Mower Blade Maintenance - Land Pride ZT72 Service Manual

Land Pride
Section 2: Maintenance & Lubrication

Mower Blade Maintenance

Blade Inspection
Check mower blades daily. They are the key to power
efficiency and well groomed turf. Keep them sharp,.A dull
blade will tear rather than cut grass, leaving a brown
ragged top on the grass within a few hours. A dull blade
also requires more power from the engine.
Replace any blade which is bent, cracked or broken.
!
WARNING
DO NOT try to straighten a blade that is bent. Never weld a
broken or cracked blade. ALWAYS replace with a new Land
Pride blade to assure safety.
!
DANGER
Never work with blades while engine is running or blade is
engaged. Always place blade engagement switch in the down
(Off) position, place both control levers in park position and
turn engine off. Block up mower when you must work under it.
Wear gloves when handling blades. Always check for blade
damage if mower strikes rock, branch or other foreign object
during mowing!
Blade Removal and Installation
IMPORTANT: Blade mounting bolts have right hand
threads. Turn blade bolts counterclockwise to loosen
and clockwise to tighten.
1. Remove blades by grasping the blade end with a rag
or thick padded glove while loosening the blade
mounting bolt.
2. With a 11/16" wrench, remove the 1/2" center blade
bolt and Washer from the bottom of the blade.
IMPORTANT: Replace blades with Land Pride
blades only.
IMPORTANT: Always install blades with cutting
edge facing direction of blade spindle rotation and
with wing tips pointing up towards bottom of deck.
3. Reinstall blade, blade washer and bolt. Care should
be taken when installing the blade bolt to not get it
cross threaded.
4. Tighten blade bolt to 135 ft-lbs. of torque.
Blade Sharpening
!
CAUTION
ALWAYS wear eye protection and gloves when sharpening a
blade.
10/11/06
NOTE: Care should be taken in order not to remove
any more material than necessary to sharpen blade.
1. If the blade cutting edge is dull or nicked, it should be
replaced or sharpened.
2. Clean blade, blade washer and mounting surface of
all debris before replacing or sharpening.
3. Sharpen blades on a grinder following pattern as
shown in Figure 2-19. Grind cutting edge at the same
bevel (27 1/2 degrees) as the original. Sharpen only
the top of the cutting edge to maintain sharpness.
Touch-up sharpening can be done with a file.
19074
Do not sharpen to original pattern (below).
It is easier to get a straight cutting edge following
the re sharpening pattern shown above.
19075
4. Balance of a blade is generally maintained by
removing an equal amount of material from each end
of the blade when sharpening. Check blade balance
by positioning the blade horizontally on a nail or shaft
through the center hole. See Figure 2-20. 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. If
blade is out of balance, true it up before reinstalling.
19046
ZT60 and ZT72 Zero Turn Radius Mowers Riding Mowers Accu-Z
Resharpening Pattern
Original Edge
Blade Resharpening
Figure 2-19
HORIZONTAL
NAIL OR SHAFT
Blade Balancing
Figure 2-20
®
357-103SM 19