Craftsman 900.370520 - Manual (Page 14)

• Sharpening the blade twice during a
mowing season is usually sufficient
under normal circumstances. Sand caus­
es the blade to dull fast. If your lawn has
sandy soil, more frequent sharpenings
are required.
• Replace bent or damaged blade immedi­
ately.
• To sharpen blade:
• Make sure blade remains balanced.
• Sharpen blade at the original cutting
angle.
• Sharpen cutting edges on both ends of
blade, removing equal amounts of
material from both ends.
• Secure blade in a vise as shown in fig­
ure below,
• Wear safety glasses and be careful not
to cut yourself.
• Carefully file the cutting edges of the
blade with a fine tooth file or sharpen­
ing stone.
• Check balance of blade. See instructions
for blade balancing.
• After blade is sharpened and balanced
replace blade on mower and tighten
securely.
TO BALANCE BLADE
Check balance of blade by placing cen­
ter hole in blade over a nail or screwdriv­
er shank, clamped horizontally in a vise.
If either end of the blade rotates down­
ward, file that end. Blade is properly bal­
anced when neither end drops.
GENERAL MOWING TIPS
During the spring when the grass is lush,
your mower may cut less than in mid-sum­
mer when the grass is light and dry.
Here are some helpful hints to get the
most from your Craftsman cordless
power mower and to keep your lawn
looking beautiful
• Lawns should first be mowed in the
spring when the grass is about 2 1/2 to 3
inches high. Mowing too early restricts
the grass root systems which renew
themselves every spring. New grass
should be clipped when it is about 2 1/2
inches high.
• Do not remove too much grass blade
surface at one time - never more than
1/3 of the leaf height during each cutting.
Cutting too close "shocks" sensitive
grass blades, resulting in a shallow root
system and making it more difficult for
your lawn to reach water in the soil.
• Lawncare experts say that excessively
close cutting Is responsible for much of
the difficulty experienced on many lawns.
The depth and strength of the roots of
grass are almost exactly proportional to
its growth. Grasses of mature lawns
often are seriously injured when mowed
shorter than 1 1/2 inches, and a height
of 1 1/2 to 2 inches is preferred on large
lawns.
• Mow your lawn when it Is dry to avoid
clumping of wet grass. If you have a
choice, late afternoon is the ideal time
for mowing, not only because the grass
is dry, but also because the sensitive
new cut area of the grass will not be
exposed to intense sunlight.
• Keep the mowing blade sharp for a nice
clean cut. This Improves the mower’s
psrfoimance and anhanoai the look of
your lawn. A dull blade bruises and shat­
ters the tips of the grass. This impairs
the healthy growth of your lawn and
increases susceptibility to turf diseases.
If the grass tips are bruised it causes a
brownish color and gives your lawn an
unhealthy appearance. A dull blade may
also pull up young seedlings.
■ Try to mow your lawn at the same (con­
sistent) cutting height. While there are
times when you should vary the cutting
height with the changing seasons, a con­
sistent cutting height produces a healthi-
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