How do you replace husqvarna mower deck mandrels

Remove deck, remove the bolts hold it on.

Well if you are breaking mandrel housings you are hitting more than grass with your mower. They are not intended to be used as brush cutters or mole hill graders. Also, if you have broken a mandrel then you may have slightly bent the top of the mow deck where the mandrel housing bolts up. In order to see it you will need to remove the mandrel housing and use a straight edge to ensure the mounting surface is straight. Quite often you don't need a straight edge; the damage is visible. Typically it will look like a dimple where the bolt head was sitting on the top of the mower deck. With the mandrel off you can use a hammer to pound the surface even. Sears also sells a reinforcement kit to make the mandrel mounting surface more sturdy or you could use fender washers to sturdy up the surface, but the kit is best as it gives support around the entire rim of the deck housing.

It's much easier to do on the tractor.
1. Leave deck installed.
2. Jack tractor up and lower deck.
3. Run a heavy wire through the mandrel pulley's tie down hole.
4. Raise deck and tie wire around the deck.
5. Lower deck and remove top nut.
6. Raise deck and remove shaft.
You can modify this procedure to loose the nut if you don't have a jack and remove it once the deck is off. Retorque nut to 35 ft. lbs during install.

Oh boy!!! Welcome to the craftsman worst design of their mower decks CHEAP!!!!! I had to replace my mandrel on the right side, side where the grass shoots out several times!! Cheap aluminum casting ****, one or more of your ears on the mandrel probably snapped, if you have an air wrench they are not too bad to replace, the screws that go into the mandrel are self threading and is easier to work on with air wrench but can be done with socket set, hope this helps!!!! good luck!

Well I would say you have a bent blade, a blade has a loose connection to the bottom of the mandrel, or a mandrel bearing is going out. Visual inspection will reveal much, just look under the deck. A bad mandrel may appear to have "runout" when viewed from the top while spinning as contrasted with a good mandrel. Viewing the one in the center while deck is working is going to be a challenge. If you decide to replace a mandrel, do yourself a favor and take a picture of the deck belt before you take it off so you know how it goes back on.

For the YTH2246 only...

1. All you need for this job is a small 1/4" ratchet and a 3/8" socket to install/replace the 1/2" X 106" V-belt [(no. 68 in the mower deck schematic for this tractor) Husqvarna part # 532 40 51-43, Sears part # 33156, Rotary Outdoor Power Equipment Service Parts part # 912106 (12-7549)] ($36-$42)

2. Total time for this DIY job: about 15 minutes.

3. Lower the deck by moving the manual height adjuster to the lowest position (position 1).

4. The only screws you really need to remove are the rear retaining 3/8" hex-head screw of the LH cover mandrel and both from the RH mandrel cover. Just swing the left-side cover out to get access to the LH pulley.

5. Slightly pull from pulleys the legs of the keeper belt mandrel LH/RH to remove/insert the belt. Did I mention you don't need to loosen/remove any screw other than the ones mentioned above?

6. For more assistance, take a look at the schematic in the owner's manual or online at http://weborder.husqvarna.com/order_static/doc/HOUS/HOUS2006/HOUS2006_O0602060.pdf

It sounds like your blade is hitting the ground when you are mowing.If you have high spots in your yard the blade will cut into the ground and the mounts on the mandrel will break. Make sure the mower rake adjustment is set correctly,the mower blade should be level or a maximum of 1/4 inch lower in the front.This adjustment is done with the adjuster bolt that runs from the front of the mower to the frame under the muffler, it may have one or two rods connecting the mower at this point. Also make sure the wheels are set down far enough so they can prevent the deck from scalping,they have five different mount holes,if they are up in the highest they will not do anything.Unfortunately these mower mandrels will not take a lot of punishment and they can break when the blades contact anything like dirt or tree roots. Your ultimate action may be just to mow the grass a little higher to keep from scalping. Hope this helps.

Did it break or overheat? There is a small spacer washer that goes under the pulley between the pulley and bearing, if that washer was missing or got ground up on the first one and you didn't notice it the next pulley would rub hard against the top of the mandrel and fail.

You dont have to drop the deck. Remove the belt first then hold the blade in place so you can loosen the nut on top of the pulley. after you remove the pully then remove the blade. There are 3 bolts holding the mandrel in place remove the bolts. Then pull the mandrel out from underneath the mower deck. There is a shroud that will come loose with it or it may stick from accumilated grass regardless it needs to go back during reassembly. When putting it back together the 3 bolts are usually self tapping into the new aluminum mandrel. Its much easier to put these in and take them out before you install the new mandrel as the bolts cut the threads.

Hope this helps

Brent

do not hose it off right after cutting the heat will **** water right into the bearings

this is what i assume sense you have not indicated any impacts to the deck