58
Maintenance Instructions CHECKING/SERVICING
3. Replace ller caps.
IMPORTANT: DO NOT overll the battery. Electro-
lyte will overow through the vent tube onto parts of
the machine and WILL result in severe corrosion.
Cleaning the Terminals
If battery terminals are corroded, remove battery
from the mower. Using a wire brush, remove corro-
sion with a solution of one part baking soda and
four parts water. Rinse with clean water. Coat the
terminals with petroleum jelly or terminal protector
spray to retard further corrosion.
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 drinking 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)
Wheel Nut Torque
Check the eight (8) Drive Tire mounting nuts. Every
100 hours they should each 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 spark plug wire before raising the
mower deck to service blades.
2. Raise the deck and secure it in the TILT-UP
position (refer to Deck Secured in TILT-UP Po-
sition photo in CLEANING of Grass Buildup
in Mower Deck Housing in this section).
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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