MTD 550 Operator's Manual page 9

Remove the spindle sheaves belt guard by
removing the two self-tapping screws which secure
it to the blade plate assembly. See Figure 9.
; Blade Plate
Belt Guard
Sheaves
Note: Wheel and blade styles vary by model.
Figure 9
Use two wrenches (one wrench to prevent the hex
bolt head from spinning and the other to unthread
the hex lock nut) to remove the hex lock nut and
bell washer that secure the edger blade, leaving the
edger blade in place. See Figure 10.
/
Hex Bolt Head Hex Eock Nut
Note: Wheel styles vary by model.
Figure 10
Install the flat washer (part no. 736-04088) and the
triplex edger blade (part no. 781-0748) that are
packed separately in the box.
Secure with the bell washer and the hex lock nut
removed earlier. See Figure 11.
>
Bell Washer
1
Hex Lo_k Nut
Figure 11
IMPORTANT: Use a torque wrench to tighten the hex
lock nut to between 37 foot-tbs, and 50 foot-lbs.
Reinstall the spindle belt guard with the self tapping
screws removed earlier.
Carefully place the drive belt back onto the engine
flywheel pulley, and retighten the flange lock nut on
the top of the frame.
IMPORTANT: Make certain that the drive belt is seated
correctly on the blade spindle 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.
Set the bevel adjustment lever (refer to Figure 5) in
the center notch to place the edger blade in a 90 °
position (see Figure 7) and place the blade depth
control lever in the lowest position.
IMPORTANT: For best results, proceed slowly along the
path being trenched, slowly moving the edger back and
forth through the cutting area.
NOTE: Utilizing this feature will enable you to create a
wider cutting path for such things as laying wire for
landscape lighting or invisible fences.
EdgingAlongA Curb(modelsso
equipped)
NOTE: Edgerfeatures vary by model. All edger models
do NOT come equipped to edge along a curb nor is
there a curb wheel kit available to modify your edger if it
was not purchased equipped to do so.
On models so equipped, the right, rear wheel of the
edger can be lowered into one of five positions to ease
the task of edging along a curb.
To adjust the height of the curb wheel, proceed as
follows: