MTD 26M warranty Blade Care, Belt Care, Break causing per Sonal injury

Blade Care

WARNING: When removing cutting	5
blade for sharpening or replacement,
protect your hands with a pair of heavy
gloves or use a heavy rag to hold blade.	Maintaining
1. Disconnect spark plug boot from spark plug. Turn
	Your Lawn
mower on its side making sure that the air filter and
the carburetor are up.
	Mower
2. Remove bolt, bell washer, blade, and blade adapter
from the engine crankshaft. See Figure 5-2.
3. The blade can be sharpened with a file or on a grind-
ing wheel. Do not attempt to sharpen the blade while
it is still on the mower. When sharpening blade, follow	Figure 5-2
original angle of grind. Grind cutting edges equally to
keep blade balanced.

4.Remove blade from the adapter for testing balance. Balance the blade on a round shaft screwdriver to

check. Remove metal from the heavy side until it	3	2		WARNING
balances evenly.
WARNING: An unbalanced blade will				When removing
cause excessive vibration when rotating			1	the cutting blade
at high speeds. It may cause damage				for sharpening or
to mower, and could break causing				replacement or
personal injury.
				when sliding the belt
5. Lubricate the engine crankshaft and the inner surface
				around it, protect
of the blade adapter with light oil. Slide the blade
adapter onto the engine crankshaft. Place the blade	1			your hands with a
on the adapter such that the side of the blade marked				pair of heavy gloves
“Bottom” (or with part number) faces the ground when				or use a heavy rag to
the mower is in the operating position. Make sure that				hold the blade.
blade is aligned and seated on blade adapter flanges.

6.Place bell washer on the blade. Replace hex bolt and tighten hex bolt to torque: 450 in. lbs. min., 600 in. lbs. max.

To ensure safe operation of your mower, periodically check the blade bolt for correct torque.

Belt Care

1.Remove the front drive cover by sliding off the two plastic rivets on each side of the cover with a screwdriver. See Figure 5-3.

2.Disconnect belt tension spring from transmission. See Figure 5-3.

3.Push transmission up a little and slide belt off the transmission pulley. Lift mower to access belt from underside of mower. Slide belt off of engine pulley and around the blade. See Figure 5-4.

4.Replace with new belt, working around blade. Make sure belt is firmly seated on engine pulley while pulling from the other side and sliding it around the transmission pulley. Secure belt tension spring to the transmission. Reassemble front drive cover.

Figure 5-3

Figure 5-4

An unbalanced blade will cause excessive vibration when rotat- ing at high speeds. It may cause damage to mower, and could

break causing per-

sonal injury.

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