Craftsman 944.364151 Owner's Manual page 13

REPAIR PARTS
20
LAWN MOWER
Always observe safety rules when per-
form ing any main te nance.
TIRES
• Keep tires free of gasoline, oil, or insect
control chemi cals which can harm rubber.
• Avoid stumps, stones, deep ruts, sharp
objects and other hazards that may
cause tire damage.
BLADE CARE
For best results, blade must be kept
sharp. Re place a bent or dam aged blade.
CAUTION: Use only a replacement
blade approved by the manufacturer of
your mower. Using a blade not approved
by the manufacturer of your mower is
hazardous, could damage your mower
and void your warranty.
TO REMOVE BLADE
1. Disconnect spark plug wire from spark
plug and place wire where it cannot
come in contact with plug.
2. Turn lawn mower on its side. Make
sure air filter and carburetor are up.
3. Use a wood block between blade and
mower hous ing to prevent blade from
turning when re mov ing blade bolt.
NOTE: Protect your hands with gloves
and/or wrap blade with heavy cloth.
4. Remove blade bolt by turning counter-
clockwise.
5. Remove blade and attaching hard ware
(bolt, lock wash er, hardened wash er).
NOTE: Remove the blade adapter and check
the key inside hub of blade adapter. The key
must be in good con di tion to work properly.
Replace adapter if damaged.
TO REPLACE BLADE
1. Position the blade adapter on the engine
crank shaft. Be sure key in adapter and
crankshaft keyway are aligned.
2. Position blade on the blade adapter
aligning the two (2) holes in the blade
with the raised lugs on the adapter.
3. Be sure the trailing edge of blade (op-
posite sharp edge) is up toward engine.
4. Install the blade bolt with the lock
washer and hardened washer into
blade adapter and crankshaft.
5. Use block of wood between blade and
lawn mower housing and tighten the
blade bolt, turning clockwise.
• The recommended tightening torque is
35–40 ft. lbs. (47–54 Nm).
IMPORTANT: Blade bolt is heat treated.
If bolt needs replacing, replace only with
approved bolt shown in the Repair Parts
section of this manual.
Blade adapter Key
Lockwasher
Blade
Blade
bolt Hardened
washer Trailing edge
TO SHARPEN BLADE
NOTE: We do not recommend sharp-
en ing blade - but if you do, be sure the
blade is balanced. An un bal anced blade
will cause eventual damage to lawn
mower or engine.
• The blade can be sharp ened with a file
or on a grinding wheel. Do not attempt
to sharpen while on the mower.
• To check blade balance, drive a nail into
a beam or wall. Leave about one inch of
the straight nail ex posed. Place center
hole of blade over the head of the nail.
If blade is balanced, it should remain in
a horizontal position. If either end of the
blade moves downward, sharpen the
heavy end until the blade is balanced.
GRASS CATCHER
• The grass catcher may be hosed with
water, but must be dry when used.
• Check your grass catcher often for dam-
age or de te ri o ra tion. Through normal use
it will wear. If catcher needs replacing,
replace only with ap proved replacement
catcher shown in the Repair Parts section
of this manual. Give the lawn mower model
number when ordering.
ENGINE
Maintenance, repair, or replacement of the
emission control devices and systems, which
are being done at the customers expense,
may be performed by any non-road engine
repair establishment or individual. Warranty
repairs must be performed by an authorized
engine manufacturer's service outlet.
LUBRICATION
Use only high quality detergent oil rated with
API service classification SG–SL. Select the
oil's SAE viscosity grade according to your
expected operating temperature.
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Crankshaft
keyway
Crankshaft