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English
BALANCING THE BLADE
See Figure 23.
When sharpening, care should be taken to keep the
blade balanced. An unbalanced blade will cause
excessive vibration when the mower is running. This
vibration will eventually cause damage to the mower,
especially the motor.
To check the blade balance:
■
Clamp a screwdriver (or nail shank) horizontally in a
vise as shown.
NOTE:
If a vise is not available, a straight nail can also
be used.
■
Place the center hole of blade on the screwdriver(or
nail) shank.
■
If blade is balanced, it will remain in a horizontal
position. If either end of the blade drops downward,
sharpen the heavy side until the blade is balanced.
REPLACING WHEELS
See Figure 24.
To replace a wheel:
■
Disconnect the mower from the power supply.
■
Turn the mower on its side.
■
Using a
fl
at blade screwdriver, pry off the retaining
hubcap.
■
Remove the wheel and replace with an identical part
new wheel.
■
Replace retaining hubcap.
STORING THE MOWER
See Figure 25.
■
Disconnect the mower from the power supply
■
Turn mower on its side and clean grass clippings that
have accumulated on the underside of the mower deck.
■
Wipe the mower clean with a dry cloth.
■
Check all nuts, bolts, knobs, screws, fasteners, etc.,
for tightness.
■
Inspect moving parts for damage, breakage, and
wear. Have repairs made on any damaged or missing
parts.
■
Store mower indoors in a clean, dry place out of the
reach of children.
■
Do not store near corrosive materials such as
fertilizer or rock salt.
■
To lower the handle before storing:
- Fully loosen the locking levers on each side of the
upper handle and fold the handle down.
- Push inward on each side of the lower handle, and
lift the sides of the lower handle past the edges of the
handle mounting brackets.
- Fold the lower handle forward, making sure not to
bend or kink the power cord.
CARE AND MAINTENANCE
WARNING!
When removing, inspect the
blade carefully. If blade is bent or damaged, replace
immediately with a new blade. Failure to replace a bent
or damaged blade could cause an accident resulting in
possible serious injury.
REPLACING THE CUTTING BLADE
See Figure 20-21.
NOTE:
Only use identical replacement blades.
■
Stop the motor and disconnect the power supply.
Allow the blade to come to a complete stop.
■
Turn the mower on its side.
■
Wedge a block of wood between the blade and the
mower deck in order to prevent the blade from turning
when the nut is being removed.
■
Loosen the blade nut using a 14 mm wrench or
socket (not provided).
■
Remove the blade nut, and blade.
■
Make certain the fan assembly is pushed completely
against the motor shaft.
■
Place the new blade on the shaft against the fan
assembly. Make sure it is installed with the curved
ends pointing up toward the mower deck and not down
toward the ground.
■
Thread the blade nut on the shaft and
fi
nger tighten.
NOTE:
Make certain all parts are replaced in the exact
order in which they were removed.
■
Torque the blade nut down using a torque wrench (not
provided) to ensure the bolt is properly tightened.
NOTE:
Only use Craftsman mower blade replacement
part # 33027.
SHARPENING THE BLADE
See Figure 22.
For best mowing performance, the mower blade must
be kept sharp. A dull blade does not cut grass evenly
and overloads the motor. Under normal circumstances,
sharpening the blade twice during the mowing season
is usually suf
fi
cient. However, if your lawn has sandy
soil, more frequent sharpenings may be required.
■
Following the instructions in the Replacing the
Cutting Blade section to remove the mower blade.
■
DO NOT attempt to sharpen the blade while it is
attached to the mower.
■
Using a
fi
ne-tooth
fi
le or sharpening stone, sharpen
cutting edges on both ends of the blade, removing
equal amounts of material from both ends.
