Maintaining Your Lawn Mower; Maintaining The Blade - MTD 410 Series Operator's Manual

SECTION 7:
_ ARNING"
Be sure to disconnect and
ground the spark plug wire before performing
any repairs or maintenance.
Maintaining theBlade
• Periodically inspect the blade adapter for cracks,
especially if the mower strikes a foreign object.
Replace blade if crack or any damage is found.
MAINTAINING YOUR LAWNMOWER
BladeMountingTorque:
Center Bolt: 450 in. Ibs. min., 600 in. Ibs. max.
IMPORTANT: To ensure safe operation of your unit,
periodically check all nuts and bolts and tighten if
necessary.
_i WARNING" When removing the cutting
blade for sharpening or replacement, protect
hands by using heavy gloves or a rag to grasp
the cutting blade.
Remove the bolt and bell support which hold the
blade and adapter to the engine crankshaft. See
Figure 14. Remove the blade and adapter from the
crankshaft.
DeckCare
NOTE: We do not recommend the use of pressure
washers or garden hose to clean your unit. These may
cause damage to electric components, spindles,
pulleys, bearings or the engine. Use of water will
shorten life of the mower and reduce its serviceability.
Tilt the mower and scrape underside of the deck
after each use to remove grass clippings, leaves or
dirt. If this debris is allowed to accumulate, the deck
may start to rust.
Crankshaft
Blade
Adapter
. Bell
Support
Hex Bolt
Figure 15
• When sharpening the blade, follow the original
angle of grind. Grind each cutting edge equally to
keep the blade balanced. An unbalanced blade will
cause excessive vibration when rotating at high
speed. This may damage the mower and/or cause
personal injury.
• The blade can be tested by balancing it on a round
shaft screwdriver. Always remove blade from the
adapter for testing balance. Remove metal from the
heavy side until it balances evenly.
• Before reassembling the blade and the blade
adapter to the unit, lubricate the engine crankshaft
and the inner surface of the blade adapter with light
oil (or engine oil). Also lubricate the bolt holes, bolts
and inner surface of the nuts.
• Install the blade adapter on the crankshaft with the
"star" away from the engine. 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 tabs in the holes of the blade
and insert the hex bolt. Tighten the hex bolt to the
torque listed here.
Replacing RearFlap
• To remove rear flap, cut off the flat end of the wire
rod which secures it to the deck. See Figure 16.
• Attach the new flap and new rod to deck, bending
the ends of the new rod over to secure to deck.
DoorRear Discharge __
Handle __
Bracket
Bracket
\,
\
Rear
Flap
Figure 16
Engine
A list of key engine maintenance jobs required for good
performance by the mower is given below. Follow the
accompanying engine manual for detailed list and
instructions.
Maintain engine oil level as instructed in engine
manual.
Service air cleaner every 25 hours under normal
conditions. Clean every few hours under extremely
dusty conditions. Poor engine performance and
flooding usually indicates that the air cleaner should
be serviced. To service the air cleaner, refer to the
engine manual.
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