Maintaining Your Lawn Mower, Deck Care

SECTION 7: MAINTAINING YOUR LAWN MOWER

WARNING: Be sure to disconnect and ground the spark plug wire before performing any repairs or maintenance.

Maintaining the Blade

•Periodically inspect the blade adapter for cracks, especially if you strike a foreign object. Replace when necessary.

WARNING: When removing the cutting blade for sharpening or replacement, protect hands by using heavy gloves or a rag to grasp the cutting blade.

•Remove the bolt and bell support which hold the blade and adapter to the engine crankshaft. See Figure 14 . Remove the blade and adapter from the crankshaft.

Crankshaft

Blade

Adapter

Blade

Bell

Support

Hex Bolt

Figure 14

•When sharpening the blade, follow the original angle of grind as a guide. It is extremely important that each cutting edge receive an equal amount of grinding to prevent an unbalanced blade. An unbalanced blade will cause excessive vibration when rotating at high speeds, and may cause damage to the mower and/or personal injury.

•The blade can be tested by balancing it on a round shaft screwdriver. Remove metal from the heavy side until it balances evenly. It is recommended that the blade always be removed from the adapter for the best test of balance.

•Before reassembling the blade and the blade adapter to the unit, lubricate the engine crankshaft and the inner surface of the blade adapter with light oil (or engine oil). Lubricating the bolt holes, bolts and inner surface of the nuts is also recommended.

•Install the blade adapter on the crankshaft with the “star” away from the engine. Place the blade with the side marked bottom (or with part number) facing away from the adapter. Align the blade bell support over the blade with the tabs in the holes of the

blade and insert the hex bolt. Tighten the hex bolt to the torque listed here.

Blade Mounting Torque:

Center Bolt: 450 in. lbs. min., 600 in. lbs. max.

•To ensure safe operation of your unit, all nuts and bolts must be checked periodically for correct tightness.

Deck Care

NOTE: We do not recommend the use of pressure washers or garden hose to clean your unit.These may cause damage to electric components, spindles, pulleys, bearings or the engine. The use of water will shorten life of the mower and reduce its serviceability.

•The underside of the mower deck should be cleaned after each use to prevent a build-up of grass clippings, leaves, dirt or other matter. If this debris is allowed to accumulate, it will invite rust and corrosion, and may cause an uneven discharge of grass clippings at the next cutting.

•The deck may be cleaned by tilting the mower and scraping clean with a suitable tool (make certain the spark plug wire is disconnected).

Replacing Rear Flap

•To remove rear flap, cut off the flat end of the wire rod which secures it to the deck. See Figure 15.

•Attach the new flap and new rod to deck, bending the ends of the new rod over to secure to deck.

Rear Discharge

Door

Handle

Bracket

od eR ir W

Handle

Bracket

Rear

Flap

Figure 15

Engine

A list of key engine maintenance jobs required for good performance by the mower is given below. Follow the accompanying engine manual for detailed list and instructions.