MTD 54M Operator's Manual page 11

_, ARNING:Whenremovingthe cuttingblade
for sharpening or replacement, protectyour
hands with a pairof heavy gloves or use a heavy rag
to hold the blade.
Periodically inspect t he bladeadapterfor cracks,
especiallyif youstrikea foreignobject. Replacewhen
necessary.Followthe stepsbelowfor blade service.
1. Disconnectsparkplug wirefrom spark plug.Turn
moweron itsside makingsurethat the air filter and
the carburetorare facing up.
2. Removethe boltand the bladebell supportwhich
hold the bladeand the bladeadapterto the engine
crankshaft.See Figure5-3.
3. Removebladeand adapterfromthe crankshaft.See
Figure5-3.
4. Removebladefrom the adapterfor testingbalance.
Balancethe bladeon a roundshaftscrewdriver to
check. Removemetalfrom the heavysideuntil it
balancesevenly.
Whensharpeningthe blade,followthe originalangle
of grind. Grindeachcuttingedge equallyto keepthe
blade balanced.
_ ARNING:An unbalanced blade will cause
excessive vibration when rotating at high
speeds. It may cause damageto mower and could
break causing personalinjury.
5. Lubricatetheenginecrankshaftand the inner surface
of the blade adapterwith lightoil. Slide the blade
adapteronto the enginecrankshaft.Placethe blade
on theadaptersuch that the sideof the blade marked
"Bottom"(or with part number)facesthe groundwhen
the mowerisin the operatingposition.Makesurethat
the blade is alignedand seatedon the blade adapter
flanges.
6. Placeblade bell supporton the blade.Align notches
on the bladebell 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.
Blade Bell Support / _,_,_, Bolt
Figure 5-3:Remove t hebolt,support, andadapter t oaccess
theblade.
Off-Season Storage
Thefollowingstepsshouldbe takento prepareyour
lawnmowerfor storage.
• Cleanand lubricatemowerthoroughlyas described
inthe lubricationinstructions.
• Do not usea pressurewasheror garden hoseto
cleanyourunit.
Coat mower'scuttingblade with chassisgreaseto
preventrusting.
Storemowerin a dry, cleanarea. Donot storenext
to corrosivematerials,suchas fertilizer.
Whenstoringanytype of powerequipmentin a poorly
ventilatedor metal storageshed, careshouldbe taken
to rust-prooftheequipment.Usinga lightoil or silicone,
coat theequipment,especiallycablesand all moving
parts of yourlawnmowerbeforestorage.
11
Maintaining
WARNING
When removing
the cutting blade
for sharpening or
replacement, protect
your hands with a pair
of heavy gloves or use
a heavy rag to hold
the blade.
An unbalanced blade
will cause excessive
vibration when rotat-
ing at high speeds. It
may cause damage
to mower and could
break causing per-
sonal injury.