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Inspecting And Sharpening
Blade
1. Raise cutting unit to highest position, shut the engine
off, and engage the parking brake.
2. Remove hairpin cotters and clevis pins securing
height-of-cut chains to rear of deck.
3. Rotate front of deck upward and insert latch rod into
front hole (service position) in latch plate.
4. Examine cutting ends of the blade carefully, especially
where the flat and curved parts of the blade meet (Fig.
32–A). Since sand and abrasive material can wear
away the metal that connects the flat and curved parts
of the blade, check the blade before using the machine.
If wear is noticed (Fig. 32–B), replace the blade: refer
to Removing Cutter Blade.
Danger
If blade is allowed to wear, a slot will form
between the sail and flat part of the blade
(Fig. 32–C). Eventually a piece of the blade may
break off and be thrown from under the housing,
possibly resulting in serious injury to yourself or a
bystander.
5. Inspect cutting edges of all blades. Sharpen the cutting
edges if they are dull or nicked. Sharpen only the top
of the cutting edge and maintain the original cutting
angle for best performance (Fig. 33). Make sure blade
is balanced after sharpening.
6. To check blade for being straight and parallel, lay
blade on a level surface and check its ends. Ends of
blade must be slightly lower than the center, and
cutting edge must be lower than the heel of the blade.
This blade will produce good quality of cut and require
minimal power from the engine. By contrast a blade
that is higher at the ends than the center, or if cutting
edge is higher than the heel, the blade is bent or
warped and must be replaced.
7. Install blade—sail facing (up) toward cutting
unit—with anti-scalp cup and blade bolt. Tighten
blade bolt to 85–110 ft.-lb.
Correcting Cutting Unit
Mismatch
If one cutter blade cuts lower than the others, correct as
follows:
1. Lower cutting unit onto a level surface, engage
parking brake, be sure traction pedal is in neutral
position, PTO switch in OFF, shut engine OFF, remove
key from switch and disconnect wires from spark
plugs. Make sure tire pressure is equal on all tires.
2. Raise height-of-cut to the 4 in. position; refer to
Adjusting Height-of-Cut, page 9.
3. Rotate blades so tips line up with one another. Tips of
the adjacent blades must be within 1/8 in. of each
other. If tips are not within 1/8 in. of each other,
proceed to step 8 and add shims between spindle
housing and bottom of cutting unit.
4. Position all three blades in the "A" position (Fig. 34)
and measure from level surface to the bottom of the tip
end of each blade (Fig. 35).
18
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