Edgehog gear replacement

broken belt--cog--gear --frozen or damaged bearing--debris

If there is a shaft sleeve available from Kitchen Aid you will need to replace that and most likely the chopping blade if there is any damage up inside it.

The job is much easier and safer with compressed air and an impact. I would try really hard to find someone with air to borrow but if no air is available then wedge a piece of 4x4 between the blade and deck to keep the blade from spinning. BEWARE, the board can pop out and the spinning blade can be dangerous. Remove the deck from the unit. Remove the pulley first, hold the blade with your hand ( only if you have air/ impact) to prevent the spindle from spinning. Note the washer under the pulley. Then remove the blade, then the spindle bolts. Most AYP replacement spindles now come pretapped but if not place spindle in a vice and use one of the old spindle bolts ( they are self tapping) to make threads in the mounting holes. Then mount the new spindle in reverse order being sure to instal the washer between the spindle housing and the pulley. Again hold the blade with one hand and securely tighten the pulley nut with an impact. Also the unit probably has a blade brake arm and the spring holder is mounted by one of the spindle mounting bolts. Pay attention to its positioning before removal. If you have a heavy duty replacement spindle the notch on the bracket may not fit the new spindle. with a file or grinding wheel enlarge the notch on the bracket to fit.

It most likely is the gears that are bad. Usually it sounds real bad first and you can hear the grinding gears. Sometimes spindles snap. You might have a hard time buying parts for Craftsman stuff. And often times it might not be worth it. First take the blade and flanges off. Around the spindle there should be screws holding the spindle hub onto the body. Un screw that and take a look inside. (There might be a retaining ring holding that on too)

If you can see broken gears or metal shavings inside, then you'll need new gears. Always replace the two gears that run together as a set. And of course replace the grease so you don't have metal shavings in there.

You should hold the blade while loosening the bolt that holds the blade.

Jim

Maybe the bolt which holds the blade on is loose. If the motor is on the RIGHT side of the blade, then the bolt has 'left-hand' thread. Turn it counter-clockwise to tighten.

if you can try to pull up on blade as you try to loosen bolt see what happens that will sometimes help get past stripped threads

If it's like mine (MM 875), it has a plastic "clutch" that has little edges on it that broke off when I was chopping sticks with the mower ;-) Went to the local B&D place and got a new one for less than $3.

But now I'm worrying about the nut holding the blade on -- if I try to get it good and tight, the plastic "clutch" spins around off-kilter... Funny how I never even looked at the blade after I bought the mower used, but never worried about the blade being loose and flying off.

1101E part number for thumb nut 994-572, threaded shaft 995-254, blade 993-386, idler gear 348-077, washer 854-023, these are the Rival part numbers from the orginal owners manuel

Sounds like you may have sheared the key, which is located under the flywheel. If you are trying to remove the bolt that holds the blade make sure to disconnect the spark plug first. When I have had a stubborn blade, I try and find someone to hold the blade while I either use a good quality wrench or if need be a good vise grip. You can always take the bolt somewhere and find a replacement if you mess it up.