Cutting Blades - Cub Cadet i1046 Operator's Manual

7. Movethedeck lift leverintothe top notchon the right •
fenderto raisedeck lift arms up and out of the way.
8. Carefullyslidethe cuttingdeck forwardand remove
the deck belt fromaroundthe tractor'sPTOpulleyon
the bottomof the engine.
9. Continueto roll the deck towardthefront of the tractor
until the frontdeck hanger rod canbe removedfrom °
the slotsof the hangerbracketat thefront of the deck.
10.Whileholdingthe front deck hangerrod upwarduntil
it clearsthe hangerbracketon the front of the deck,
carefullyslidethedeck out from the rightside of the
tractor.
Cutting
A
Blades
WARNING:Be sureto shut the engine
off, removeignition key,disconnect
thespark plugwire(s) to preventun-
intendedstartingbeforeremovingthe
cuttingblade(s)for sharpeningor re-
placement.Protectyour handsbyusing
heavyglovesor a ragto graspthe cut-
ting blade.
WARNING:Periodicallyinspect the
bladespindlesfor cracksor damage,
especiallyif you strikea foreign object.
Replaceimmediatelyif damaged.
The bladesmaybe removedas follows.
• Removethe deck from beneaththetractor,(referto
CuttingDeck Removal o n page 24) thengently flip the
deck overto exposeits underside.
A block of woodmay be placedbetweenthe deck
housingand the cuttingedge of the blade to help in
breakingloosethe hex nut securingthe blade.See
Figure23.
('I"- WoodBlock
Hex FlangeNut
SpindleAssembly
k,,.. j
Figure 23
Usea wrenchto loosenthehexflangenutthatsecures
thebladetothe spindle. H oldingthebladeontothestar
hubof thespindle, o r usinga second wrenchto hold
thenutatthetopof thespindle, s ecure the spindle and
remove theflangenutand cuttingblade.Repeat t o
remove theotherthreeblades.
Toproperlysharpenthe cuttingblades,remove
equalamountsof metalfrom bothendsof the blades
alongthe cuttingedges,parallelto the trailingedge,
at a 25oto 30oangle.
IMPORTANT:If the cuttingedgeof theblade has
alreadybeen sharpenedto within 1 5/8" from the edge,
or if anymetal separationis present,replacethe blades
with newones. See Figure24.
WindWing
Figure 24
• It is importantthat eachcuttingblade edge be
groundequallyto maintainproperblade balance.
A poorlybalancedbladewill causeexcessive
vibrationand maycausedamageto thetractorand
result in personalinjury.The bladecan be tested
by balancingit on a roundshaftscrewdriver. G rind
metalfrom the heavyside untilit balancesevenly.
• Whenreplacingtheblade,be sureto installthe
bladewith the side of the blademarked"Bottom" (or
with a part numberstampedin it) facingthe ground
whenthe moweris in the operatingposition.
IMPORTANT:Usea torquewrenchto tighten the blade
spindlehexflangenutto between70 foot-poundsand
90 foot-pounds.
WARNING
Use caution when
handling the cutting
blades. The sharp-
ened edges could
cause severe cuts to
your hands.
Shut tractor engine
off, remove ignition
key, and disconnect
the spark plug wire(s)
before proceeding
with job. Protect
your hands by using
heavy gloves or a rag
to graspthe cutting
blade
25