Cub Cadet 18M Operator's Manual page 14

5
Maintenance
WARNING
When removing
the cutting blade
for sharpening or
replacement, protect
your hands with a
pair of heavy gloves
or use a heavy rag to
hold the blade.
An unbalanced blade
will cause excessive
vibration when rotat-
ing at high speeds. It
may cause damage
to mower, and could
break causing per-
sonal injury.
Cutting grass in sandy
soil condition causes
abrasive wear to the
blade.
9. Install the blade adapter on the crankshaft with the
"star" away from the engine. See Figure 5-2. Place
the blade with the side marked "bottom" (or with part
number) facing away from the adapter. .Align the
blade bell support over the blade with the tabs in the
holes of the blade and insert the hex bolt.
10. Tighten the hex bolt to the torque listed below:
Blade Mounting Torque
Center Bolt 450 in. lb. min., 600 in.lb. max.
To insure safe operation of your unit, ALL nuts and bolts
must be checked periodically for correct tightness.
Belt Care
1. Disconnect the spark plug wire and ground it against
the engine.
2. Drain the fuel tank or place a piece of plastic
beneath the cap to prevent gasoline leakage.
3. Tip mower on its side (air cleaner side of engine up).
4. Remove blade, adapter, and related hardware as
described previously.
5. a. Remove the self-tapping screws that secures
the engine baffle to the deck . See Figure 5-4.
Remove engine baffle.
b. Loosen self-tapping screw that secures deck
baffle to the deck. See Figure 5-4.
6. a. Working from the rear of the mower, carefully
remove belt from transmission pulley.
b. Once belt is off transmission pulley, push down on
deck baffle to access engine pulley and slide belt
off this pulley and out from under the deck. See
Figure 5-5.
7. Replace with new belt, working it between the deck
and baffle, first around the transmission pulley and
then the engine pulley.
NOTE: Make certain that belt is seated correctly and
that it is riding smoothly on the engine pulley and is not
pinched between the lower and upper pulley halves.
8. Tighten self-tapping screw securing deck baffle
loosened earlier.
9. Replace engine baffle and secure with self tapping screws.
10. Replace blade, blade adapter, and associated
hardware. Follow instructions in Blade Care section
for proper assembly.
11. Tip mower back onto its wheels and remove piece of
plastic from under gas cap (if applicable).
Figure 5-3
B
Figure 5-4
Replacing Battery (If Equipped)
WARNING: Batteries contain sulfuric
acid which may cause burns. Do not
short circuit or mutilate batteries in any
way. Do not put batteries in fire as these
may burst or release toxic materials.
1. Loosen round handle knobs securing upper and lower
handles and carefully fold the upper handle down
toward the lower handle as shown in Figure 5-5.
2. Remove the two screws securing battery cover to
battery housing and place them to the side. See Figure
5-5.
3. Open battery cover, remove positive and negative
leads from battery, remove and replace with new
battery. See Figure 5-6. Connect the positive lead to
the positive side of the battery pack, then connect the
negative side.
NOTE: The battery you have may differ slightly from the
one shown in Figure 5-6. Refer to the Parts List.
14
B
A
A