Blade Care; Blade Removal; Blade Sharpening; Blade Installation - Craftsman 247.370480 Operator's Manual

BLADE CARE
Whenremovingthe cuttingbladefor sharpeningor replacement,
protectyour handswith a pair of heavy glovesor use a heavyrag to
hold the blade.Be certainto stop motorand removekey.
Periodicallyinspect t he bladeadapterfor cracks,especiallyif you
strikea foreignobject.Replacewhen necessary.Followthe steps
belowfor bladeservice.
Blade Removal
.
f
Stopthe motorand removeignitionkey.Turnthe moweron its
side.
Placea 2x4block of woodapproximately 8.5" long betweenthe
deck housingand the cuttingbladeto act as a stabilizer. S ee
Figure12.
Block of Locking _ Blade
Wood Plate _ _"'Bolt
Figure12
3. Loosenand removethe bladebolt, lockingplate, and blade.See
Figure12.
Blade Sharpening
IMPORTANT:If any metalseparationispresent,replacethe blades
with new ones.
To properlysharpenthecutting blades,removeequalamountsof
metal from bothendsof the bladesalongthe cuttingedges,parallelto
the trailingedge,at a 250to 300angle.See Figure13.
f
Figure13
NOTE: It is importantthat eachcuttingblade edgebe groundequally
to maintainproperblade balance.A poorlybalancedbladewill cause
excessivevibrationand maycausedamageto the mowerand result
in personalinjury.The bladecan be testedby balancingit on a round
shaft screwdriver. G rindmetal from theheavy sideuntil it balances
evenly.
An unbalancedbladewill causeexcessivevibrationwhen rotating
at highspeeds.It maycausedamageto mowerandcould break
lcaus ng persona njury.
Blade Installation
1. Placethe cuttingblade,lockingplate,and blade bolton the motor
shaft and threadthe blade boltin fingertight.
NOTE: Makecertainto replacethe parts in the exactorder in which
they were removed. W hen installingthe cuttingblade,be sureit is
installedwith the curvedendspointingtowardsthe mowerdeck and
not towardsthe ground.
2. Torquethe blade boltdownusinga torquewrenchto assurethe
bolt is tightenedproperly.The recommended torquefor the blade
bolt is 170-220 in. Ibs.
Toensuresafe operationof your mower,periodicallycheckthe blade
bolt for correcttorque.
Theblade hardwareis notonly usedto attachthe bladeassembly,
but isalso an insulatedsafetydeviceand shouldneverbe alteredin
anyway.If replacement i s necessary,useoriginalequipmentparts as
shownin the parts list.
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