Mower Deck Maintenance; Servicing The Cutting Blades - Toro 38696 Operator's Manual

Mower Deck
Maintenance

Servicing the Cutting Blades

To ensure a superior quality of cut, keep the blades
sharp. For convenient sharpening and replacement, you
may want to keep extra blades on hand.
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 bail 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 (Figure 45). If the edges
are not sharp or have nicks, remove and sharpen the
blades. Refer to Sharpening the Blades.
Figure 45
1. Cutting Edge
2. Sail
2. Inspect the blades, especially the curved area
(Figure 45). If you notice any damage, wear, or
a slot forming in this area (item 3 in Figure 45),
immediately install a new blade.
Checking for Bent Blades
1. Rotate the blades until the ends face forward and
backward (Figure 46).
3. Wear/slot forming in
curved area
4. Crack in the curved area
1. Measure from cutting edge to a level surface
2. Measure from a level surface to the cutting edge,
position A, of the blades (Figure 47). Note this
dimension.
3. Rotate the opposite ends of the blades forward.
4. Measure from a level surface to the cutting edge of
the blades at the same position as in step 1. The
difference between the dimensions obtained in steps
1 and 2 must not exceed 1/8 inch (3 mm). If this
dimension exceeds 1/8 inch (3 mm), the blade is
bent and must be replaced. Refer to Removing the
Blades and Installing the Blades.
A blade that is bent or damaged could break
apart and could seriously injure or kill you or
bystanders.
• Always replace bent or damaged blade with
a new blade.
• Never file or create sharp notches in the
edges or surfaces of blade.
Removing the Blades
Replace the blades if you hit a solid object or if the
blades are out of balance or bent. To ensure optimum
performance and continued safety conformance of
the machine, use genuine Toro replacement blades.
Replacement blades made by other manufacturers may
result in non-conformance with safety standards.
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Figure 46
Figure 47