Sharpening The Blade; Installing The Blade; Removing The Mower - Toro 71257 Operator's Manual

1. Bolt
2. Retainer
3. Blade
4. Inspect all parts; replace any parts that are damaged.

Sharpening the Blade

1. Use a file to sharpen the cutting edge at both ends
of the blade (Figure 37). Maintain the original angle.
The blade retains its balance if you remove the same
amount of material from both cutting edges.
1. Sharpen at original angle
2. Check the balance of the blade by putting it on a
blade balancer (Figure 38). If the blade stays in a
horizontal position, the blade is balanced and can be
used. If the blade is not balanced, file some metal
off of the back side of the blade. Repeat this step
until the blade is balanced.
1. Blade

Installing the Blade

1. Install the blade, the blade retainer, the curved
washer (cupped side toward blade), and the blade
bolt (Figure 36).
Figure 36
4. Spindle
5. Curved washer
Figure 37
Figure 38
2. Balancer
Important: The curved part of the blade must
be pointing upward toward the inside of the
mower to ensure proper cutting.
2. Tighten the blade bolt to 45 to 60 ft-lb (61 to 81
N·m).

Removing the Mower

1. Park the tractor on a level surface.
2. Disengage the blade (PTO).
3. Shift the ground speed lever into Neutral.
4. Set the parking brake.
5. Stop the engine and wait for all moving parts to stop.
6. Remove the ignition key.
7. Disconnect the wire from the spark plug.
8. Move the height-of-cut lever into the "D" notch.
9. Remove the height-of-cut lift assist spring from
the retaining bolt (Figure 39), using the spring tool
provided with the tractor.
1. Spring
2. Bolt
Note: The spring is between the frame and the
right rear wheel.
When you remove the mower, the
spring-tensioned height-of-cut lever could
suddenly release and injure you or someone
else.
Move the height-of-cut lever to the "D" position
and remove the height-of-cut assist spring to
release the spring tension.
30
Figure 39
3. Spring tool