Mower Maintenance; Servicing The Cutting Blades - Toro 74380 TimeCutter Z4200 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.
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, and move the motion control levers
outward to the park position. Stop the engine, remove
the key, and disconnect the spark plug wire(s) from the
spark plug(s).
Inspecting the Blades
Service Interval: Before each use or daily—Check the
cutting blades.
1. Inspect the cutting edges (Figure 34). If the edges
are not sharp or have nicks, remove and sharpen the
blades; refer to Sharpening the Blades.
2. Inspect the blades, especially the curved area
(Figure 34). If you notice any damage, wear, or
a slot forming in this area (item 3 in Figure 34),
immediately install a new blade.
1. Cutting edge
2. Curved area
Checking for Bent Blades
1. Rotate the blades until the ends face forward and
backward (Figure 35). Measure from a level surface
to the cutting edge, position A, of the blades
(Figure 35). Note this dimension.
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. 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.
30
Figure 34
3. Wear/slot forming
Figure 35