MTD 11A-508H731 Operator's Manual page 11

Blade Care f
Figure 5
,__ WARNING: When removing the
cutting blade for sharpening or
-- replacement, protect your hands
with a pair of heavy gloves or use
a heavy rag to hold the blade.
Periodicallyinspectthe blade adapterfor cracks,
especiallyif you strikea foreignobject.Replacewhen
necessary.Followthe stepsbelowfor bladeservice.
1. Disconnectsparkplug wirefrom spark plug.Turn
moweron its sidemaking surethat theair filter and
the carburetorare up.
2. Removethe boltand the blade bell supportwhich
hold the bladeand the blade adapterto the engine
crankshaft.See Figure5.
3. Removebladeand adapterfrom the crankshaft.
4. The bladecan be sharpenedwith a file or on a
grindingwheel.Do notattemptto sharpenthe blade
whileit is still on the mower.
5. Whensharpeningthe blade,followthe originalangle
of grind.Grindeach cuttingedgeequallyto keepthe
blade balanced.
.
7.
Removebladefrom the adapterfor testingbalance.
Balancethe bladeon a roundshaft screwdriver to
check. Removemetal fromthe heavy sideuntil it
balancesevenly.
,__ WARNING: An unbalanced blade
will cause excessive vibration
when rotating at high speeds.
it may cause damage to mower,
and could break causing per-
sonal injury.
Off-Season Storage
Thefollowingstepsshouldbe taken to prepareyourlawn
mowerfor storage.
1. Cleanand lubricatemowerthoroughlyas describedin
thelubricationinstructions.
2. Wedo not recommend the useof a pressurewasher
or gardenhoseto clean yourunit.
3. Referto enginemanualfor correctengine
storageinstructions.
4. Coatmower'scuttingbladewith chassisgreaseto
preventrusting.
5. Storemowerin a dry, cleanarea.Do not storenext to
corrosivematerials, s uch as fertilizer.
Whenstoringany type of powerequipmentin a poorly
ventilatedor metalstorageshed,care shouldbe takento
rust-proofthe equipment.Usinga lightoil or silicone,coat
theequipment,especiallycables and all movingparts of
yourlawnmowerbeforestorage.
8. Lubricatethe enginecrankshaftand the innersurface
of the bladeadapterwith lightoil. Slide the blade
adapterontothe enginecrankshaft.
9. Placethe bladeon theadaptersuchthat the side
of the blade marked"Bottom"(or with part number)
facesgroundwhenthe moweris in theoperating
position.Makesurethat the bladeis alignedand
seatedon bladeadapterflanges.
10.Placeblade bell supporton the blade.Align notches
on the blade bell supportwith small holesin blade.
11.Replacehexbolt and tightenhex boltto torque:450
in. Ibs.rain.,600 in. Ibs. max.
Toensuresafeoperationof your mower,periodically
checkthe bladebolt for correcttorque.
11
M oWe r
WARNING
When removing
the cutting blade
for sharpening or
replacement, protect
your hands with a
pair of heavy gloves
or use a heavy rag to
hold the blade.
An unbalanced blade
will cause excessive
vibration when rotat-
ing at high speeds, it
may cause damage
to mower, and could
break causing per-
sonal injury.