Craftsman 247.288861 Operator's Manual page 24

If your tractorhasnot been putinto usefor an extendedperiodof time, 4.
chargethe batteryas follows:
1. Setyour batterychargerto delivera max of 10amperes.
If your batterychargeris automatic,chargethe batteryuntilthe
chargerindicatesthat chargingis complete.If the chargeris not
automatic,chargefor no fewerthaneight hours, f
FUSE
One 20 AMPfuse is installedin yourtractor'swiring harnessto protect
thetractor'selectricalsystemfrom damagecausedby excessive
amperage.
If the electricalsystemdoesnot function,or yourtractor'senginewill
notcrank,first checkto be certain that the fuse hasnot blown.It can
be foundat the rear of the unit, underneaththe fenderlocatedby the
battery.
Alwaysusea fuse with the sameamperagecapacityfor replacement.
CUTTING BLADES
Shutthe engineoff and removeignitionkey beforeremoving the
cuttingblade(s)for sharpeningor replacement. P rotectyourhands
_byusng heavyg oves whengraspng the bade.
Periodicallyinspectthe bladeand/or spindleforcracksor damage,
especiallyafter you'vestrucka foreignobject. Donot operatethe
machineuntil damagedcomponents are replaced.
To properlysharpenthecutting blades,removeequalamountsof
metal from bothendsof the bladesalongthe cuttingedges,
parallelto the trailingedge,at a 250.to 300angle.Alwaysgrind
eachcuttingblade edge equallyto maintainproperblade balance.
See Fig.22.
Figure22
If the cuttingedgeof the bladehas previouslybeen sharpened, o r if
any metalseparationis present,replacethe bladeswith new ones.
To removetheblades, proceedas follows.
1. Removethe deck from beneaththe tractor,(referto CuttingDeck
Removal e arlier in this section)thengently flip thedeck overto
exposeits underside.
2. Placea blockof wood betweenthe centerdeck housingbaffle
and the cuttingbladeto act asa stabilizer. S ee Fig. 21.
3. Removethe hexflangenutthat securesthe bladeto the spindle
assembly.See Fig. 21.
A poorlybalancedbladewill causeexcessivevibration,maycause
damageto thetractorand/or resultin personalinjury.
5. Testthe blade'sbalanceusinga blade balancer.Grind metal
from the heavyside untilit balancesevenly.
NOTE: Whenreplacingthe blade,be sureto installthe bladewith the
side of the blade marked"Bottom" (or with a partnumberstampedin
it) facingthe groundwhenthe moweris in the operatingposition.
Figure 21
Usea torquewrenchto tightenthe bladespindlehexflangenut to
between70 Ibs-ft and 90 Ibs-ft.
CHANGING THE DECK BELT
Be sureto shut the engineoff, removeignitionkey,disconnectthe
sparkplug wire(s)and groundagainstthe engineto preventunin-
tendedstartingbeforeremoving the belt.
All belts on yourtractorare subjectto wearand shouldbe replacedif
any signsof wear are present.
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