Bedknife to Reel Adjustmen
IMPORTANT: The reel and bedknife must be parallel to
insure the cutting unit cuts grass across the bedknife,
and the reel and bedknife wear evenly.
Note: Toro recommends light contact between the
reel and bedknife. However, for dry and/or sparse condi-
tions a .001-.002" (.03-.05 mm) clearance may be re-
quired to prevent heat buildup which can cause uneven
wear in the reel and bedknife.
Note: A 3/4 inch (19 mm) wrench is needed to rotate
bedknife adjustment knob. Each notch on the knob will
move the bedknife 0.0005 inches (.013 mm) closer to
the reel (Fig. 9).
1. Rotate cutting unit backward to gain access to reel
and bedknife (Fig. 10).
2. While slowly rotating the reel in the mowing direction,
turn the bedknife adjusting knob clockwise until you feel
light contact between the reel and bedknife.
3. Insert a 1" (25 mm) wide piece of newspaper perpen-
dicular to the bedknife, and then rotate the reel slowly in
the mowing direction to see if the reel cuts the paper -
do this on both ends of the bedknife (Fig. 10). If the pa-
per does not cut cleanly, tighten the bedknife adjusting
knob a maximum of 2 clicks, and check to see if paper
is cut cleanly.
4. If paper is cut on both ends, the bedknife is parallel to
the reel. If not proceed to step A.
Note: If reel makes contact on both sides of bedknife
but still does not cut paper, cutting unit may need to be
backlapped and/or reel and bedknife may need to be re-
ground (see Backlaping or Bedknife Re-grinding in this
section of this manual, or refer to Toro manual for Sharp-
ening Reel and Rotary Mowers, Form No. 80−300PT).
A. Loosen the pivot hub lock nuts to allow move-
ment of the pivot hub casting (Fig. 11).
B. If paper was not cut on the left side: loosen the
bottom adjusting nut on the pivot hub, then turn the
top adjusting nut clockwise to pull the pivot hub up.
OR If paper was not cut on the right side: loosen the
top adjusting nut on the pivot hub, then turn the bot-
tom adjusting nut counterclockwise to push the pivot
hub down (Fig. 11).
Note: To reduce thread play, always tighten the bot-
tom adjusting nut last.
Cutting Units
t
Page 8 - 8
1
Figure 9
1. Bedknife adjusting knob
Figure 10
3
Figure 11
1. Pivot hub
2. Pivot hub locknuts
3. Pivot hub adjusting screw
1
2
Reelmaster 5500-D