53
Maintenance Instructions
CHECKING/SERVICING
Cleaning the Terminals
If battery terminals are corroded,
remove battery
from the mower. Using a wire brush, remove corro sion
with a solution of
one part baking soda and four
parts water.
Rinse with clean water. Coat the termi-
nals with petroleum jelly or terminal protector spray
to retard further corrosion.
Charging the Battery
DANGER
BATTERIES PRODUCE EXPLOSIVE
GASES
•
Charge the battery in a well-ventilated
area, so that gases produced while charg-
ing can dissipate.
•
Keep sparks, flames, and smoking ma-
terials away from the battery at all times.
•
Make sure the battery cap vents are open
(check manifold vent on each cap).
•
Make sure the battery charger is un-
plugged before connecting or disconnect-
ing cables to the battery.
Check the battery charge by measuring the specific
gravity of electrolyte; if specific gravity is less than
1.225, the battery will need to be charged as follows:
1. Charge the battery at 15 amps for 10 minutes.
DO NOT
exceed 20 amps maximum recom-
mended charging rate. Charge until specific
gravity is at least 1.250. Total charging time
should not exceed one (1) hour.
2. After charging the battery, use distilled water to
adjust the electrolyte level to the bottom of the
vent wells [1/4 to 1/2 in. (6 to 13 mm) above the
plates].
Tire Pressure
Inflate tires to pressures shown below:
Deck Caster Wheel = 20 PSI (137 kPa)
Drive = 15 PSI (103 kPa)
Rear = 20 PSI (137 kPa)
Wheel Nuts Torque
Check
every 100 hours
the eight (8) Drive Tire
mounting nuts. They should each be torqued to 75
to 85 ft-lbs. (101.7 to 115.2 N
·
m).
Sharpen Mower Blades
Check mower blade(s) for
straightness, sharp-
ness, condition of the cutting edge, and balance
every 10 hours
of operation (or more often when
mowing abrasive type grass or operating on sandy
soils).
Replace blades if worn, bent, cracked, or
otherwise damaged
(refer to
REPLACING/RE-
PAIRING
the
Mower Blades
in this section). Use the
following procedure to check and sharpen blades:
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
posi-
tion (refer to
Deck Secured in Tilt-Up Position
photo in
CLEANING
of
Grass Buildup in Mow-
er Housing
in this section).
DANGER
NEVER operate cutter blades with the deck
in the raised position.
NOTE:
PTO shaft must be
disconnected
before
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 replaced.
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.
