Mandrels keep breaking

okay check see if brakes is on the mower, not the tractor but the blades of the mower deck if not then take belt off of the new mandrel side and try turning blade by hand. should turn freely if not mandrel is bad but unlikely. sounds like you changed wrong side mandrel I presume you have 2 blades and mandrels. or when you installed it back on. the belt may be bound up between a guide and pulley just kind of look things over before a tear apart. and then do your tear apart one step at a time then check blade to see if it turns does not seem serious you may have put belt on wrong, I have done it my self. hope this helps major note do not do this with engine running cut you hand off in a flash.

If the deck was supplied with grease zerks, they will be located on top of the spindle mandrels. If there are no zerks on the spindle mandrels, the bearing are a sealed bearing and need no greasing.

Possible spindle bearing. ( mandrel bearings )
Spin blades by hand with deck belt disconnected and mower turned off of course. Listen for grinding noise. If so, Replace mandrels and bearings fully. I would replace all few pulleys.
Not too bad price from the right small engine repair shop such as places like Pats Small Engine in Minnesota. ( which pwns)

No, if they are too hot to touch the bearings need replacing. Any grease that is recommended for wheel bearings is fine for your mandrels. Regards Phil.

just click this link and check with them,, http://www.searspartsdirect.com/partsdirect/index.action

5-2 THREADING the LAMINATOR
1. Remove the supply roll mandrels and the feed tray. The supply roll mandrels are now ready to accept
loading of the film rolls, wound with the polyester (shiny) side out. When viewed from the front of the
machine, the core grippers on both the top and bottom supply roll mandrels should point toward the
heat shoes (and toward each other). The tension control knobs should be positioned on the right. Notice the
knobs are labeled "Top Right" and "Bottom Right". If you have rolls of film on which the material is wound
in the opposite direction (adhesive or dull side out) exchange the top and bottom supply roll mandrels so
the core gripper positions are reversed.
2. Slide a roll of film onto the top supply roll mandrel, turning the roll slightly to slide the gripper inside the
core. Center the roll. Make sure the dull side of the film is facing up and the shiny side is facing the
heat shoes during the threading. Scored marks on the supply roll mandrels provide a guide for proper
alignment of the two rolls of film to each other.
NOTE: The pointed metal pieces protruding from the body of the supply roll mandrels grip the cardboard core of the film supply roll to prevent slippage. When placing a roll of film on the mandrel, twist the film supply roll to
accommodate easier film loading.
3. With the roll aligned with the scored line on the right side of the mandrel, place it in the top bracket.
Place the left side of the shaft in its slot first then place the right side of the shaft in its slot, turning it as
needed. FOLLOW THE RECOMMENDED LOADING PROCEDURES CAREFULLY WHEN THREADING
FILM IN THE LAMINATOR. ACCURATE ALIGNMENT OF ROLLS WILL MINIMIZE WASTE AND HELP KEEP
THE LAMINATOR CLEAN.
4. While the machine is still cold, review the threading diagram. With the bottom roll of film centered on
the mandrel and the shiny side facing down, run the film under the bottom idler bar and pull towards
you.
5. Load and thread the top roll of film in the same manner as the bottom roll. Refer to the threading diagram. The
film should run under the silver stabilizer bar and over the front of the top heat shoe. Remember, the shiny
side of the film must always go against the shoe. The dull (adhesive) side must face away from the shoe.
Make sure the two rolls are aligned with each other before going to the next step.
6. Turn machine on and heat to the desired temperature.
7. With both rolls threaded and installed in their respective brackets, unwind enough film from the top roll
to reach the bottom of the bottom heat shoe. Next, unwind enough film from the bottom roll to reach the
top of the top heat shoe.
8. Now drape the film from the bottom roll against the film from the top roll on the top shoe. If the laminator is
hot, the exposed adhesive on the top web will hold the bottom web and make it easy to stick the two rolls
together. If you are threading the machine while it is cold, use tape to stick the bottom web against the top
web.
9. Tip the safety shield down into the laminating position. With the film draped over the two heat shoes, push
one edge of the threading card between the heat shoes so that the film is firmly positioned against the
laminating rollers. If a threading card is not available, any piece of card stock or poster board will work.
10. Make sure there is still enough slack in the web. Turn the drive switch to FORWARD, permitting the film and
feed board to pass through both sets of rubber rollers. Carefully monitor initial threading to be sure the web
reaches and passes through the pull (back) rollers. When the threading card has cleared the back of the
machine, move the drive switch to the center position (off). Whenever you want to remove the film and/or
laminated material from the back of the machine, use the zippy cutting tool provided with the laminator.
11. Slide the feed tray into position.
12. If the machine has the slitter option, make sure the slitters are disengaged (blades in the raise
position) and moved all the way to either side of the machine.
CAUTION: The laminator is designed to be run with the operator directly facing the
control panel and feed tray, not at an angle or from the side of the machine. For
operator safety, the safety shield must be in position over the upper heat shoe
when the machine is ON, or when the drive switch is in the forward position.

If you have the deck removed from under the tractor you can try putting the blade back on tight if you have removed it and then use the blade to keep the mandrel shaft from turning. It takes quite a bit of torque to break the nut loose on the pulley so a socket and ratchet or breaker bar is the best thing to use. Other than that there is no "special" tool required

It sounds like your blade is hitting the ground when you are mowing.If you have high spots in your yard the blade will cut into the ground and the mounts on the mandrel will break. Make sure the mower rake adjustment is set correctly,the mower blade should be level or a maximum of 1/4 inch lower in the front.This adjustment is done with the adjuster bolt that runs from the front of the mower to the frame under the muffler, it may have one or two rods connecting the mower at this point. Also make sure the wheels are set down far enough so they can prevent the deck from scalping,they have five different mount holes,if they are up in the highest they will not do anything.Unfortunately these mower mandrels will not take a lot of punishment and they can break when the blades contact anything like dirt or tree roots. Your ultimate action may be just to mow the grass a little higher to keep from scalping. Hope this helps.

That 'Mandrel Housing' # has been changed to 492574. It should be available at just about any lawnmower shop, probably even at Wal-Mart.