lawnmower wheels getting really wobbly! (mowers, bush, cement, fall)

[flatlander52]

55 yr old female here. I have a gas push mower, and the wheels are getting really wobbly. Especially one of the front ones... looks like it could fall off any minute! What's the best or easiest way to fix this? Thank you!

[villageidiot1]

Originally Posted by flatlander52

55 yr old female here. I have a gas push mower, and the wheels are getting really wobbly. Especially one of the front ones... looks like it could fall off any minute! What's the best or easiest way to fix this? Thank you!

I have the same complaint. It seems like all gas push mowers have cheap wheels. They get wobbly after a year or two. I haven't found anything thing you can do to fix it. Tightening the wheels doesn't help. It appears that you have to move to a self-propelled mower to get ball bearing wheels, which are much better quality. I really don't have any interest in a self-propelled mower.

[flatlander52]

Fixed it!! The plastic wheel hubs were worn and cracked. A friend helped me put all new wheels on it. These wheel hubs are metal instead of plastic- so they should last as long as the mower!

[fisheye]

Here is an assortment of wheels available from Ace Hardware: http://www.acehardware.com/family/index.jsp;jsessionid=mzthRQ8JryM0rfXGFMP7Tm7zFgPL5 DlZnVVmwt68tbHGSfmq82p2!11349649?view=full&categor yId=1260300&cp=2568443.2568444.2598675.2602604

To remove or install the wheels you just need two wrenches – one on the inside of the mower housing and one on the bolt in the middle of the wheel. Some wheels have small little plastic or metal hub caps that have to be removed with a screwdriver. Pull off the spark-plug wire before you put your hand/s under the mower deck – better safe than sorry.
Take an old wheel with you when you go shopping for the new replacement. I think that you can also find wheels at Home Depot and Lowe's. Of course lawnmower dealers could order you wheels – but that would probably cost you more.

With wobbly wheels there is also a chance that somebody has a bad bushing or ball bearing. In those cases it is possible that you could find new bearings – instead of replacing the wheel.

Homeowners also have to keep in mind the age of the mower, it's original cost and condition. It might not be worth putting on $40+ worth of wheels on an old mower in bad shape. Of course, in some cases, you only need to replace one or two wheels and not all four.