Maintenance; Raising And Lowering; Removing Snow; Lubrication - Craftsman 486.248371 Operator's Manual

RAISING ANDLOWERING
• Toraise, p ushdownonthelifthandle untilthesnow
thrower l ocksintheraised transport p osition.
Tolower, p ushdown slightly onthelifthandle andpull
thetrigger. W iththetriggerpulled, s lowly lower the
snowthrower u ntilit reaches theground.
CAUTION: Donotoperate thesnow
thrower w ithout w heel w eights attached
tothetractor t oprovide extra traction and
stability.
REMOVING S NOW
Snowremoval conditions v arygreatly fromlightfluffy
snowfall towetheavy snow. O perating i nstructions must
beflexible tofit theconditions e ncountered. Theoperator
mustadaptthelawntractor a ndsnow thrower t o depth of
snow, w inddirection, temperature andsurface conditions.
Before beginning o peration, thoroughly i nspect t he
areaofoperation a ndremove alldoormats, s leds,
boards, w iresandotherforeign objects.
Thespiral a ugerspeed is directly related to engine
speed. F ormaximum snowremoval anddischarge,
maintain highengine r.p.m. ( fullthrottle). I t is advisable
tooperate thelawntractor a ta slowground speed
(1stgear)forsafeandefficient s nowremoval.
Indeep, d riftedor banked snowit willbe necessary t o
usefullthrottle anda slowground speed (1stgear).
Driveforward intothesnow, d epress thetractor's
clutch-brake pedal a ndallowthespiral a uger toclear
thesnow. R epeat t hismethod untila pathis cleared.
Onthesecond pass, o verlap thefirstenough toallow
thesnowthrower t o handle thesnowwithout r epeated
stopping andstarting offorward motion.
Inextremely d eepsnow, r aisethesnowthrower f rom
theground to remove thetoplayeranddriveforward
onlyuntil t hetractors fronttiresreach theuncleared
bottom layerofsnow. D epress thetractor's clutch-
brakepedal a ndallowthespiral a uger toclearthe
snow. R everse t hetractor a ndlower thesnowthrower
totheground. Drivethetractor f orward until t hesnow
againbecomes toodeep.Repeating t hisprocess into
andoutof driftswilleventually c leareventhedeepest
ofsnowpiles.
Ifthesnowthrower b ecomes c logged withsnowor
jammed witha foreign object, d isengage t hesnow
thrower i mmediately andshutoffthetractor e ngine.
Unclog thesnowthrower b efore resuming o peration.
DANGER: Shutoffengine and
disengage s nowthrower b efore
unclogging d ischarge c hute. U nclog using
a wooden stick,notyourhands.
OPERATING TiPS
Discharge snow down wind whenever possible.
To help prevent snow from sticking to the snow thrower,
allow the snow thrower to reach outdoor temperature
before using it. A light coat of wax may also be applied
to the inside surface of the snow thrower housing and
discharge chute.
Use tire chains to improve traction.
Use rear wheel weights to improve traction.
Before the first snowfall, remove all stones, sticks and
other objects which could become hidden by the snow.
Permanent obstacles should be marked for visibility.
Overlap each pass slightly to assure complete snow
removal.
CUSTOMER RESPONSiBiLiTiES
Read and follow the maintenance schedule and the maintenance procedures listed in this section.
MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE
Fill in dates as you
complete regular service.
Check for loose fasteners
Check scraper and shoes for wear
/4 XY
x
x x
Service Dates
Cleaning X
Lubrication Section X
LUBRICATION
Oil all pivot points on the snow thrower.
• Oil the pivot points of the two idler arms on the clutch/
idler assembly.
• Apply penetrating oil to the control cables of the
discharge chute.
• Apply a good grade of spray lubricant to the trigger
assembly and the chute tilt control assembly.
CHECK SCRAPER AND SHOES FOR WEAR
(Refer to figures 27 and 28 on page 18.)
* The scraper plate and skid shoes on the bottom of the
snow thrower are subject to wear. To prevent damage
to the spiral auger housing, replace plate and shoes
before wear is excessive.
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