Charging; Fuse; Cutting Blades - Craftsman 247.203791 Operator's Manual

Charging
Batteriesgiveoffan explosivegaswhile charging.Charge the battery in a
well ventilated area andkeepawayfrom an openflame or pilot light ason a
waterheater,spaceheater,furnace,clothesdryerorothergasappliances.
Whenchargingyourtractor's battery, useonlya chargerdesignedfor 12Vlead-
acidbatteries.Read yourbattery charger's Owner'sManualprior to charging I
yourtractor's b attery. Alwaysfollow its instructionsandheed its warnings, j
If yourtractorhasnot beenput into usefor anextended periodof time,charge the
batteryasfollows:
1. Setyourbatterycharger t o deliveramaxof 10amperes.
2. If yourbatterycharger i sautomatic, c hargethe batteryuntil the charger
indicates thatchargingiscomplete. I fthe charger i s notautomatic, c harge
forno fewerthaneighthours.
Fuse
One20AMPfuseisinstalledin yourtractor'swiring harness t o protect t he tractor's
electrical s ystem from damage caused byexcessive a mperage.
If the electrical s ystemdoesnot function,or yourtractor'senginewill not crank,
first check to becertainthatthe fusehasnot blown.It canbefoundatthe rearof
the unit, underneath the fenderlocated bythe battery.
He×FlangeNut
Figure20
Alwaysuseafuse with the sameamperagecapacityfor replacement.
Cutting Blades
Shutthe engineoff andremoveignition keybefore removing the cutting
blade(s)for sharpeningor replacement. P rotectyour handsbyusingheavy
gloveswhengraspingthe blade.
Periodicallyinspectthe blade and/orspindlefor cracksor damage,
especiallyafter you'vestruckaforeign object. Donot operatethe machine
until damagedcomponentsarereplaced.
Toremove the blades, p roceed asfollows:
1. Remove t he deckfrom beneath the tractor,(referto CuttingDeck Removal
earlierin thissection)thengentlyflip the deckoverto expose its underside.
2. Place a blockofwood betweenthe centerdeckhousing baffleandthe
cuttingbladeto actasastabilizer. S ee Figure 20.
3. Remove t he hexflangenut that secures the bladeto the spindleassembly.
4. Toproperly sharpen thecutting blades, r emove equalamounts of metal
from bothendsof the blades alongthe cuttingedges, p arallelto the trailing
edge,ata 25 °- to 30 ° angle.Alwaysgrindeachcuttingbladeedgeequallyto
maintainproperbladebalance. SeeFigure 21.
Figure21
If the cutting edgeof the blade haspreviouslybeensharpened,or if any
metal separationis present,replacethe bladeswith newones.
A poorlybalancedbladewill causeexcessive vibration, maycausedamageto
the tractor and/or result in personalinjury.
5. Testthe blade'sbalanceusinga bladebalancer. G rindmetalfrom the
heavysideuntil it balances e venly.
NOTE:When r eplacing the blade,besureto installthe bladewith the sideofthe
blademarked "Bottom" (orwith apartnumberstamped in it) facingthe ground
whenthe mowerisinthe operatingposition.
Use atorque wrench to tighten the bladespindlehex flange nut to between
70 Ibs-ft and 90 Ibs-ft.
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