Servicing The Blade - Toro 70185 Operator's Manual

Servicing the Blade

To ensure a superior quality of cut, keep the blade sharp.
For convenient sharpening and replacement, you may want
to have an extra blade.
Danger
A worn or damaged blade can break, and a piece
of the blade could be thrown into the operator's or
bystander's area, resulting in serious personal
injury or death.
Inspect the blade periodically for wear or
damage.
Replace a worn or damaged blade.
Inspecting the Blade
1. Inspect the cutting edges (Fig. 27). If the edges are not
sharp or have nicks, remove the blade and sharpen
them; refer to Sharpening the Blade on page 29.
Figure 27
1. Cutting edge
2. Curved area
2. Inspect the blade, especially the curved area (Fig. 27). If
you notice any damage, wear, or a slot forming in this
area (Fig. 27), immediately install a new blade.
1
2
3
m-151
3. Wear/slot forming
29
Removing the Blade
1. Stop the engine and wait for all moving parts to stop.
2. Remove the ignition key.
3. Disconnect the wire from the spark plug.
4. Shift the transaxle into first gear.
5. Set the parking brake.
6. Grasp the end of the blade using a rag or thickly padded
glove. Then remove the blade bolt, curved washer,
blade stiffener, and blade (Fig. 28). A block of wood
may be wedged between the blade and the mower to
lock the blade when you are removing the bolt.
3
Figure 28
1. Blade
2. Blade stiffener
Sharpening the Blade
1. Use a file to sharpen the cutting edge at both ends of the
blade (Fig. 29). Maintain the original angle. The blade
retains its balance if the same amount of material is
removed from both cutting edges.
1
Figure 29
1. Sharpen at original angle
2
1
3. Blade bolt and curved
washer
m-1854