12
Cutting Blade Service
To ensure a superior quality of cut, keep the blades sharp.
For convenient sharpening and replacement, you may want
to keep extra blades on hand.
Danger
A worn or damaged blade can break, and a piece
of the blade could be thrown into the operator’s or
bystander’s area, resulting in serious personal
injury or death.
•
Inspect the blade periodically for wear or
damage.
•
Replace a worn or damaged blade.
Before Inspecting or Servicing the Blades
Park the machine on a level surface, disengage the blade
control (PTO) and set the parking brake. Turn the ignition
key to “OFF” to stop the engine. Remove the key and
disconnect the spark plug wire(s) from the spark plug(s).
Inspecting the Blades
1. Inspect the cutting edges (Fig 22). If the edges are not
sharp or have nicks, remove and sharpen the blades.
Refer to Sharpening the Blades on page 13.
2. Inspect the blades, especially the curved area (Fig. 22).
If you notice any damage, wear, or a slot forming in this
area (item 3 in Fig. 22), immediately install a new
blade.
1
2
3
m–151
Figure 22
1.
Cutting Edge
2.
Curved Area
3.
Wear/slot Forming
Checking for Bent Blades
1. Rotate the blades until the ends face forward and
backward (Fig. 23). Measure from a level surface to the
cutting edge of the blades (Fig. 24). Note this
dimension.
2. Rotate the opposite ends of the blades forward. Measure
from a level surface to the cutting edge of the blades at
the same position as in step 1 above. The difference
between the dimensions obtained in steps 1 and 2 must
not exceed 1/8 in. (3 mm). If this dimension exceeds
1/8 in. (3 mm), the blade is bent and must be replaced.
Refer to Removing the Blades, and Installing the Blades
on page 13.
Front
m–1078
Figure 23
MEASURE FROM
CUTTING EDGE TO A
LEVEL SURFACE
m–2539
Figure 24
A blade that is bent or damaged could break apart
and could seriously injure or kill you or
bystanders.
•
Always replace bent or damaged blade with a
new blade.
•
Never file or create sharp notches in the edges
or surfaces of blade.
Warning
Removing the Blades
Blades must be replaced if a solid object is hit, if the blade
is out of balance or is bent. To ensure optimum
performance and continued safety conformance of the
