Cutting Blades - Craftsman Professional 247.88998 Operator's Manual

CUTTING BLADES
Shutthe engineoff and removeignitionkey beforeremovingthe
cutting blade(s)for sharpeningor replacement. P rotectyourhandsb
usingheavygloveswhengraspingthe blade.
Periodically inspectthe bladeand/or spindlefor cracksor damage,
especiallyafter you've strucka foreignobject.Do notoperatethe
machineuntil damagedcomponents are replaced.
Toremovethe blades,proceedas follows.
1. Removethedeck from beneaththe mower,(referto CuttingDeck
Removal e arlier in this section)thengently flip thedeck overto
exposeits underside.
2. Placea blockof woodbetweenthe centerdeck housingbaffle
and the cuttingbladeto act as a stabilizer.See Figure26.
F
J
Figure26
3. Removethehex flangenutthat securesthe blade to the spindle
assembly.See Figure26.
To properlysharpenthe cuttingblades,removeequalamounts
of metalfrom bothendsof the bladesalongthe cuttingedges,
parallelto the trailingedge,at a 250.to 300angle.Alwaysgrind
eachcutting bladeedge equallyto maintainproperblade balance.
See Figure27.
If the cuttingedgeof the blade has previouslybeen sharpened, o r if
any metalseparationis present,replacethe bladeswith newones.
A poorlybalancedbladewill causeexcessivevibration,maydamage
to the mowerand/or resultin personalinjury.
\
Figure27
5. Testthe blade'sbalanceusinga blade balancer.Grindmetalfrom
the heavyend untilthe bladebalancesevenly.
NOTE:Whenreplacingthe blade,be sureto installthe bladewith the
sideof the blademarked"Bottom" (or with a part numberstampedin
it)facing the groundwhenthe moweris in the operatingposition.
Usea torquewrenchto tightenthe bladespindlehexflangenutto
between70 Ibs-ftand 90 Ibs-ft.
Thecutting bladesmust be installedperpendicularto eachother. If
the bladescannot be installedperpendicular t o each other,the blade
timing beltmustbe reset.See yourSearsor otherqualifiedservice
dealerto havethe deck timingbelt reset.
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