Toro 74603 - Removing the Blades

shar pen the blades; refer to Shar pening the
Blades .
2. Inspect the blades , especially the cur v ed area
( Figure 35 ). If y ou notice any damag e , w ear , or
a slot for ming in this area (item 3 in Figure 35 ),
immediately install a new blade .
Figure 35
1. Cutting edge 3. Wear/slot forming
2. Curved area
Checking for Bent Blades
1. Diseng ag e the blade control switc h and mo v e
the control lev ers to the neutral loc k ed position
and apply the parking brak e .
2. Stop the engine , remo v e the k ey , and w ait for
all mo ving par ts to stop before lea ving the
operating position.
3. R otate the blades until the ends face forw ard
and bac kw ard ( Figure 36 ). Measure from a
lev el surface to the cutting edg e of the blades
( Figure 37 ). Note this dimension.
Figure 36
Figure 37
4. R otate the opposite ends of the blades forw ard.
5. Measure from a lev el surface to the cutting
edg e of the blades at the same position as
in ste p 3 abo v e . T he difference betw een the
dimensions obtained in ste ps 3 and 4 m ust not
ex ceed 1/8 inc h (3 mm). If this dimension
ex ceeds 1/8 inc h (3 mm), the blade is bent
and m ust be re placed; refer to R emo ving the
Blades and Installing the Blades .
A blade that is bent or dama ged could
br eak apar t and could seriousl y injur e or
kill y ou or bystander s.
• Al w ays r eplace bent or dama ged
blade with a new blade.
• Nev er file or cr eate shar p notches in
the edges or surf aces of blade.
Removing the Blades
T he blades m ust be re placed if a solid object is
hit, if the blade is out of balance , or the blade
is bent. T o ensure optim um perfor mance and
contin ued safety confor mance of the mac hine , use
g en uine T oro re placement blades . R e placement
blades made b y other man ufacturers ma y result in
non-confor mance with safety standards .
Hold the blade end using a rag or thic kly-padded
glo v e . R emo v e the blade bolt, cur v ed w asher , and
blade from the spindle shaft ( Figure 38 ).
Figure 38
1. Sail area of blade 3. Curved washer
2. Blade 4. Blade bolt
Sharpening the Blades
1. Use a file to shar pen the cutting edg e at both
ends of the blade ( Figure 39 ). Maintain the
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