MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR INSTRUCTIONS

REPLACING THE CUTTING BLADE

When the cutting blade gets dull, you need to replace it. Never sharpen a dull blade. Follow the instructions in this section to successfully replace the blade.

WARNING: To avoid serious personal injury,

always wear gloves while handling or installing the blade.

Remove the Cutting Blade

NOTE: To make cutting blade removal and installation easier, place the unit on the ground or on a work bench.

1.Align the shaft bushing hole with the locking rod slot and insert the locking rod into the bushing hole (Fig. 14).

WARNING: The gear housing gets hot with use. It

can result in injury to the operator. The housing remains hot for a short time even after the unit is turned off. Do not touch the gear housing until it has cooled.

Output Shaft

Shaft Bushing Hole

Locking Rod Slot

Output Shaft

Bushing

Locking Rod

Fig. 14

2.Hold the locking rod in place by grasping it next to the boom of the unit (Fig. 15).

3.While holding the locking rod, loosen the nut on the blade by turning it clockwise with a 5/8 inch closed- end or socket wrench (Fig. 15).

4.Remove the nut, blade retainer and blade. Store the nut and blade together for future use in a secure place. Store out of children’s reach.

Install the New Cutting Blade

WARNING: To avoid serious personal injury,

always wear gloves while handling or installing the blade.

1.Place the cutting blade on the output shaft bushing (Fig. 16).

Blade Retainer

Nut

Cutting

Blade

Shield

Mount

Pilot Hole

Output Shaft

Bushing

Locking Rod

Fig. 16

2.Make sure that the cutting blade is centered on the pilot step and sitting flat against the output shaft bushing (Fig. 17).

WARNING: If the cutting blade is off-center, the

unit will vibrate and the blade may fly off, causing possible serious personal injury.

Pilot Step

Clockwise

Fig. 17

Fig. 15

13