oRemove the hairpin clips which secure the rear deck hangers to the deck stabilizer bracket. See Figure 27. Retain the hairpin clips.
Rear Deck Hangers
Stabilizer Bracket
The blades may be removed as follows.
°Remove the deck from beneath the tractor, (refer to CuttingDeckRemovalon page 22) then gently flip the deck over to expose its underside.
°Place a block of wood between the center deck housing baffle and the cutting blade to act as a s_abilizer. See Figure 28.
Hex Flange Nut
Figure 27
. Carefully lower the rear portion of the deck to the ground.
NOTE: For normal service and maintenance, the deck stabilizer bracket doesn't need to be removed from the tractor, ff removing the cutting deck in order to mount a Snow Thrower attachment, however, the stabilizer bracket must be removed. To do so, simply remove the hairpin clip which secures the stabilizer rod to the stabilizer bracket. See Figure 27.
°Place the deck engagement/lift lever in the BLADES STOP position to raise the lift links up, and out of the way.
°Carefully slide the deck from beneath the right side of the lawn tractor.
Spindle Assembly
Figure 28
. Use a 15/16" wrench to remove the hex flange nut that secures the blade to the spindle assembly. See Figure 28.
To properly sharpen the cutting blades, remove equal amounts of metal from both ends of the blades along the cutting edges, parallel to the trailing edge, at a 25° to 30 ° angle. See Figure 29.
Blade Separation
CuttingBlades
WARNING: Be sure to shut the engine off, remove ignition key, disconnect the spark plug wire(s) and ground against the engine to prevent unintended starting before removing the cutting blade(s) for sharpening or replacement, Protect your hands by using
heavy gloves or a rag to grasp the cutting blade,
WARNING: Periodically inspect the blade adapter and/or spindle for cracks or damage, especially if you strike a foreign object, Replace immediately if damaged.
!
Worn Blade Edge
Wind Wing
Sharpen Edge Evenly
Figure 29
IMPORTANT: Ifthe cutting edge of the blade has already been sharpened to within 5/8" of the wind wing radius, or if any metal separation is present, replace the blades with new ones. See Figure 29.
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