Alamo Swingtrim - Manual (Page 114)

MAINTENANCE
SWINGTRIM 03/09 Maintenance Section 5-4
© 2009 Alamo Group Inc.
MAINTENANCE
Sharpening the Knife
After five to twenty operating hours, depending on the work involved the knives require re-sharpening.
It is recommended that knives are removed from the cutterbar for re-sharpening.
Switch off tractor, disconnect the con rod, remove the three setscrews securing the knife heel to the knife and
withdraw the knife from the cutterbar.
Clean the knife and ensure that neither the back nor the knife sections are bent. Straighten as necessary.
A cutting angle of 35-40 degrees is required.
A high speed hand grinder should be used with ideally, a pot shaped pencil grinder of approximately 25 MM
(1”) dia by 35 MM (13/8) long. Grinding is carried out with the end face of the grinder moving from the base of
the knife section to the points.
It is possible to re-sharpen the knives in place. Position the cutterbar on or parallel to the ground. Switch off the
tractor engine and disconnect the con-rod. Manually position the knives so that they cover the fingers and
clamp together in this position.
Sharpening with files is not recommended as the process tends to leave small burrs on the edge which when
the knife is replaced, will curl under impeding the free movement of the knife and leave a blunt cutting edge.