D21d
Maintenance Instructions
Checking and Servicing
75
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 charger is un-
plugged before connecting or discon-
necting cables to the battery.
1. Disconnect the battery terminals–negative (-)
first.
2. Charge the battery at 15 amps for 10 minutes.
DO NOT
exceed 20 amps (maximum recom-
mended charging rate). Total charging time
should not exceed one (1) hour.
3.
Reconnect the battery terminals starting with
the positive (+) terminal.
Tire Pressure
Inflate tires to pressures shown below:
Deck Caster Wheel*
=
20 PSI (137 kPa)
Drive
=
15 PSI (103 kPa)
Tailwheel
=
20 PSI (137 kPa)
* If equipped with optional pneumatic tires
Wheel Bolt Torque
Check the eight (8) lug bolts that mount the drive
tires.
Every 100 hours
they should be torqued to
75 to 85 lb·ft (102 to 115 N·m).
Sharpen Mower Blades
Check mower blade(s) for
straightness, sharp-
ness, condition of the cutting edge,
and
bal-
ance 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
Mower
Blades on page 87
). Use the following proce-
dure 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
disconnect the electrical plug on the fuel shut-
off solenoid
before
raising the mower deck to
service blades.
2. Raise the deck and
secure
it in the
TILT-UP
position. Refer to
Cleaning
Grass Buildup in
Mower Deck Housing on page 71
for deck
rais ing instructions.
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
diff erence 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
using a rag or a thick, padded glove, while
loosening and removing the nut, lock washer,
and flat washer that mount 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
electric blade sharpener, conventional electric
grinder, or a hand file.
