Filter
Top Products
62
Maintenance Instructions CHECKING/SERVICING
Sharpen Mower Blades
Check mower blade(s) for straightness, sharp-
ness, condition of the cutting edge, and balance
every 10 hours of operation (or more often when
mowing abrasive type grass or operating on sandy
soils). Replace blades if worn, bent, cracked, or
otherwise damaged (refer to REPLACING/RE-
PAIRING the Mower Blades in this section). Use the
following procedure to check and sharpen blades:
NOTE: Keep blades sharp - cutting with dull
blades not only yields a poor mowing job but
slows the cutting speed of the mower and caus-
es extra wear on the engine and blade drive by
pulling hard.
1. Stop the engine, remove ignition key, and dis-
connect the electrical plug on the fuel shut-off
solenoid before raising the mower deck to ser-
vice blades.
2. Raise the deck and secure it in the TILT-UP po-
sition. Refer to CLEANING the Grass Buildup
in Mower Housing in this section for deck rais-
ing instructions.
3. Check the blades for straightness by marking
the blade tip position inside the deck housing,
and then rotating the opposite end of the blade
to the same position and comparing. If the dif-
ference in blade tip track is more than 1/8 in.
(3 mm), the blade is bent and should be re-
placed.
4. If the blade cutting edge is dull or nicked, it
should be sharpened. Remove blades for
sharpening by grasping the end of the blade us-
ing a rag or a thick, padded glove, while loosen-
ing and removing the nut, lock washer, and flat
washer that mounts the blade.
5. Grind cutting edge at the same bevel as the
original. Sharpen only the top of the cutting
edge to maintain sharpness.
NOTE: Blades can be sharpened with an elec-
tric blade sharpener, conventional electric grind-
er, or a hand file.
Mower Blade Profile For Sharpening
6. Check blade balance by positioning the blade
horizontally on a blade balancer or use a nail
or shaft through the center hole. If either end of
the blade rotates downward, grind (remove)
metal on that end until the blade will
balance. The blade is properly balanced when
neither end drops. Balance of a blade is gener-
ally maintained by removing an equal amount of
material from each end of the blade when
sharpening.
DANGER
NEVER operate cutter blades with the
deck in the raised position.
WARNING
DO NOT try to straighten a blade that is
bent. NEVER weld a broken or cracked
blade. ALWAYS replace with a new blade
to assure safety.
CAUTION
ALWAYS wear eye protection and gloves
when sharpening a blade.
30°
Do Not Grind or
Sharpen on Underside
Sharpen at
Original 30° Angle
Intersection
Wear Area
Wing
Tip