Servicing The Cutting Blades - Toro 74230 Operator's Manual

Servicing the Cutting Blades

Maintain sharp blades throughout the cutting season
because sharp blades cut cleanly without tearing or
shredding the grass blades. Tearing and shredding turns
grass brown at the edges, which slows growth and
increases the chance of disease.
Check the cutter blades daily for sharpness, and for any
wear or damage. File down any nicks and sharpen the
blades as necessary. If a blade is damaged or worn,
replace it immediately with a genuine TORO replacement
blade. For convenient sharpening and replacement, you
may want to keep extra blades on hand.
Danger
A worn or damaged blade can break, and a piece
of the blade could be thrown into the operator's
or bystander's area, resulting in serious personal
injury or death.
Inspect the blade periodically for wear or
damage.
Replace a worn or damaged blade.
Before Inspecting or Servicing the
Blades
Disengage the blade control (PTO) and set the parking
brake. Turn the ignition key to off. Remove the key and
disconnect the spark plug wire(s) from the spark plug(s).
Inspecting the Blades
1. Inspect the cutting edges (Fig 29). If the edges are not
sharp or have nicks, remove and sharpen the blades.
Refer to Sharpening the Blades on page 29.
2. Inspect the blades, especially the curved area (Fig. 29).
If you notice any damage, wear, or a slot forming in
this area (item 3 in Fig. 29), immediately install a new
blade.
Figure 29
1. Cutting Edge
2. Curved Area
Checking for Bent Blades
1. Rotate the blades until the ends face forward and
backward (Fig. 30). Measure from a level surface to
the cutting edge of the blades (Fig. 31). Note this
dimension.
Figure 30
MEASURE FROM CUT-
TING EDGE TO A LEV-
EL SURFACE
Figure 31
2. Rotate the opposite ends of the blades forward.
3. Measure from a level surface to the cutting edge of the
blades at the same position as in step 1 above. The
difference between the dimensions obtained in steps 1
and 2 must not exceed 1/8 inch (3 mm). If this
28
1
2
3
m–151
3. Wear/slot Forming
Front
m–1078
m–2539