Easier Than A Block Of Wood: The Amazon Tool For Removing Lawn Mower Blades

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When you're sharpening or changing the blades on your riding lawn mower or walk-behind model, removing them seems straightforward: All you have to do is remove the bolt centered on the blade. However, the process can be a little trickier than you might expect, thanks to rusted-on or frozen bolts and avoiding fuel spills when tilting the mower to access the underside of the deck. Another challenge is that the housing connected to the blade spins as you're trying to remove the bolt. This may prevent you from applying enough torque to remove the bolt, leaving everything spinning and getting you nowhere. Some owners recommend jamming a block of wood between the blade and deck to hold it in place and provide resistance while you work. However, using wood can be dangerous because it may slip out of place under pressure, putting you at risk of a laceration.

If you want to avoid the hazards associated with using a chunk of wood to jam your mower blade, Amazon has a more secure option. The Kintle lawn mower blade clamp ($13.99) uses a clamp with an easy-turn handle to secure it to the outside edge of the mower deck while the tool itself blocks the sharp blade. This clamp makes the job safer, according to one Amazon reviewer, who ended up needing 10 stitches in a finger while blocking a blade with wood. "[I] changed dozens of mower blades with handy bits of wood over [the] decades and made one mistake. [The] local ER did a great sewing job. [I] bought this [clamp] after that [accident]," the reviewer explains. Here's why it's so much more effective than just using a block of wood.

It can take a lot of force to remove a rusty bolt from anywhere, including a lawn mower blade. Because of the hassle, some people may wonder if they can sharpen lawn mower blades without taking them off. However, the Kintle clamp's all-metal construction solves the issue by withstanding the needed force. Several Amazon reviewers mentioned the quality of the metal in the blade clamp, saying it should last for several years. The heavy-duty metal bracket surrounds the blade, preventing it from moving back and forth as you loosen the bolt at the center, even when applying significant force.

One Amazon reviewer torqued the blades to 65 ft. lbs., and said the clamp held perfectly. Another reviewer needed the Kintle clamp for a bolt that seemed impossible to remove any other way. It "held the blades securely in place when I had to use the breaker bar to remove the stuck bolts." When one Amazon reviewer tried to use a block of wood and a torque wrench to remove lawn mower blade bolts, it didn't work. The metal bracket solved the issue.

The manufacturer only recommends using it with one- or two-blade walk-behind or riding mowers with decks that measure up to 42 inches. However, if you own one of the top riding lawn mowers with a wider deck, you still might be able to use the clamp. "It worked great on my three-blade John Deere deck. You just may need to get creative a bit on the placement, but it's doable," one Amazon reviewer said.