Fuse; Cutting Blades; Changing The Deck Belt - Craftsman 247.288811 Operator's Manual

If yourtractorhasnot been putinto usefor an extendedperiodof time,
chargethe batteryas follows:
1. Setyour batterychargerto delivera max of 10amperes.
If yourbatterychargeris automatic,chargethe batteryuntilthe
chargerindicatesthat chargingis complete.If the chargeris not
automatic,chargefor no fewerthaneight hours.
FUSE
One 20 AMPfuse is installedin yourtractor'swiringharnessto protect
the tractor'selectricalsystemfrom damagecaused byexcessive
amperage.
If theelectricalsystemdoesnot function,or yourtractor'senginewill
not crank,first checkto be certainthat the fuse hasnot blown.It can
be foundat the rear of the unit, underneaththefenderlocatedby the
battery.
Alwaysusea fuse with the sameamperagecapacityfor replacement.
CUTTING BLADES
Shutthe engineoff and removeignitionkey beforeremovingthe
cuttingblade(s)for sharpening or replacement. P rotectyourhands
by usingheavygloveswhengraspingthe blade.
Periodicallyinspectthe bladeand/or spindlefor cracks or damage,
especiallyafter you'vestrucka foreignobject. Donot operatethe
machineuntil damagedcomponents are replaced.
Toremovethe blades,proceedas follows.
1. Removethedeck from beneaththe tractor,(referto CuttingDeck
Removal e arlier in this section)thengently flip thedeck overto
exposeits underside.
2. Placea blockof woodbetweenthe centerdeck housingbaffle
and the cuttingbladeto act as a stabilizer.
See Fig. 21.
f
©
Figure21
25
.
4.
Removethe hexflangenut that securesthe bladeto the spindle
assembly.See Fig.21.
To properlysharpenthe cuttingblades,removeequalamounts
of metalfrom bothendsof the bladesalongthe cuttingedges,
parallelto the trailingedge,at a 250.to 300angle.Alwaysgrind
eachcutting bladeedge equallyto maintainproperblade balance.
See Fig.22.
Figure 22
If the cuttingedge of the bladehas previouslybeen sharpened, o r if
any metalseparationis present,replacethe bladeswith newones.
A poorlybalancedbladewill causeexcessivevibration,maycause
damageto the tractorand/or resultin personalinjury.
5. Testthe blade'sbalanceusinga blade balancer.Grindmetalfrom
the heavy sideuntil it balancesevenly.
NOTE: Whenreplacingthe blade,be sureto installthe blade with the
sideof the blademarked"Bottom" (or with a part numberstampedin
it)facing the groundwhenthe moweris in the operatingposition.
Usea torquewrenchto tightenthe bladespindlehexflangenut to
between70 Ibs-ftand 90 Ibs-ft.
CHANGING THE DECK BELT
Be sureto shut the engineoff, removeignitionkey,disconnectthe
Ispark plug wire(s)and ground againstthe engineto preventunin-
ltended startingbeforeremovingthe belt.
All belts on yourtractorare subjectto wearand shouldbe replacedif
any signsof wearare present.