Blade Care - Craftsman 247.38909 Operator's Manual

DECK
WASH
Yourmower'sdeck is equippedwith a waterport on its surfaceas part
of its deckwash system.
Usethe deck washto rinsegrass clippingsfromthe deck'sunderside
and preventthe buildupof corrosivechemicals.Completethe following
stepsAFTEREACHMOWING:
1. Pushthe mowerto a level,clearspot on your lawn,near enough
for yourgardenhoseto reach.If attached,removethe grass bag.
house,garage,parkedcars,etc.
2. Threadthe hosecoupler(packagedwith yourmower'sOperator's
Manual)onto theend of your gardenhose.
3. Attachthehosecouplertothewaterportonyourdeck'ssurface.See
Figure19.
4. Turnthewateron.
5. Start the engineas describedin the Operationsection.
6. Runtheenginefora minimum oftwo minutes, a Nowing theunderside
of the cuttingdeck to thoroughlyrinse.
7. Releasebladecontrolto stopthe engineand blade.
8. Turnthewateroff anddetachthehosecouplerfromthewaterporton
yourdeck'ssurface.
After cleaningyourdeck, restartthe mower.Keepthe engineand
blade runningfor a minimumof two minutes,allowingthe undersideof
the cuttingdeck to thoroughlydry.
BLADE CARE
When removing the cutting bladefor sharpeningor replacement,
protectyour handswith a pair of heavyglovesor use a heavyrag to
holdthe blade.
Periodically inspectthe blade adapterfor cracks,especiallyif you
strikea foreignobject. Replacewhennecessary.Followthe steps
belowfor bladeservice.
1. Disconnect s parkplug bootfrom sparkplug.Turnmoweron its side
makingsurethat the air filter and the carburetorare facingup.
2. Remove theboltandthebladebellsupportwhichholdthebladeand
the bladeadaptertothe engine crankshaft.See Figure20.
3. Removebladeand adapterfrom the crankshaft.
4. Removebladefromtheadapterfortestingbalance. Balancetheblade
on a roundshaftscrewdriver to check. Removemetalfrom the
heavy sideuntil it balancesevenly.Whensharpeningthe blade,
followthe originalangle of grind.Grindeachcuttingedge equally
to keepthe blade balanced.
An unbalancedblade willcause excessivevibrationwhenrotatingat I
high speeds.It maycause damageto mowerand couldbreakcausing
I
persona njury. I
/
/
Figure19
............................. Support
@_ ........ Bolt
J
Figure20
5. Lubricatetheenginecrankshaftand the inner surfaceof the blade
adapterwith lightoil. Slidethe blade adapterontothe engine
crankshaft.Placethe bladeon the adaptersuch that the sideof
the blade marked"Bottom"(or with part number)facestheground
whenthe moweris in the operatingposition.Makesurethat the
bladeis alignedand seatedon theblade adapterflanges.See
Figure19inset.
6. Placeblade bell supporton theblade.Align notcheson the blade
bell supportwith smallholesin blade.
7. Replacehex boltand tightenhex boltto torque: 450 in. Ibs.rain.,
600 in. Ibs.max.
Toensuresafe operationof yourmower,periodically checkthe blade
boltfor correcttorque.
19