Blade Care - Craftsman 247.377300 Operator's Manual

DeckWash
Your m ower'sdeckisequippedwithawaterport on its surface aspartof its deck
washsystem.
Use the deckwashto rinsegrass clippingsfrom thedeck'sunderside andprevent
the buildupof corrosive chemicals. Complete the followingstepsAFTER E ACH
MOWING:
Push the mowertoa level,clearspoton yourlawn,nearenough for your
garden hoseto reach.Remove t he grassbagif attached.
Makecertain the mower'sdischarge c huteisdirected AWAY from your
house, g arage,parkedcars,etc.
2. Thread t hehose coupler (packaged withyourmower's O perator's Manual)
ontotheend ofyourgarden hose.
3. Attach thehose coupler tothewater portonyourdeck's s urface. See Figure
24.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Turnthe wateron.
Starttheengineasdescribed in the Operation section.
Run the enginefor aminimumof two minutes, a llowingthe underside of the
cuttingdeckto thoroughlyrinse.
Release b ladecontrol t o stopthe engineandblade.
Turnthe wateroff anddetachthe hosecouplerfromthe waterport onyour
deck's surface.
Aftercleaning yourdeck,restartthe mower.Keep the engineandbladerunning
fora minimumof two minutes,allowingthe underside ofthe cuttingdeckto
thoroughlydry.
Blade Care
When removingthe cutting bladefor sharpeningor replacement,protect
your hands with apair of heavyglovesor usea heavyragto holdthe blade.
Periodically inspect t he bladeadapter f or cracks, especially if youstrikeaforeign
object.Replace w hen necessary. Followthe stepsbelowfor bladeservice.
1. Disconnect sparkplugbootfrom sparkplug.Turnmoweron its sidemaking
surethat the airfilter andthe carburetor a refacingup.
2. Remove t he bolt andthe bladebellsupportwhichhold the bladeandthe
bladeadapter t o the enginecrankshaft. S eeFigure 25.
3. Remove b ladeandadapterfrom the crankshaft.
4. Remove b ladefrom the adapter f ortestingbalance. B alance t he bladeona
roundshaftscrewdriver t o check. R emove metalfrom the heavysideuntil
it balances e venly.When sharpening the blade,followthe originalangleof
grind.Grindeachcuttingedgeequallyto keepthe bladebalanced.
An unbalancedbladewill causeexcessive vibration when rotating at high
speeds.It maycausedamageto mower andcould breakcausingpersonal
injury.
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Figure24
J
Blade
BladeBellSupp_ .......... _ _--_-- Bolt
J
Rgure 25
5. Lubricate the engine crankshaft a ndthe innersurface of the bladeadapter
with light oil.Slidethe bladeadapter o ntothe enginecrankshaft. P lace the
bladeonthe adaptersuchthatthe sideof the blademarked "Bottom"(or
with part number) faces the groundwhenthe mowerisin theoperating
position.Makesurethatthe bladeisalignedandseated on the bladeadapter
flanges.SeeFigure 25inset.
6. Place bladebellsupportonthe blade.Alignnotches on the bladebell
supportwith smallholesin blade.
7. Replace h exbolt andtightenhexbolt to torque:450in. Ibs.min.,600in.Ibs.
max.
Toensure s afe operation o fyourmower, periodically check t heblade boltforcorrect
torque.
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