MTD 11A-543B700 - Page 11

Blade Care
_ ARNING:Whenremovingthe cutting
bladefor sharpeningor replacement,
protectyourhandswith a pairof heavy
gloves or use a heavy ragto hold the
blade.
Periodicallyinspectthebladeadapterforcracks,
especiallyif youstrikea foreignobject. Replacewhen
necessary.Followthe stepsbelowfor bladeservice.
1. Disconnectsparkplugwirefromsparkplug.Turn
moweron itsside makingsurethatthe airfilterand
thecarburetorarefacingup.
2. Removetheboltandthe bladebellsupportwhich
holdthebladeand the bladeadaptertotheengine
crankshaft,Figure5-2.
3. Removebladeandadapterfromthecrankshaft,
Figure5-2.
4. Thebladecan be sharpenedwitha fileor on a grind-
ingwheel.Donotattempttosharpenthe bladewhileit
isstillonthe mower.
F
Blade Bell Support / _,_ Bolt .........................
Figure5-2:Removethebolt,support,andadaptertoaccess
theblade.
Whensharpeningtheblade,followtheoriginalangle
ofgrind. Grindeachcuttingedgeequallyto keepthe
bladebalanced.
5. Totestforbalance,removebladeand balanceon
a roundshaftscrewdriver.Removemetalfromthe
heavysideuntilitbalancesevenly.
_ ARNING:Anunbalanced bladewill
causeexcessivevibration when rotating
at high speeds. It maycausedamage to
mower and could break causing personal
injury.
6. Lubricatetheenginecrankshaftandthe innersurface
ofthe bladeadapterwithlightoil. Slidethe blade
adapteronto the enginecrankshaft.
7. Placethe bladeon the adaptersuchthattheside
ofthe blademarked"Bottom"(orwithpart number)
facesthegroundwhenthemowerisintheoperating
position.Makesurethatthebladeisalignedand
seatedon the bladeadapterflanges.
8. Placebladebellsupportonthe blade.Alignnotches
on the bladebell supportwith smallholesinblade.
9. Replacehexboltandtightenhexboltto torque:450
in.Ibs.rain.,600 in.Ibs.max.
Toensuresafeoperationofyourmower,periodically
checkthebladeboltforcorrecttorque.
Replacing Rear Flap
1. Toremoverearflap,cutoff theflat endof the wirerod
whichsecuresitto thedeck,Figure5-3.
2. Attachthenewflapandnewrodto deck,bendingthe
endsof the newrodovertosecuretodeck.
Figure5-3:Cut wireto removerearflap.
Off-Season Storage
Thefollowingstepsshouldbetakento prepareyour
lawnmowerforstorage.
• Cleanandlubricatemowerthoroughlyasdescribed
inthe lubricationinstructions.
• Do not usea pressurewasherorgardenhoseto
cleanyourunit.
Refertoenginemanualforcorrectengine
storageinstructions.
Coatmower'scuttingbladewithchassisgreaseto
preventrusting.
Storemowerina dry,cleanarea.Donot storenext
tocorrosivematerials,suchas fertilizer.
Whenstoringanytypeof powerequipmentina poorly
ventilatedor metalstorageshed,careshouldbetaken
torust-prooftheequipment.Usinga lightoil or silicone,
coattheequipment,especiallycablesandall moving
partsofyourlawnmowerbeforestorage.
Your LaWn
MoWer
WARNING
When removing
the cuttingblade
for sharpening or
replacement, protect
your handswith a pair
of heavy glovesor use
a heavy rag to hold
the blade.
An unbalanced blade
will cause excessive
vibration when rotat=
ing at high speeds, it
may causedamage
to mower and could
break causing per-
sonal injury.
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