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Maintenance Instructions CHECKING/SERVICING
Charging the Battery
DANGER
BATTERIES PRODUCE EXPLOSIVE GASES
● Charge the battery in a well-ventilated
area, so that gases produced while
charg ing can dissipate.
● Keep sparks, ames, and smoking ma-
terials away from the battery at all
times.
● Make sure the battery cap vents are
open (check manifold vent on each
cap).
● Make sure the battery charger is un-
plugged before connecting or discon-
necting cables to the battery.
Check the battery charge by measuring the specic
gravity of electrolyte; if specic gravity is less than
1.225, the battery will need to be charged as follows:
1.
Charge the battery at 15 amps for 10 minutes.
DO NOT exceed 20 amps maximum recom-
mended charging rate. Charge until specic
gravity is at least 1.250. Total charging time
should not exceed one (1) hour.
2. After charging the battery, use distilled water to
adjust the electrolyte level to the bottom of the
vent wells [1/4 to 1/2 in. (6 to 13 mm) above the
plates].
Tire Pressure
Inate tires to pressures shown below:
Deck Caster Wheel* = 20 PSI (137 kPa)
Drive = 15 PSI (103 kPa)
Tailwheel = 20 PSI (137 kPa)
* If equipped with optional pneumatic tires
Wheel Bolt Torque
Check the eight (8) lug bolts that mount the drive
tires. Every 100 hours they should be torqued to
75 to 85 lb
·ft (102 to 115 N·m).
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 causes 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-o
solenoid before raising the mower deck to ser-
vice blades.
2. Raise the deck and secure it in the TILT-UP
position. Refer to CLEANING the Grass Build-
up in Mower Deck Housing in this section for
deck rais ing instructions.
DANGER
NEVER operate cutter blades with the
deck in the raised position.
NOTE: PTO shaft must be disconnected be-
fore checking blades for straightness.
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.
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