Sears Craftsman 917.251570 Owner's Manual page 18

TRACTOR
Always observe safety rules when performing any mainte-
nance.
BRAKE OPERATION
If tractor requires more than six (6) feet stopping distance
at high speed in highest gear, then brake must be adjusted°
(See "TO ADJUST BRAKE" in the Service and Adjust-
ments section of this manual).
TIRES
= Maintain proper air pressure in all tires (See "PROD-
UCT SPECIFICATIONS" on page 3 of this manual)..
. Keep tires free of gasoline, oil, or' insect control chemi-
cals which can harm rubber.,
° Avoid stumps, stones, deep ruts, sharp objects and
other' hazards that may cause tire damage,
BLADE CARE
For best results mower blades must be kept sharp_ Re o
place bent or damaged blade&
TO SHARPEN BLADE (See Fig. 14)
Care should be taken to keep the blade balanced. An
unbalanced blade will cause excessive vibration and even-
tual damage to mower and engine..
• The blade can be sharpened with a file or' on a grinding
wheel Do not attempt to sharpen while on the mower.
o To check blade balance, you will need a 5/8" diameter
steel bolt, pin, ora cone balancer. (When using a cone
balancer, follow the instructions supplied with bal-
ancer)
. Slide blade on to an unthreaded portion of the steel bolt
or pin and hold the bolt or pin parallel with the ground.
If blade is balanced, it should remain in a horizontal
position.. If either end of the blade moves downward,
sharpen the heavy end until the blade is balanced.
NOTE: Do not use a nail for balancing blade° The lobes of
the center hole may appear' to be centered, but are not.
BLADE REMOVAL (See Fig. 13)
= Raise mower' to highest position to allow access to
blades°
. Remove hex bolt, Iockwasher and flat washer securing
blade.
. Install new or resharpened blade with trailing edge up
towards deck as shown.
o Reassemble hex bolt, lock washer and flat washer' in
exact order as shown..
- Tighten bolt securely (30-35 FL Lb& torque).
IMPORTANT: BLADE BOLT IS GRADE 8 HEATTREATED
NOTE: We do not recommend sharpening blade- but if you
do, be sure the bfade is balanced.
,, BLADE
TRAILING
_'_ EDGE UP
FLAT WASHER _'_ _ /
HE, BOLTCGRADE '-.
*A GRADE 8 HEAT TREATED BOLT CAN BE
IDENTIFIED BY SIX LINES ON THE BOLT HEAD,
FIG, 13
MANDREL
ASSEMBLY
CENTER HOLE
5/8" BOLT BLADE
OR PIN J
FIG. 14
BATTERY
Your tractor has a battery charging system which is suffF
cient for normal use, However, periodic charging of the
battery with an automotive charger will extend its life.
• Keep battery and terminals clean.
• Keep battery bolts tight.
° Keep small vent holes open.
. Recharge at 6-10 amperes for' 1 hour..
TO CLEAN BATTERY AND TERMINALS
Corrosion and dirt on the battery and terminals can cause
the battery to "leak" power_
. Remove terminal guard.
• Disconnect BLACK battery cable first then RED bat*
tery cable and remove battery from tractoro
= Rinse the battery with plain water' and dry°
° Clean terminals and battery cable ends with wire brush
until bright.
= Coat terminals with grease or petroleum jelly.
. Reinstall battery (See "CONNECT BATTERY" in the
Assembly section of this manual)°
18