Wrench size for blades?

[plumb-r 34]

I must be missing something. I went to remove the mower blades to sharpen them and can't seem to find the proper size wrench. I had an 1 1/16" socket and it was just a hair to small, tried a 1 1/4" socket and it was to large.  So I went out and got an 1 1/8" wrench and it seams  a little sloppy to me and I don't want to round off the nuts. Does anyone know what size wrench removes the blades on a 42" rear discharge mower deck?

[953 nut 55,065]

1 1/8"

[WHX?? 48,765]

Plunger..unless a PO did something funky? Try a couple of metric sizes or a metric Cresent wrench! 

[Lee1977 6,642]

You need a 6 point socket to keep from rounding off the nuts. They get worn from all the grass, sand, dirt, and gravel the hit. I have had 12 point sockets round of the nuts.

[WHX?? 48,765]

Good point Lee.

[Adams94 1,068]

Make sure it is a quality wrench or socket, a Chinese one can sometimes not be the perfect size and that will cause it to round the nut. 

[GlenPettit 1,716]

Wheel Horse made a special wrench for those 11/8" nuts:   I always use them, I have two, one for use behind the blade on the nut there to hold the spindle securely, and the other wrench on the outside bottom nut, they are 18" long for lots of leverage, and thin enough head to fit behind the blade.  There are two different sellers with these wrenches available on eBay right now:    

 

  

Always use a thick grease on the threads so the nuts don't freeze up too tight during use ("grass juice" is like a corrosive glue).  As the blade spins, it snugs up the nut tighter.

These wrenches were given away free in the 80's with each tractor purchased.  (A 6-point closed-end wrench on the outside would be a lot safer and more secure, with a long handle -- or just purchase a 11/8" socket if you have a 1/2" drive set).

 

 

Edited April 12, 2017 by GlenPettit

[WHX?? 48,765]

37 minutes ago, GlenPettit said:

thick grease on the threads

I have always used anti-seize ....messy but seems to work.

[pfrederi 17,663]

Or go to Harbor freight by a cheap 1-1/8 wrench and grind it thinner in the head to fit the hex above the blade

 

or if you are really cheap like me old mower blade angle grinder and a file. to hold the upper hex use a real wrench on the nut.

Edited April 12, 2017 by pfrederi

[shallowwatersailor 3,213]

I needed to sharpen the blades on one of my 48" decks and didn't feel like getting out my big impact wrench. My Ryobi cordless impact wrench was sitting there. Sprayed penetrating oil on the spindle nut to make it easier to get over the exposed threads and so with a 1-1/8" impact socket took the blades right off. I was impressed!

 

Putting the blades back on, the spindle threads got a smear of Never Seez.

[plumb-r 34]

Thanks everyone for all the great tips. I bought two open end wrenches today, one was a cheap one that I will grind down thin enough to fit the nut under the blade.

[wheelhorseman 3,211]

12 hours ago, GlenPettit said:

Wheel Horse made a special wrench for those 11/8" nuts:   I always use them, I have two, one for use behind the blade on the nut there to hold the spindle securely, and the other wrench on the outside bottom nut, they are 18" long for lots of leverage, and thin enough head to fit behind the blade.  There are two different sellers with these wrenches available on eBay right now:    

 

  

Always use a thick grease on the threads so the nuts don't freeze up too tight during use ("grass juice" is like a corrosive glue).  As the blade spins, it snugs up the nut tighter.

These wrenches were given away free in the 80's with each tractor purchased.  (A 6-point closed-end wrench on the outside would be a lot safer and more secure, with a long handle -- or just purchase a 11/8" socket if you have a 1/2" drive set).

 

 

@dw753 has some of these wrenches for sale if anyone is interested.

[can whlvr 993]

I too made a wrench for the back(spindle side)out of an old blade

[EricF 589]

I just went through this the other day when I sharpened my blades -- A little penetrant like PB Blaster on the nuts, and a big box-end 1 1/8" wrench I've had forever that I use on trailer hitch balls. With only one wrench, a bit of wood scrap from a 2x8 that happened to be about 8 or 9 inches long was perfect for blocking between the end of blade and the deck so it wouldn't move. Thwack the wrench with a rubber mallet once or twice and the nuts come off nice and easy. (Gentle impact will un-stick them better than constant torque, with less risk of rounding them.) The wood blocking is just as useful for keeping the blades from turning while putting the nuts back on.