Manual

Section5: Maintenance
Beforeinspecting,cleaning orservicingthe machine,shot offengine,wait for movingpartsto stop,dis-
connectsparkplugwire andmove wire away fromsparkplug.
Failureto followthese instructionscanresultinseriouspersonalinjuryor propertydamage.
Mower bladeis sharp.
*Wear heavy leather gloves when
workingnear or with blade for protec-
tionfromsharpedges.
, Wear safety approvedeye protection
whensharpeningbladeto protecteyes
fromflying metal debris.
RemovingMower Blade
IMPORTANT:Theblade coupler
(D, Figure 5-5) may come off the engine
shaft when removing the blade. If it does,
do not lose the square key (C). The key
fits into a square slot inside the blade
coupler. Without it, the bladewill not
rotate.
1. Removethe spark plug wire from the
spark plug and move it away.
2. Tip mower towards the muffler onto
its side. See Tipping the Mower for
Servicein this Section.
3. Usea 3/4"wrench to loosen the blade
screw (A, Figure 5-5). Hold the blade
with a gloved hand to prevent the blade
from rotating.
Figure5-3: Removingorinstallingblade.
4. Remove bladescrew and Belleville
washer (A, B, Figure5-5).
5. Remove blade.You may haveto give
the blade atap to jar it loosefrom the
mounting tabs.
16
Curved end down
Curved end down
/ Mower Deck
Figure5-4:Correctbladeinstallation.
Lawn
Figure5-5: Mower bladeassembly.
Installing Mower Blade
1. Removethe spark plug wire from the
spark plug and move it away.
2. Tip mower towards the muffler onto
its side. See Tipping the Mower for
Servicein this Section.
3. If the bladecoupler (D, Figure5-5)
and/or square key (C) came off the engine
shaft during bladeremoval, reinstall those
parts back onto the engineshaft.
4. Position the bladewith the curved
ends facing downward (Figure5-4).
5. Slip the Bellevillewasher (B, Figure
5-5) onto the screw(A). Facethe dished-
in side to the blade.
6. Mount the bladeonto the two tabs of
the blade coupler. Makesure that you
seat the bladecompletely onto the
coupler.
7. Insert the screw and washer through
the bladeand into the bladecoupler.
Tighten with a torque wrench to 35 ft-lbs.
Sharpeningand
Balancing Mower Blade
IMPORTANT:We recommend that the
bladebe sharpened by a professional
sharpening service. Replacea cracked or
severely worn bladewith a new one.
1. Remove bladefrom the mower. See
Removing Mower Blade.
2. Clampthe blade in a vise. Usea metal
file or grinder to sharpenthe bladewhile
maintaining the original cutting angle. It
is very important to maintain the original
cutting bevel to insure the most effective
cut.
3. To retain blade balance,removethe
same amount of materialfrom both ends
of the blade.
4. To check bladebalance,place the
bladeon a rounded pivot such as a pencil
or penunder the center hole. Hold blade
parallelto ground then release. See
Figure5-6. If bladeis unbalanced,the
heavierside will leandownward.
5. Usea file to lightly remove material
from the heavierside of the blade.
6. SeeInstalling Mower Bladefor infor-
mation on how to re-install the blade.
REMOVING AND
REPLACING DRIVE BELT
This procedure can bemade easierby
removing the blade (see Removing
Mower Blade);however, bladeremoval is
not absolutely necessary.
I
Figure5-6: Balancebladeonpivottocheckbladebalance.