54
Maintenance Instructions
CHECKING/SERVICING
NOTE: Keep blades sharp
- cutting with dull
blades not only yields a poor mowing job but slows
the cutting speed of the mower and causes extra
wear on the engine and blade drive by pulling hard.
1. Stop the engine, remove ignition key, and dis-
connect the spark plug wires
before
raising the
mower deck to service blades.
2. Raise the deck and
secure
it in the
TILT-UP
po sition (refer to
Deck Secured in TILT-UP Po-
sition
photo in
CLEANING
of
Grass Buildup
in Mower Housing
in this section).
DANGER
NEVER operate cutter blades with the
deck in the raised position.
NOTE:
PTO shaft must be
disconnected
be-
fore checking blades for straightness.
3. Check the blades for
straightness
by marking
the blade tip position inside the deck housing,
and then rotating the opposite end of the blade
to the same position and comparing. If the dif-
ference in blade tip track is
more than 1/8 in.
(3 mm),
the blade is bent and
should be re-
placed.
WARNING
DO NOT try to straighten a blade that is
bent. NEVER weld a broken or cracked
blade. ALWAYS replace with a new blade
to assure safety.
4. If the blade cutting edge is
dull or nicked,
it
should be sharpened. Remove blades for
sharpening by grasping the end of the blade us-
ing a rag or a thick, padded glove, while loosen-
ing and removing the nut, lock washer, and flat
washer that mounts the blade.
5. Grind cutting edge at the same bevel as the
original. Sharpen only the top of the cutting
edge to maintain sharpness.
NOTE:
Blades can be sharpened with an elec-
tric blade sharpener, conventional electric grind-
er, or a hand file.
CAUTION
ALWAYS wear eye protection and gloves
when sharpening a blade.
6. Check blade balance by positioning the blade
horizontally
on a blade balancer or use a nail
or shaft through the center hole. If either end of
the blade rotates downward, grind (remove)
metal on that end until the blade will balance.
The blade is properly balanced when neither
end drops. Balance of a blade is generally
maintained by removing an equal amount of
material from each end of the blade when
sharpening.
Wing
Tip
Do Not Grind or
Sharpen on Underside
Intersection
Wear Area
Sharpen at
Original 30° Angle
30°
Mower Blade Profile For Sharpening
Blade Balancer
Blade Balanced on Magnetic
Wall-Mounted Balancer
7. Mount the blade with wing tips pointing up into
the housing. Reinstall the blade, washer, lock
washer, and nut.
Tighten the nut to 60 ft-lb
(81.3 N·m).
