Service Manual

Service Dealer’s Guide to Great Quality of Cut 4 - 1
Checking and Adjusting the Blade Level
Overview
This section describes how to check and adjust the
blade level on consumer walk behind mowers and
riding mowers. Four factors determine proper blade
level:
• Blade tracking—blade tips staying in a single
plane of rotation as they turn
• Height of cut—height of blade above level surface
• Side-to-side level—each blade tip at the same
height above a level surface when measured on
either side of the mower
• Front-to-rear pitch—angle of blade when one tip
points to the front of the mower and the other to
the rear
Some of the procedures for checking and adjusting
blade level are common to all mowers. Some apply to
walk behind mowers with a given type of height of cut
system. Generally, each riding mower model has its
own specific height of cut, side-to-side, and
front-to-rear pitch adjustment procedures.
If you have a walk behind mower, see the following
subsections for blade level adjustment procedures:
• Walk Behind Mower Overview
• Checking Blade Level—All Mowers
• Checking and Adjusting Blade Tracking:
Walk Behind Mowers
• Adjusting Blade Level:
Walk Behind Mowers:
Models with Height of Cut Lever on
Each Wheel
Models with Single Height of Cut
Adjustment Lever
If you have a riding mower, see the following
subsections for blade level adjustment procedures:
• Riding Mower Overview
• Checking Blade Level—All Mowers
• Adjusting Blade Level:
Riding Mowers
and
subsections specific to adjusting your model
Walk Behind Mower
Overview
The method for checking and adjusting blade tracking
is the same for all walk behind mowers. The method for
checking and adjusting the height of cut, side-to-side
level, and front-to-rear pitch depends on the height of
cut system on the mower.
There are three height of cut systems used on
consumer walk behind mowers. For checking and
adjusting the height of cut, side-to-side level, and
front-to-rear pitch on a given mower, see the
subsection that discusses the height of cut system
used on the mower.
Cast deck models (Toro Super Recycler and Lawn-Boy
Gold Series) use notches cast into the mower housing
(Figure 10) and spring arms and pins to engage those
notches.
Figure 10
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