MTD 550 Operator's Manual page 11

Withyourother h and, c arefully reach under t herear
oftheunitandremove thebelt f romaround the
engine flywheel pulley.
Remove thespindle sheaves beltguard by
removing t hetwoself-tapping screws which secure
ittotheblade plateassembly. SeeFigure 9.
Usetwowrenches ( one wrench toprevent thehex
bolthead fromspinning andtheothertoremove the
hexlocknutandbell w asher) t oremove theedger
blade. R efer t oFigure 10.
Remove anddiscard theedgerbladebutretain the
bellwasher a ndhexlocknut.
Install thereplacement edger blade, t hebell
washer ( cupped sidefacinginward)andthehex
locknutremoved e arlier.
IMPORTANT: Usea torque wrench totighten thehex
locknutto between 37foot-lbs, a nd50foot-tbs.
Reinstall thespindle beltguard withtheselftapping
screws removed earlier.
Carefully p lace thedrivebeltbackontotheengine
flywheel pulley, andretighten t heflange locknuton
thetopoftheframe.
IMPORTANT: Makecertain thatthedrivebeltisseated
correctly o nthebladespindle andthatitis riding
smoothly o nthespindle sheaves a ndis notpinched
between them.Repeat thefirstthreestepsifthebeltis
pinched.
Replacing the DriveBelt
IMPORTANT: To aid in reassembly, note the orientation
of the drive belt on the two idler pulleys and the engine
flywheel pulley prior to performing the following steps.
Refer to Figure 15.
Lock Nut
With your other hand, carefully reach under the rear
of the unit and remove the belt from around the
engine flywheel pulley.
Remove the spindle sheaves belt guard by
removing the two self-tapping screws which secure
it to the blade plate assembly. See Figure 9.
Carefully remove the belt from off of the pulleys,
again making sure to note the orientation of the
belt. Discard the belt.
Install the replacement belt (Part No. 754-04032) in the
same configuration that the original belt was routed as
follows:
Working from the front of the edger, place the belt
onto the spindle sheaves, route it back onto the two
idler pulleys, and then place it onto the engine
flywheel pulley.
IMPORTANT:Make certain that the "V" side of the belt is
seated into the top pulley and the flat side of the belt is
seated into the bottom pulley. See Figure 15.
Reinstall the spindle sheaves belt guard with the
self tapping screws removed earlier.
Make certain that the drive belt is on the engine
flywheel pulley and idler pulleys, and retighten the
flange lock nut on the top of the frame.
IMPORTANT: Make certain that the drive belt is seated
correctly and that it is riding smoothly on the spindle
sheaves and is not pinched between them. Repeat the
first three steps if the belt is pinched.
,_ WARNING: Never operate the edger without
the spindle sheaves belt guard in place.
Engine
Flywheel
of Belt Idh Sheaves
Belt Guard
Assembly of Belt
Figure 15
The edger drive belt is subject to wear and should be
replaced if any signs of cracking, shredding or rotting
are present. To replace the belt, proceed as follows:
Working in front of the edger, loosen the flange lock
nut on top of frame, allowing the idler pulley
assembly to pivot slightly out from the frame. See
Figure 15.
11