Mower Blade Maintenance; General Engine Maintenance - HUSTLER Z4 Owner's Manual

service life of an engine to cause a dusted engine.
Do not clean element, replace with a new element only.
Cleaning used air filter elements, through improper cleaning
procedures, can get dust on the inside of the filter causing dirt
ingestion and engine failure.
It is important to note that whenever an air filter element is
cleaned by any method, the person or company performing
the cleaning assumes responsibility for the integrity of the
filter from then on. The warranty for air filters expires
upon cleaning or servicing in any manner because the
condition of the filter after servicing is completely out of
their control. Therefore, on a dust ingested engine
failure, there will be no warranty consideration if the air
filter element has been cleaned or serviced in any manner.
A partially dirty air filter element works better than a new
element. Therefore, a dirty filter element is not bad for the
engine unless it is excessively restricting the air flow and
engine performance is affected. The reason is simple. The
media in the filter must be porous to allow air to pass through
it. When dirty air passes through the filter, the dirt plugs
some of the holes in the media and actually acts as part of the
filter media. When the next round of dirt enters, the first dirt
helps filter out even smaller particles making the filter more
efficient at stopping dirt from entering the engine. This is
referred to as barrier filtration.
Of course, at some point the filter media becomes too
clogged to allow air to pass.
The mowing conditions will determine the frequency of air
filter element changing.

General engine maintenance

Detailed instructions and recommendations for break-in
and regular maintenance are specified in the Engine Owner's
manual. Please refer to this manual for engine servicing,
lubricating oil levels
recommendations, bolt torques, etc. The engine warranty is
backed by the manufacturer. Special attention should be paid
to applicable data which will not be duplicated here.
Belts
Inspect belts frequently for wear and serviceability.
Replace a belt that shows signs of severe cuts, tears,
separation, weather checking and cracking, or burns caused
by slipping. Slight raveling of belt covering does not indicate
failure, trim ravelings with a sharp knife.
WARNING: If the pump belt fails, loss of control
will occur especially when operating on a slope. If
you lose steering control while operating the
machine, place the steering control levers in the
park brake position immediately. Inspect the
machine and involve your Hustler dealer to
resolve the problem before continuing to oper-
ate.
Inspect the belt pulley grooves and flanges for wear. A
new belt, or one in good condition, should never run against
the bottom of the groove. Replace the pulley when this is the
case, otherwise belt will lose power and slip excessively.
Never pry a belt to get it on a pulley as this will cut or
602223_0609
with quality and viscosity
damage the fibers of the belt covering.
Keep oil and grease away from belts, and never use belt
dressings. Any of these will destroy the belt composition in a
very short time.

Mower blade maintenance

Check the mower blades daily, they are the key to power
efficiency and well groomed turf. Keep them sharp, a dull
blade will tear rather than cut the grass, leaving a brown
ragged top on the grass within a few hours. A dull blade also
requires more power from the engine.
Replace any blade which is bent, cracked or broken.
WARNING: Never attempt to straighten a bent
blade by heating, or weld a cracked or broken blade
as the blade may break and cause serious injury.
Replace worn or damaged blades.
DANGER: Never work with blades while engine is
running or deck clutch switch is engaged (on).
Always place deck clutch switch in the disengaged
position, place control levers in the park brake posi-
tion and turn engine off and disconnect negative
battery cable. Block up mower when you must
work under it. Wear gloves when handling blades.
Always check for blade damage if mower strikes
rock, branch or other foreign object during mow-
ing!
WARNING: Always wear adequate eye protection
when grinding mower blades.
Do not sharpen to original pattern (below). It is
easier to get a straight cutting edge following
the resharpening pattern shown above.
9-5
Resharpening
pattern
Bladeshp.eps
Original edge
Figure 9-7