Tractor; Brake Operation; Tires; To Sharpen Blade - Craftsman 917.259566 Owner's Manual

CUSTOMER RESPONSIBILITIES
TRACTOR
Alwaysobserve safety ruleswhen performingany mainte-
nance.
BRAKE OPERATION
If tractorrequires more than six (6) feet stoppingdistance
at highspeed in higbestgear, then brake mustbe adjusted.
(See 'I"O ADJUST BRAKE" in the Service and Adjust-
ments section of this manual).
TIRES
• Maintain proper air pressure in all tires (See "PROD-
UCT SPECIFICATIONS" on page 3 of this manual).
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.
NOTE: To seal tire punctures and prevent flat tires due to
slow leaks, tire sealant may be purchased from your local
parts dealer. Tire sealant also prevents tire dry rot and
corrosion.
BLADE CARE
For best results mower blades must be kept sharp, Re-
place bent or damaged blades,
BLADE REMOVAL (See Fig. 12)
Raise mower to highest position to a_lowaccess to
blades.
• Remove hex bolt, leckwasher andflatwasher securing
blade.
• Install new or resharpened blade with trailingedge up
towards deck as shown.
Reassemble hex bolt, lock washer and flat washer in
exact order as shown.
• Tighten bolt securely (30-35 Ft. Lbs. torque).
IMPORTANT: BLADEBOLTIS GRADE 8 HEATTREA]'ED.
NOTE: We do notrecommendsharpeningblade- but ifyou
do, be sure the blade is balanced.
BLADE _ MANDREL
IJA°SEMDLV
TRAIUNG EDGE
FLAT WASHER _ _ I
LOCK WASHER !
HEXeOLT.
GRADE,,
*A GRADE 8 HEAT TREATED BOLT CAN BE
IDENTIFIED BY SIX UNES ON THE BOLT HEAO.
FIG. 12
TO SHARPEN BLADE (See Fig. 13)
Care should be taken to keep the blade balanced. An
unbalancedbladewillcause excessivevibrationand even-
tual damage to mower and engine.
• The blade can be sharpenedwitha file or on a grinding
wheel. Do not attempttosharpen whileon the mower.
To check blade balance, you will need a 5/8" diameter
steel bolt,pin, or a cone belancer. (When usinga cone
balancer, follow the instructions-suppliedwith bal-
ancer).
• Slidebladeon to anunthreadedportionofthe steelbolt
or pin and holdthe boltor pin parallelwith the ground.
If blade is balanced, it should remain in a horizontal
position. If either end of the blade moves downward,
sharpen the heavy end untilthe blade is balanced.
NOTE: Do not use a nattfor balancingblade. The lobes of
the center hole may appear to be centered, but are not.
CENTER HOLE / /
,. ADE
OR PIN _
FIG. 13
16