60
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
terminals 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 discon-
necting 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:
IMPORTANT:
Always disconnect the negative ()
battery terminal before charging. Failure to do so
can result in damage to the ECU
.
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)
Tailwheel
= 20 PSI (137 kPa)
Wheel Nut Torque
Check the eight (8) nuts 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
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
CLEANING
the
Grass Build-
up in Mower Deck Housing
in this section for
deck raising 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 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.
