Thanks Steve!
You're Welcome...
It's worth fixing if you can do it yourself but probably not if you have to pay someone an hourly rate unless it's a nearly new expensive machine . I hit rocks occasionally with my ride-on but it's belt drive to the deck so all good :-)
Good idea. You might mention especially with over head spark plugs vacuuming any trash around the spark plug. I couldn't get to the base of the plugs on a Honda 750 with the shop vac once and used a straw as an extension. pulled 3 small pebbles and some other trash that was hidden from view. Thanks as always.
I bent the crankshaft on a fairly new machine so badly that i couldn't even move the blades anymore. At that point i was sure it's garbage but since i had nothing to lose, i took my sledge hammer and smacked the shaft till i could move the blades again. I just eyeballed the side walls of the shaft to get it to spin fairly freely.
Man was i happy when i started the mower and couldn't feel any noticeable vibration!! My advice would be to atleast try to straighten it because you got nothing to lose and if everything goes well you won't have to throw out couple hundred bucks to buy a new one.
Love your videos, Steve! Do you have anything on changing a flywheel key?
I love your videos. They are so helpful. Please keep doing what you do.
Thank you! Will do!
Yes can be fixed.Ive fixed many of them.Also had ti replace alum flywheel key.👍