Man examining a lawn mower blade.

5 Steps For How To Remove Stuck Bolt On Lawn Mower Blade

3 minutes

You work hard to keep your lawn looking great, so you need a lawn mower that’s going to be great too. Even great lawn mowers break down from time to time though. In this case we’re looking at a stuck bolt and how to remove a stuck bolt on a lawn mower blade.

Steps For How To Remove A Stuck Bolt On A Lawn Mower Blade

Closeup of someone working with a lawn mower blade.

Even for a simple operation like this, it’s still important to follow the steps in order. Also, if you can’t remove the bolt yourself, there are always professionals who can help.

That said, here are the steps for how to remove a stuck bolt on a lawn mower blade.

1. Figure Out The Reason For The Stuck Bolt

There are a couple of reasons why a bolt can become stuck on a lawn mower blade. One is that the bolt has rusted and the other is that the bolt has been over-tightened.

Both of these situations can be avoided with regular lawn mower inspections, care, and maintenance, but sometimes things go wrong anyway. If they do, knowing what’s causing the issue will determine your next steps.

You can usually figure out what’s wrong by examining the blade and bolt. If you don’t see any rust, it’s likely that the bolt was over-tightened.

2. Get Your Tools Ready

To remove a stuck bolt, you’ll only need a few things.

They are:

  1. Safety glasses
  2. Work gloves
  3. Socket wrench
  4. Locking pliers
  5. WD40
  6. Rust spray

3. Practice Good Safety

After your tools are ready, take the time to make sure you’re safe. Put on the safety glasses and work gloves. Then remove any jewelry and, if you can, wear loose-fitting clothing.

Move the lawn mower to a level surface and turn it on its side so that the carburetor is facing up toward the sky. This will keep it from leaking gas. Make sure the lawn mower is off, cool, and disconnect the plug wire.

Last, make sure you’re in an area with good ventilation. This is important for when you’re applying the WD40 and rust spray.

4. Apply WD40 And Rust Spray

Depending on how bad the bolt is stuck, you may need to apply some WD40. If the issue is due to rust, you might also need to apply some rust spray. Both will have instructions on the product.

Still, please be careful to not get either product on your skin or in your eyes. After applying the products, it’s time to remove the bolt.

5. Remove The Stuck Bolt

In most cases, you should be able to remove the stuck bolt with a socket wrench. Find the appropriate size socket, fit the socket to the bolt, then turn slowly. Even if the bolt begins to turn well, keep going slowly until the bolt is all the way out. If this doesn’t work, you may need to get creative.

Another option for removing a stuck bolt is using a pair of locking pliers. This may require some more WD40 or rust spray, but either way your goal is to grip the bolt with the pliers and carefully turn the bolt until it’s out.

In Summary: How To Remove A Stuck Bolt On A Lawn Mower Blade

Removing a stuck bolt in a lawn mower blade is thankfully not a very complicated or difficult job. This is especially true since you now know how to remove a stuck bolt on a lawn mower blade.

What do you think about this job though? Think it’s pretty easy? What are the easiest lawn mower fixes you’ve ever done? Let us know in the comments below!

Todd L Miles
Lawn Mowers Enthusiast
I started "Landscape and Lawns Care" to provide clients with lawn care with better service, better products and, most importantly, better ethics. My promise to every customer is to give the greenest grass possible while controlling weeds, insects, and diseases! The most important thing is that I strive to always do the right thing for you, your lawn and your wallet!