How to Remove a Stuck Lawn Mower Wheel

We all know that everyone who has a big house with a green lawn on his backyard knows the importance of a mower. It is not just a daily or a weekly routine to cut and mow grass, but a must as well to keep your garden clean and beautiful. It is not a surprise to have the wheel of your mower stuck due to the high number that you have used it, as well as the fact that the wheel might get rusty or broken.

There are multiple ways on how you can change your stuck lawn mower wheel as it depends on the level of how bad the damage is. One way is to use a simple wrench and hammer to twist the screws and then just remove the wheels for the axe, or in a more difficult situation you will have to use a propane torch, as well.

Knowing that you might have to use fire as an aiding tool should not make you worry if you take the exact precautions, as we will inform you in the upcoming paragraphs. So, let’s find out on how to pull off a stuck lawn mower wheel.

The Procedure on How to Remove a Stuck Lawn Mower Wheel

1. Prepare the Place and Secure the Necessary Tools

Before getting into the topic on how the stuck wheel of a lawn mower is removed there are certain steps you need to follow rigorously. First secure the mower in a position that it will not move while you remove the stuck wheel. Then put some pieces of woods or bricks under the mower, in order that the wheel you want to remove is a bit leveled. This action will make it easy for you to work whether it is the front part of the wheel or the under the mower where the wheel meets the axe.

Secondly, if needed you will have to use propane torch that is why care must be shown to save yourself from unpleasant incidents, and not damaging the wheel or the body of the mower. Thus, we recommend you to have a fire distinguisher while you do this process and if you do not have one keep a bucket full of water in case of emergency. Rather than that, do not forget to wear protective goggles as well wear a mask for your nose while you use the penetrating oil.

2. Removing the Stuck Lawn Mower Wheel

Now that we have taken all the necessary steps, we are ready to remove the stuck wheel from the lawn mower. Depending on how rusty the wheel has gotten it would be appropriate to spray the front and the back part of the disk of the wheel with penetrating oil. Advisable would be to do this action one or two weeks before you remove the stuck wheel.

Then, it would be good to release the air pressure nut, thus the friction between the wheel and the rim is not that strong. Following this we can use a hammer to hit the back part of the wheel to understand whether the wheel can stir a little, thus making it easy for us to remove it. If it is too narrow in the back part of the wheel for you to use a hammer, take a crowbar and place it under the wheel hub.

Then, hit it with the hammer to apply the needed pressure on the wheel. If you notice that the wheel does not shake one single inch then use of a propane torch is essential. So put on the gloves and the protective goggles to start heating the disk.

3. Using the Propane Torch and Applying the Penetrating Oil

As mentioned in the introduction, when using flames a fire distinguisher or a bucket of water is more than recommended to avoid any unwanted incidents. Next, light on your propane torch and start heating up the axe for several minutes till you notice that the iron shaft starts coloring into the red. Apply the same method on the back part of the wheel till you reach the same result.

After that, you can take away the propane torch and put it aside, whether you might need to heat up the axe again. Now grab the penetrating oil and start spraying all over the parts of the axe where you just used the propane torch. We remind you that a nose mask should be wore to prevent the smoke enter into your lungs.

Following this, take the hammer and hit the wheel on the back part to see whether it moves. In case the wheel will not move yet do not worry, as all you have to do is repeat the action with the propane torch and penetrating oil a couple of times till you reach the moment where you see that the wheel will get out of the axe.

Conclusion

To sum up, removing a stuck wheel from your lawn mower is not that difficult if your follow the above description that we have provided for you. In light of the above, if your wheel is not rusted that much, a hammer and a crowbar will be more than sufficient to remove the stuck wheel. Otherwise, the best way to perform this action is by using the propane torch and penetrating oil.

The fact that you have to use fire should not bother you as it is not difficult if you do it properly and take all the necessary measures to avoid the unpleasant eventualities. We recommend again that safety goggles and nose protection are more than necessary while doing the above process.

Finally, we inform you that this procedure will not damage neither the wheel nor the axe. All you have to do is oil the shaft properly and perhaps using a power drill with a wire brush to clean off the rust from the shaft. In the end, oil it a bit so that the shaft is smooth again. Then, reinstall the wheel into your lawn mower.