Changing blades on Troy Bilt 17.5 Mower
I have a Troy Bilt 17.5, 42 inch cut riding mower. My son bent one of the blades on it several weeks ago. I now have new blades and my son has moved to AZ for Border Patrol training. My neighbor came over the other day to try to change them but he said it looked like you had to drop the deck to change them. He thought it looked like an easy, off from the bottom and then back on.
At this time, the shaft looks fine. :) Anyone done this? My neighbor is gone during the week for work, if it's easy enough I'd like to try it myself before my back yard needs a bush hog. Any suggestions or comments appreciated!
Also, ever since I purchased it new from Lowe's 3 years ago, if I move it to reverse and then try to move it back to forward, I will sit there sometimes for 5 minutes, moving the shifter everywhere trying to get it to go forward again. When I move it out of Reverse and back into Drive, I slowly let off the clutch because I can never tell if it will be engaged and I can go forward or if I can let out the clutch and it still not move anyway. I called Lowe's when I first got it, and he told me to kind of shake the mower back and forth with my body... and yes, I look quite silly doing it, but it doesn't seem to help. Usually have to go back and forth between reverse, neutral and forward numerous times before it will actually go forward when I let out the clutch. Meant to take it back in the following spring for service but didn't have a method to transport it. Any ideas on that? I'm tired of looking like the idiot sitting there waiting for drive to engage.