Why Craftsman Lawn Mower Vibration
Your Craftsman Lawn Mower Vibration may vibrate more than normal at some point in its lifetime, indicating that something isn’t quite right. This could quickly turn into a major problem if you don’t take action and don’t take precautions.
The blade drive system might be faulty if the mower vibrates when the cutting blades are engaged. A vibration in the deck may be caused by a worn blade belt, unbalanced blades, worn pulleys, or debris caught inside the pulleys. Vibrations can also be caused by loose bolts, nuts, or nuts on the pulleys, mandrels, or blades that are attached to them. All fasteners on the mower deck should be retightened after removing the deck from the machine.
There are a number of possible causes of vibration. In this article we’ll explore a few of them as well as a few methods of detecting the cause so that invasive repairs can be avoided.
Reasons Why Your Craftsman Lawn Mower is Vibrating
There is no doubt that the exposed parts of a lawn mower are among the first areas of the machine where vibration starts to occur. These issues can gradually worsen as time passes. What causes your lawn mower to shake? Let’s look at the common causes.
Make Safety Precautions Before Starting Craftsman Mowers
Prior to working on your mower, you should take the necessary safety precautions. The most effective way to ensure the safety of your Craftsman is to park it on a level surface and set the parking brake the moment it is parked. The ignition key has to be removed from the ignition and the spark plug wire(s) has to be disconnected. Protect your hands from any sharp blades that may be on the work surface by wearing a sturdy pair of work gloves.
It is important to take the following steps to ensure that your Craftsman mower will not move or start while you are troubleshooting the machine. The Craftsman operator’s manual is an excellent resource for additional safety tips that are specific to the model that you own.
Blade imbalance/fault
As soon as you notice your mower vibrating excessively, you should immediately turn off the engine and stop it. A damaged or out of balance mower blade is usually the cause of noises like this. In the same way that when a washing machine is filled with water, and the load is not evenly distributed, there will be vibrations. This is because uneven weight distribution occurs at either end of the blade while spinning.
In other words, vibration is the result of uneven weight distribution at either end of the blade. The blade may be damaged or out of balance if it has been sharpened incorrectly. When your mower is vibrating excessively, it is likely that the blade is bent. You will need to conduct a balance test to determine if the problem is due to the blade. In the event that it is damaged, it should be replaced as soon as possible.
A blade that is out of balance can be sharpened to make it balanced or it can be replaced if it is out of balance. Taking a blade out and hanging it on a nail driven into a wall through the center hole makes it easy to test its balance by hanging it on the nail. There will be a decrease in the height of the blade on the side with heavier material. When such an issue occurs, the engine can become irreparably damaged, and the operator can become injured.
The crankshaft has debris
The lawnmower has the ability to pick up a whole assortment of objects from around the yard when it mows. It is unfortunate that most of these objects often get entangled around the crankshaft when the mower is being operated. This can cause the machine to become out of balance as it rotates. Due to poor weight distribution, the lawn mower will vibrate when there is poor weight distribution.
Pullies with debris
When a piece of mulch or rock becomes stuck inside a pulley, it will result in a bump each time the belt contacts it. A high rotational speed will, in addition to causing the mower to vibrate, also cause the mower to shake violently as a result of the high rotational speed.
Casings
Among the main parts of your lawnmower is the crankshaft. As mentioned earlier, the piston is attached to the crankshaft of the engine and is the one that drives it. A walk-behind lawnmower has a crankshaft that passes through a crankcase and attachments to the crankshaft are located directly on the blade of the mower, and this is the case for most walk-behind lawnmowers.
When lawnmower blades strike a solid object when cutting the lawn, they usually cause vibration issues pertaining to the crankshaft of the mower. There are many things that can seriously damage the crankshaft of a car including tree roots, rocks, buried stakes, and pipes. A lawnmower blade is capable of travelling up to 220 mph at its tip.
A solid object must lose all of that energy when it strikes a blade, which is brought to an abrupt stop by it. This causes the crankshaft to bend over time, which has a negative effect on the engine. A few thousand of an inch is all it usually takes to cause vibrations in the mower because it only takes a small bend to cause them.
Craftsman Spindle Housing: Check for worn bearings
You will notice that the blades move when the bearings in the spindle housing are damaged. Mower decks engaged at high speeds cause this small movement to become more pronounced. Your Craftsman mower will vibrate as a result of the extra movement it will experience.
Make sure you wear a sturdy pair of gloves when checking for worn bearings in your spindle housing. Grab a hold of each side of your mower blade and pull it up to check for worn bearings.
Make sure that the blade is moving by rocking it up and down. As well as listening for a knocking sound, be on the lookout for vibrations. There is a possibility that the bearing in your spindle housing needs to be replaced if you detect any movement or hear this noise.
The bearing can be changed on some models if you wish. Depending on the model of your Craftsman, you may find that you can only change the spindle housing assembly when the spindle is removed.
In Summary/Conclusion
You should inspect the blade of your. Craftsman Lawn Mower Vibration for any damage. You should also test its balance if you notice excessive vibrations coming from it due to a problem with the blade. The damaged part should be replaced as soon as possible. The blade of a machine can either be sharpened to make it more balanced.
If it is out of balance, it can be replaced so that it can be brought back into balance. It may be necessary to consult an expert or to refer to your mower manual if you are unable to fix the Craftsman lawn mower vibration problem on your own.
