fish wrote:
On Mon, 14 Nov 2005 20:02:11 -0600, rastus
wrote:

On Tue, 15 Nov 2005 00:17:19 +0000, fish wrote:

I remember reading somewhere in this ng where somebody straighted a
LawnBoy crank themself. Could someone respond, hopefully the guy who
accomplished this feat, and tell me how to? I could buy a new
crankshaft for this thing, but at $145.00 i want to give it a try with
my tools, I mean what have I got to lose?

THanks,
Fish

Do you know a machinist in the area? The way I do them is with a small
hydraulic press, two v-blocks and a dial indicator.
This really isn't something you can eyeball.

I dont know a machinist, would a machinist do this as a service, or do
you have to 'know somebody'? i dont have any of these types of tools,
but do you think it is safe to use a mower with a repaired crankshaft?
I just read some information that says it might be dangerous because
of small cracks in the shaft after the straightening. I dunno.

Fish.

Junk it, don't bother. Cast iron is brittle. It can be broken with a
few whacks of a hammer. Even if you could bend it back straight, it
would most likey crack, if it isn't already. It will work for awile,
then catostrophically fail - perhaps embedding the blade in your leg in
the process.

I do nondestructive testing for a living, which means I'm paid to find
material defects such as cracks. I have seen what can happen when
somethng fails, and let me tell ya, it ain't pretty! Be safe and don't
do it. It's not worth the risk!

Joe Michel