Cleaning The Engine And Deck; Adjustments; Side To Side; Leveling The Deck - Craftsman 247.288842 Operator's Manual

CLEANING
THE ENGINE AND DECK
Anyfuel or oil spilledon the machineshouldbe wipedoff promptly.Do
NOTallowdebristo accumulatearoundthecoolingfins of the engine
or on anyotherpart of the machine.
IMPORTANT: The useof a pressurewasherto cleanyour tractoris
NOT recommended. I t maycause damageto electricalcomponents,
spindles,pulleys,bearingsor theengine.
A screwplugcan be foundon yourtractor'sdeck surfaceas seenin
Fig. 14.This plug can be replacedwith a waterport to be usedas part
of a separately-available d eck wash system.
The DeckWash System
TM
is used to rinsegrassclippingsfrom the
deck'sundersideand preventthe buildupof corrosivechemicals.
NOTE: A deckwash systemcan be purchasedthroughthe retail
locationin which you purchased this tractor.For moreinformation, c all
1-800-4-MY-HOME®.
f
Figure14
ADJUSTMENTS
Neverattemptto makeanyadjustmentswhilethe engine is running,
exceptwherespecifiedin theoperator'smanual.
Leveling the Deck
NOTE: Checkthe tractor'stire pressurebeforeperforminganydeck
levelingadjustments. R eferto Tires in theService sectionof this
manualfor moreinformationregardingtire pressure.
Front To Rear
Thefront of the cuttingdeck is supportedbya stabilizerbar that can
be adjustedto levelthe deckfrom front to rear.Thefront of the deck
shouldbe between1A-inch and3A-inch lowerthanthe rear of the deck.
Adjustif necessaryas follows:
1. With thetractorparkedon a firm,levelsurface,placethe lever
for liftingthe platformon the secondto the top notch(second
highestposition)and rotatethe bladeas close as possibleto the
dischargechannelthat is parallelto thetractor.
2. Measurethedistancefromthe front of the bladetip to theground
and the rearof the bladetip tothe ground.Thefirst measure-
menttaken shouldbe between1A" a nd 3A" less thanthe second
measurement. D eterminetheapproximatedistancenecessaryfor
properadjustmentand proceed,if necessary,to the next step.
3. Locatethe flangelock nut on the front sideof the stabilizer
bracket.See Fig. 15.
• Tightenthe flangelock nutto raisethe frontof the deck;
• Loosentheflangelock nutto lowerthe front of thedeck.
Figure15
Side to Side
If the cuttingdeck appearsto be mowingunevenly,a sideto side
adjustmentcan be performed.Adjust if necessaryas follows:
1. With the tractorparkedon a firm, levelsurface,placethe deck lift
leverin the secondfromthe top notch (secondhighestposition)
and rotatebothbladesso thatthey are perpendicular w ith the
tractor.
2. Measurethedistancefromthe outsideof the left bladetip to the
groundand the distancefrom the outsideof the rightblade tip to
the ground.Bothmeasurements taken shouldbe equal.If they're
not, proceedto the next step.
3. Loosen,but do NOTremove,the hex capscrewon the left deck
hangerbracket.See Fig. 16.
4. Balancethe deck by usinga wrenchto turnthe adjustmentgear
(foundimmediatelybehindthe hex cap screwjust loosened)
clockwise/upor counterclockwise/down. Thedeck is properly
balancedwhenboth bladetip measurements takenearlier are
equal.
5. Retightenthe hex cap screwon the left deck hanger bracket
when properadjustmentis achieved.
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