Mower Deck Maintenance; Servicing The Cutting Blades - Toro 74920 Operator's Manual

Mower Deck
Maintenance

Servicing the Cutting Blades

Maintain sharp blades throughout the cutting season
because sharp blades cut cleanly without tearing or
shredding the grass blades. Tearing and shredding turns
grass brown at the edges, which slows growth and
increases the chance of disease.
Check the cutter blades daily for sharpness, and for any
wear or damage. File down any nicks and sharpen the
blades as necessary. If a blade is damaged or worn,
replace it immediately with a genuine Toro replacement
blade. For convenient sharpening and replacement, you
may want to keep extra blades on hand.
WARNING
A worn or damaged blade can break, and a piece
of the blade could be thrown into the operator's
or bystander's area, resulting in serious personal
injury or death.
• Inspect the blade periodically for wear or
damage.
• Replace a worn or damaged blade.
Before Inspecting or Servicing the
Blades
Park the machine on a level surface, disengage the blade
control switch (PTO), and set the parking brake. Turn
the ignition key to Off. Remove the key.
Inspecting the Blades
Service Interval: Before each use or daily
1. Inspect the cutting edges (Figure 61). If the edges
are not sharp or have nicks, remove and sharpen the
blades. Refer to Sharpening the Blades.
2. Inspect the blades, especially the curved area
(Figure 61). If you notice any damage, wear, or a slot
forming in this area (Figure 61), immediately install a
new blade.
1. Cutting Edge
2. Curved Area
Checking for Bent Blades
Note: The machine must be on a level surface for the
following procedure.
1. Raise the mower deck to the highest height-of-cut
position; also considered the 'transport' position.
2. While wearing thickly padded gloves or other
adequate hand protection slowly rotate blade to
be measured into a position that allows effective
measurement of the distance between the cutting
edge and the level surface the machine is on.
1
2
3
1. Deck
2. Spindle housing
3. Measure from the tip of the blade to the flat surface
here.
47
Figure 61
3. Wear/slot Forming
4. Crack
G014972
Figure 62
3. Blade