Fiskars Help Line: 1-877-201-3260 videos & more at:
fiskars.com/reelmowers
Fiskars Help Line: 1-877-201-3260 videos & more at:
fiskars.com/reelmowers
Fiskars Help Line: 1-877-201-3260 videos & more at:
fiskars.com/reelmowers
10
11
Chec
king Cut
ting P
erf
or
mance
Preparation
You’ll need several 1" x 8" strips of standard printer paper (not newspaper)
and a pair of work gloves.
WARNING:
The mower blades are sharp. Wear gloves when
performing this procedure, and keep fingers away from the interface
between the cutting reel blades and stationary blade.
Check #1: Do the Blades Make Contact?
1. Ensure that the mower cannot roll forward by positioning it on a firm,
level surface with blocks in front of the rear wheels. Then raise the mower
to the highest position to improve access.
2. To check if the blades make contact with the mower resting on all
four wheels, slowly turn the cutting reel
(A)
forward, one blade at a time,
through a full rotation or two. If you hear scraping or feel resistance, skip
the remainder of this section and proceed to
Adjusting the Blades
on
page 11.
ATTENTION:
If the cutting reel and stationary blade make contact, the
mower will be difficult to push and may dull the blades.
Check #2: Do the Blades Cut Properly?
1. Turn the mower onto its side.
2. To check if the blades cut properly, you will need to check the blades
on both ends of the mower. Starting with the end closest to the ground,
feed a strip of paper between a cutting reel blade
(A)
and the stationary
blade
(B)
, keeping the paper flush against the side
(C)
of the stationary
blade
(B)
. About half an inch of the strip should be visible beyond the
stationary blade.
IMPORTANT:
The StaySharp
™
Cutting System is engineered
to cut grass without contact between the blades. This cutting system
was precision-set during assembly. However, since slippage may occur
during shipping, handling or use, it is very important to check the cutting
performance prior to first use and periodically thereafter. Since slippage
can occur in two directions, two checks are required to evaluate cutting
performance —
both checks need to be performed on both the left
and right side of the mower.
Checking the cutting performance and
adjusting it as needed is the most important thing you can do to
ensure that your mower always performs optimally.
A
A
C
C
B
B
Chec
king Cut
ting P
erf
or
mance
WARNING:
Keep your fingers away from the cutting area; they should
be to the right of the stationary blade.
3. Slowly rotate the cutting reel
(A)
toward the stationary blade
(B)
, observing
whether the paper is cut as the first cutting reel blade passes.
4. Continue to feed the paper into the reel horizontally half an inch at a time to
check the other blades.
5. Now check the opposite end of the reel by sliding the paper to the end
farthest from the ground and checking if the blades cut properly on that end.
6. If most of the blades cut on both ends, the cutting system is set correctly.
If all or most of the blades do not cut on one or both ends, the cutting system
needs to be adjusted. Proceed to
Adjusting the Blades
below.
ATTENTION:
Failure to correct an improperly set cutting system will result
in poor cutting performance and uncut blades of grass.
Adjusting the Blades
The tools required are an 11 mm wrench or socket and a Phillips screwdriver.
1. With the mower resting on all four wheels, use the Phillips screwdriver to
loosen the adjustment lock screw
(C)
on both sides, then lift the adjustment
locks
(D)
over both adjustment bolts.
2. Turn the mower onto its side.
3. With the adjustment locks
(D)
lifted and turned to the side, adjust the
stationary blade by turning the adjustment bolts
(E)
as described below.
ATTENTION:
When making adjustments, it is
very
important to turn
both
adjustment bolts
(E)
with the same small adjustments (less than 1/8 of a turn
at a time) so the stationary blade is supported evenly on both sides. Never
turn one adjustment bolt without also turning the other the same amount.
If one bolt is turned significantly more than the other, one bolt will become
loose and be unable to properly support the stationary blade. If this occurs,
simply tighten the loose bolt so that both bolts have the same tension.
•
If the
blades did not cut paper:
Move the whole stationary blade closer to the cutting reel by making
small counter-clockwise turns on both ends until the blades just barely
come into contact. Then make small clockwise adjustments on either
end until the blades no longer touch.
Be sure to turn both bolts equally.
•
If the
blades made contact:
Move the whole stationary blade away from the cutting reel by making
small clockwise turns on both ends, stopping as soon as the blades lose
contact.
Be sure to turn both bolts equally.
Then test that most of the
blades cut paper on both ends.
4. After the blades are properly adjusted, replace the adjustment locks and
firmly tighten the screws.
ATTENTION:
If you have followed the directions for adjusting the blades
and are still not cutting paper on one or both sides of the mower, choose
the setting that maximizes the number of blades that cut paper and take
the mower out for a test pass. If the mower cuts to your satisfaction and the
blades do not make contact, you have adjusted the mower correctly. If the
mower does not cut to your satisfaction, the stationary blade and cutting
reel may be out of parallel alignment. If this is the case, proceed to Aligning
the
Cutting Reel and Stationary Blade
on page 12.
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C
D
E
