Hello I was wondering if anyone could help. I have a yard machine 7.0hp lawn mower. It is a year old paid around $240.00 and guess what. Yesterday while I was mowing I hit a rock. It cut the rock in pieces but then the lawn mower started to make a weird noise. Also white smoke came out of it on start-up. So I shut it down and looked underneath. I found the blade was loose. Then I found the bolt that holds the blade was broke. It broke off in the shaft. I also think the shaft might be bent but not sure how to tell. Is there any way to get the remaining part of the bolt out of the shaft? Or am I in need of a new lawn mower? Thanks for any help.

to check the crank, which i'm pretty sure its toast if it was a considerable sized rock, turn it upwards, handle to the ground, and ( with the plug wire off and moved away from the plug )!!!!! have someone pull the cord to check the crank for wobbling, the bolt may be able to have it taken out with a easy out, also ( smoke after it happened) ? i think something else is wrong as well. also, check the blade, it is most likely off balance, a nail in a board somewhere, and put it in the hole and it should not vear off to either one side, but stay steady, it may be able to be sharpened till balanced, but a new blade would be in order anyway, after all is checked. the crank in some instances can be bent back.

If you are pretty handy do as bugman says, you may get lucky and have a straight shaft and have some luck getting the bolt out. It helps to remove the plug so the engine is easy to roll through to check for the bent crank.

If you have never eased a bolt out and have a straight shaft many take the mower or just the engine to a machine shop. It could cost more or less in different places but they get 35.00 to 60.00 around here to extract a broken bolt and clean the threads up. If you take it somewhere go ahead and drain all the oil and gas out of it.

Mike