Mower Maintenance; Servicing The Cutting Blades - Toro 74785 Operator's Manual

Mower Maintenance

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.
WARNING
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
Park the machine on a level surface, disengage the
blade-control switch, ensure the parking brake is engaged,
stop the engine, and remove the key.
Inspecting the Blades
Service Interval: Before each use or daily—Check the
cutting blades.
1. Inspect the cutting edges
Note: If the edges are not sharp or have nicks, remove
and sharpen the blades; refer to
(page 37).
2. Inspect the blades, especially the curved area
41).
Note: If you notice any damage, wear, or a slot
forming in this area (item 3 in
install a new blade.
(Figure 41).
Sharpening the Blades
(Figure
Figure 41), immediately
1. Cutting edge
2. Curved area
Checking for Bent Blades
Note: The machine must be on a level surface for the
following procedure.
1. Raise the mower deck to the highest height-of-cut
position; also considered the 'transport' position.
2. While wearing thickly padded gloves, or other adequate
hand protection, slowly rotate the blade to be measure
into a position that allows effective measurement of the
distance between the cutting edge and the level surface
the machine is on
1
2
3
1. Deck
2. Spindle housing
35
Figure 41
3. Wear/slot forming
4. Damage
(Figure 42).
G014972
Figure 42
3. Blade