I just bought an older Deere 180 riding mower. For some reason the front axle was improperly installed. I was able to remove it, and bolt the front half back into the frame, but I don't have enough room to bolt the rear side in.

The PTO attached to the engine crankshaft is blocking my way. How do I remove it? When I turn the bolt, it just spins the engine, and I can't figure out a good way to hold onto it.

I should be able to help out, being an ex JD tech(big stuff though, combines and such). John Deere has changed mower models so much I cannot remember if the engine is a vertical shaft or horozontil shaft?

If it's a horozontil shaft, the clutch will be on the front of the engine, and may simply be unbolted fron the shaft and engine block after removing the deck belt and wire.

If it's underneath the mower, will likely be belt guides and stuff to remove too. Most of the electromagnetic clutchs just have a bolt holding the pully and cltch part to the shaft. Then can remove the magnetic coil and plate bolts, removing the entire clutch.

Might be able to go to John Deere's website, and and see an exploded veiw of the mower's clutch assembly on the online parts ordering site.

May have to jam a screwdriver in the flywheel ringgear/starter teeth or somesuch to break the bolt loose. I don't think the bolt is a left hand thread, but could be!

Really, I was a combine/4 wheel drive tech, not a lawn and garden man. Although we all worked on mowers on occasion (like the small engine man quitting)

It is a vertical shaft. It also has an electric PTO, but I think that if I can get that one bolt off of the bottom of the crankshaft I can figure everything else out.

Worst comes to worst, remove the sparkplug, and feed a couple feet of soft nylon rope into the cylinder. Manualy rotate the engine until it locks up on the rope, then remove the bolt.

Put a wrench on it, hold on tight, then have someone start it. Should come right off.


  JUST KIDDING

This is what I am looking at. I will try taking the cover off of the mower so I can jam something in the starter gear the next time I sit down to work on it.

I ended up fixing this by putting a wrench in the fly wheel to hold it in place while I unscrewed the crankshaft bolt.