Operator's Manual

6.Atthebeginningofthecuttingday,whenthereels
arecold,engagethereelthrowoutknobs(Figure8).
Operatethemowersfor15to20minutessothe
bedknifeandreelreachnormaloperatingtemperature;
thenstoptheoperation.Next,disengagethereel
throwoutknobsandspinthereelbackward.A
whisperingsound,notclicking,shouldbeemitted,and
thisassuresthecorrectadjustment.Ifawhispering
soundisnotheard,thebedknifeandreelmustbe
readjusted;refertosteps3–5.Bycontrast,whenthe
reelsarewarmfrombeingused,useonlysteps1–5
tomaintainlightcontactbetweenthebedknifeand
thereel.
Important:Neveradjustthebedknifetothereel
forlightcontactifthemowersarecoldbecausethe
increaseintemperatureduringoperationcould
causethemetaltoexpandandresultinheavy
contact.Heavycontactcausesunevenbedknife
wearandpoorqualityofcut.However,light
contactbetweenthebedknifeandthereel,which
isdesirable,minimizesthewearandkeepsthe
cuttingedgessharp.Adjustforlightcontactevery
fourhoursorsooner,eventhoughqualityofcutis
acceptable.Whenmowersareoperatedinsparse
grassorthetemperatureoftheairishigh,the
adjustmentforlightcontactmustbecheckedeven
morefrequentlytoavoidheavycontactbetween
thebedknifeandreel.Ifmowersarenotoperated
forashorttime,onehourafteranyuse,checkfor
lightcontactafterresumingoperationfor15to20
minutes;refertosteps1–6.
OperatingTips
1.MowingSpeed–Themowerisdesignedtocutgrass
wellatanygroundspeedbetween1.6and9.66km/hr
(1and6mph)butformostturfconditions,ground
speedsof6.4–9.66km/hr(4–6mph)producethe
bestqualityofcut.Groundspeed,however,mustbe
reducedwhenturningbecauseexcessivespeedwill
causetheoutsidemowerstobounceandskiponthe
turf.Excessiveheat,causedbythereelspinningtoo
fast,canalsodamagethebedknifeandreel.Sincethe
grasslubricatesthebedknifeandreelduringoperation,
slowdownwhencuttingsparsegrass,extremelydry
grass,orwhentrimming.Anylackorsignicant
reductionoflubricationproducesexcessiveheat
build–upandsubsequently,heavycontactbetweenthe
bedknifeandthereel,whichresultsinunevenbedknife
wearandpoorqualityofcut.Therefore,reelsmustbe
disengagedandstoppedbeforemowersaretransported
acrossparkinglots,roads,orwheneverthelubrication
isminimal.
2.Height–of–Cut–Todeterminetheeffective
height–of–cut,thelengthofthegrasstobecutmustbe
checked.Theheight–of–cutshouldbesetandtheturf
mowedfrequentlysonomorethan1/3oftheleafis
cutoff.Ifthemowerisequippedwithpneumatictires,
pressuremustbemaintainedat241.3kpa(35psi).Low
tirepressurecancausebedknifetodipintothegrass
andscalptheturf.Anunevencutwilllikelyresult.
3.OperatingSound–Amowerthatisadjustedcorrectly
givesoffawhisperingsoundwhenoperated.Ifthere
arebuzzing,clicking,ormetallicsounds,themowerhas
probablybeenoperatedwithheavycontactbetween
thebedknifeandthereel.Thereelorbedknifecould
alsohavehitaforeignobject.Anoisymowermustbe
stopped,repaired,andadjustedorseveredamagewill
result.
4.MowingPattern–Topreventgrassfromlyingdown
andimprovedappearanceoftheturf,alternatemowing
directionsifpossible,eachtimeanareaiscut.
CausesofPoorQualityofCut
1.Bedknife/ReelContact(Figure9)–Theremustbe
lightcontactbetweenthebedknifeandthereeltokeep
thecuttingedgessharpandtoproduceanexcellent
qualityofcut.Bycontrast,mowersoperatedwithout
lightcontactallowabrasivematerialsandgrasstopass
betweenthebedknifeandthereel.Thiserodingaction
roundsoffthebedknifeandthereelcuttingedges,
whichresultsinapoorqualityofcut.Ifthecutting
edgesbecomeround,thebedknifeandthereelmust
belapped.Excessiveroundingoffofthecuttingedges
mayrequirethatthebedknifeandthereelbeground
andlapped.Nevercompensateforroundcuttingedges
bytighteningthebedknifeadjustingknobuntilthere
isheavycontactbecausethebedknifeandthereelwill
wearunevenlyandcause“riing”.
g026930
1 2 3
Figure9
1.Sharpedges,lightcontact3.Contactadjustment,dull
edges
2.Nocontact,edgesget
dulled
Note:Riingistheunevenorwavyconditionthat
developsonthebedknifeandthereelwhenthereis
heavycontactbetweenthesetwoparts(Figure10).
Streaksofuncutgrassandanoverallpoorqualityof
cutaresignsofriing.Grindingthebedknifeandreel
istheonlywaytorepairariedmower.
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