Repair a sagging or broken lawnmower wheel

This instructable will show you how to repair a sagging push lawnmower wheel.  The example is my lawn mower I've had for years and with regular maintenance the engine is still in great running condition so I don't want to just go out and buy a new one.

The deck has started to degrade and the wheels are supported by the sides where it's the weakest.

Step 1 Things you'll need.

You can do just one, but since I was doing it I did all four.

Materials you'll need:
4 Brackets  2" x 2" x 1/4" angle x 3 1/2
   (I got these at my local fabrication place and the cut them and cleaned them up for me)
8 bolts 1/4-20 x 3/4" (I replaced what old hardware I could)
8 nuts 1/4-20
8 washers 1/4 size i/d

Tools you'll need:
Drill
Drill bits
Hammer
Spanners (open/closed end wrenches)
Ratcheting wrench & sockets
Wire brush

Comments

[sully32]

nobody else a fan of custom lawn mower camber?

[tommagic1]

I simply use a steel door hinge. I grind off the hinge part, and I am left with a steel plate. I enlarge one of the screw holes and just bolt the wheel to the mower frame, slipon the plate on the underside, put the nut on and tighten away. Works great, it's quick and cheap!

[Phil B]

Well done. 

I have done things similar to this, usually for other people to help them out.  Then they buy a new mower within a season, regardless, and make me wonder why I bothered.

[Pignanelli]

That's funny! I went to some trouble some time ago, getting the software and cables (which she was missing) necessary to make my Mom's aging Bernina sewing machine sew beautiful embroidery... didn't cost her a dime... Win, right? NO - She shortly thereafter ran out and spent 5 grand on the new model, which in my opinion is an inferiorly engineered machine in that it uses YOUR COMPUTER as the 'brains' of the embroidery module - that is, it is not self-contained and is essentially tied to the windows operating system. Glad to help, but I agree, sometimes you wonder why you did! The other thing that bugs me is that people feel justified in asking you to do things for free because they "couldn't possibly do it themselves". But do they think to do something for you that THEY COULD DO? HAHA

[Shiseiji]

I choose to base what I take on with a couple of criteria:

1) Someone requesting my time and talent so they can save money.
2) A gift

I am cautious with requests especially if I think the other is simply spending my time, which I value, to save their money. I often don't get enough joy from doing the task at the expense of other tasks to just give my time and talent away to save someone else's money. I just turned down an "opportunity" to help with a remodel for beer. 1st I don't drink beer, 2nd I had just met this person, and 3rd I have other things I need to do. I often find I can figure out how much they value my time if they get pushy and I mention a price, even if it is for material and expendables. They tend to go look else where.

A gift is something I choose to give without any second thoughts. Since I gave it away it is no longer mine and what they choose to do with it isn't my concern. Though it may influence what I choose to give in the future.

I reserve the right to decide if I want to give or not. Just my personel thoughts for what they may be worth.

Ron

[rimar2000]

Phil "do good without looking at who"

[smokin joe]

Never heard that phrase before. I like it!

[rimar2000]

It is likely that the sentence is badly written, because I do not speak English but Spanish. I use Google Translator.

In Spanish they say  "haz el bien sin mirar a quién".

A new (recent) translation says ""do good With Dick and Jane". ¿It is so, or is a translation error?

[smokin joe]

rimar2000, I do not speak Spanish. The new translation is very good.
"help people without judgement". You sound like a person with a good heart.

[Phil B]

Osvaldo, "Do good without looking at who." is an acceptable English expression.  The grammar would be just a little better if it said, "Do good without looking at whom."  "Who" is the nominative case.  "Whom" is the objective or accusative case.  Another way to say it would be, "Do good without considering the recipient." or "Do good without considering who benefits."  

Dick and Jane are two of the main characters in a series of books almost everyone used in their first years of school.  There were also a little sister named Sally, a cat named Puff, and a dog named Spot.  A couple of years ago there was a movie titled "Fun with Dick and Jane."  It starred Tia Leoni and Nicholas Cage.  It did not concern the children's books, but tried to remind everyone of them.   

[Ricardo Furioso]

The Boy Scouts put it simply: Do a good turn daily.
I have issues with a lot of Boy Scout issues, but not this one. It's great.

[rimar2000]

Thanks, Phil. ¿How are you? I am enjoying retirement. Recently I had to change all water and gas pipes in the house, were very old and have leaks at some points. Imagine what condition was, especially for my wife, who suffers from the lungs.

Luckily, the builders left, and the house goes back to normal.

[Jerry99]

I had this happen to me. For what it is worth, I took it to a local welding shop and they made a small replacement metal plate, punched the appropriate holes in it and welded it to the deck and bolted the wheel back on. They charged me $25.

[rlm98253]

Nicely done and well documented.

Being the anal retentive compulsive Capricorn that I am I would have sanded, primed and painted all surfaces before reassembly.

...but that's just me.

[pocie2]

I have three lawnmowers that are saggy in the wheel department. I agree with Axiesdad, use it up, wear it out, make do. Now I can get my son on this and have my mowers fixed that he broke, by the way. I can only use ridding mowers and they are in the same shape, for the same reason. (Gosh, Mom. You should see how that lawn tractor takes those rocks, just whee, right over them.

[axiesdad]

"Use it up; wear it out; make it do, " was an expression my depression era parents had tattooed on their souls. I too hate to throw anything away that can be salvaged with a simple fix. What I'm saying is "Hooray for you!" Kudos for a nicely done 'ible and an earth friendly attitude.

[huf123]

I was just trying to figure out how to fix my sagging lawn mower wheel. Thanks!

[rimar2000]

Good work!

[aTOMx]

Thanks.