Removing Old Grips from ZD326 Control Levers?

[Mr Haney]

New plastic grips for the controls on my ZD326 arrived. Oh, joy.

The old ones are bleached out by the sun, so I want to get rid of them. I figured they would slip right off the steel levers. They do not. They hold on for dear life.

I'm not going to cut them. At least I'm smart enough not to try that.

What's the best way to get them off?

 

[GreensvilleJay]

wear a welding glove, then use heatgun to get the grip 'soft'(you'll know), then pull them off

I use the heatgun to get the plastic 'caps' off wheels on riding mowers.

 

[Mr Haney]

I will give that a shot. Thanks.

 

[cliffboyer]

If there is a small hole in the end of it, blow compressed air into it while pulling & twisting off too. And a little heat won't hurt.

 

[Bee-Positive]

I'm not going to cut them. At least I'm smart enough not to try that.

Guess I'm not that smart, please educate me. Why not cut them off?
If you're careful not to dig into the handle what am I'm missing?
Genuinely curious here.

 

[Mr Haney]

I think anything sharp enough to cut off a thick plastic grip is sharp enough to gouge the paint off a lever.

 

[Bee-Positive]

Since you state the obvious I can see it is very highly probability IMHO. My wife calls me Captain Obvious for a reason. LOL How about one of these? JK!

 

[Russell King]

I doubt that heating the foam rubber grips will help. I assume you are trying to remove the hand grips on the zero turn levers and that they are some sort of spongy rubber (foam).

I would start at the bottom and try to get some type of air nozzle in there to see if they will separate from the handles.

The more difficult part is getting the new ones on, they look long and tight.

Good luck.

 

[whitetiger]

I use a small pair of sharp, pointed scissors to remove them. I just inserted the point under the grip at the bottom and push them in. They slit the grip open and rarely scratch the handle.
To install, I spray the handle with slightly soapy water and slide it on. I let it sit in the sun for a couple of hours, and they are stuck on tight.
I used to have a blow gun with a large rubber tip that worked great to blow air into the handle from the bottom. It was great for removing and installing them.

 

[mikester]

Try an air compressor for removing the grips. Look online for you-tub vids

 

[CGMKCM]

Go to a hardware store and purchase these. Blades I use them to replace grips on my golf clubs and they do not scratch or damage the metal shafts.

 

[dirtydeed]

if they're glued, some WD-40 sprayed into/between the grips and bars will loosen the adhesive.

 

[Mr Haney]

I think I should point out that I was not specific enough.

The grips on what Kubota calls "speed levers" or "motion control levers" are fine. I am working on the hard rubber grips on the PTO and throttle levers.

I just learned it is possible to wiggle the control panel off over the grips, so I can continue working on the mower without replacing the grips. I will try those hooked razor blades later. Thanks for that tip.

Heat doesn't work, and even if it did, the throttle lever is too close to a lot of plastic.

 

[MOOTS]

I think I should point out that I was not specific enough.

The grips on what Kubota calls "speed levers" or "motion control levers" are fine. I am working on the hard rubber grips on the PTO and throttle levers.

Put on your big boy pants and pull. They’ll come off. Open a set of channel lock a few clicks to catch the rubber, but not the lever. That will give a bit more to hold onto.

 

[Mr Haney]

I don't want to brag, but pulling real hard was one of the first things that occurred to me. I like the razor idea.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

If you use a blade, make one light full pass, then another ,then another. shallow controlled cuts NOT one deep 'in a hurry' cut. You'll be able to cut juuuuust enough to not even nick the paint.

To put the new ones one, WD-40(lots), line up, push hard, be sure alignment is correct cause 8-9 seconds later, they're on for good ! Learned this 1/2 century ago when I had 3 motorcycles....

 

[imarobot]

Speaking of motorcycles, there is also a adhesive available to glue new grips in place if you feel the need. I have used this many times on dirt bike grips, you don't want them slipping off the handlebar at an O-SH!T moment.

 

[Mr Haney]

I found out why the cutting-height dial would not come off. Someone had been there before me, and I don't mean someone smart. For reasons I can't imagine, this person gouged up the end that goes into the dial. I don't know if he was using pliers to turn it or what.

I used a sawzall to cut the dial off, and I smoothed off the gouging somewhat with sandpaper. I put anti-seize on the shaft before hammering it into the dial. I will never need to take the dial off now that I know the easy and correct way to get it off, but anti-seize just seemed like the right thing to do. Maybe it helped the knob get back on.

It turns out I can just manage to get my hand under the control panel to shove the clevis pin into the dial shaft when reinstalling it, so removing and replacing that dial is a breeze.

 

[Bee-Positive]

I like the razor idea.

So what happened to " I'm not going to cut them. At least I'm smart enough not to try that." Sorry I just had to add the dig.

Using a hooked rug cutter blade is what I was thinking also, that's why I asked why not.

 

[Mr Haney]

So what happened to " I'm not going to cut them. At least I'm smart enough not to try that." Sorry I just had to add the dig.

Using a hooked rug cutter blade is what I was thinking also, that's why I asked why not.

Coffee might help prevent posts like this.