Cleaning The Engineanddeck - Craftsman T1200 247.203770 Operator's Manual

Lubrication
Beforelubricating, repairing, o r inspecting, alwaysdisengagePTO (Blade I
EngageLever),moveshift leverintoneutral position, set parkingbrake,stop I
eng ne andremovekeytopreventun ntendedstart ng. |
l
Pivot Points & Linkage
Lubricate all the pivot pointsonthe drivesystem, p arkingbrakeandlift linkageat
leastonceaseason with light oil.
RearWheels
Therearwheelsshouldberemoved fromthe axles onceaseason. L ubricate the
axles andthe rimswell with anall-purpose grease beforere-installingthem.
Front Axles
Each endof the tractor'sfront pivotbarmaybeequipped with agrease fitting.
Lubricate with agrease gunafterevery25 hours of tractoroperation.
Battery
Thebatteryissealedandis maintenance-free. Acidlevels cannotbechecked.
Alwayskeepthe batterycables andterminalscleanandfreeof corrosive
build-up.
Aftercleaning the batteryandterminals, a pplya lightcoatof petroleum jelly
or grease to bothterminals.
Alwayskeepthe rubberbootpositioned overthe positive terminalto prevent
shorting.
IM PORTANT: If removing the batteryforanyreason, d isconnect the NEGATIVE
(Black) w irefrom itsterminalfirst, followedbythe POSITIVE (Red) w ire.When
re-installingthe battery,always connect t he POSITIVE (Red) w ireto its terminal
first, followedbythe NEGATIVE (Black) w ire. Becertainthatthe wiresareconnected
to the correct t erminals; r eversing themcouldchange the polarityandresultin
damage to yourengine's alternatingsystem.
CleaningBattery
Clean the batterybyremoving it from the tractorandwashingwith a bakingsoda
andwatersolution.Ifnecessary, scrape the batteryterminalswitha wirebrushto
remove deposits. C oatterminalsandexposed wiring with grease or petroleum jelly
to prevent c orrosion.
Battery Failures
Some common causes f orbatteryfailureare:
Incorrect i nitial a ctivation
Overcharging
Freezing
Undercharging
Corroded connections
These failuresareNOT covered byyourtractor'swarranty.
Cleaning the EngineAndDeck
Anyfuel or oil spilledonthe machine shouldbewipedoff promptly.DoNOT allow
debris to accumulate around the coolingfinsof the engineor onanyotherpart of
the machine.
IMPORTANT: Theuseofa pressure w asher to cleanyourtractorisNOT
recommended. It maycause damage to electrical c omponents, spindles, p ulleys,
bearings orthe engine.
Ascrewanddeckplug canbefoundonyourtractor'sdecksurface asseenin Figure
21.Thisplug canbereplaced with awaterport to beusedaspart of aseparately-
available deckwash system.
TheDeck W ashSystem
TM
isusedto rinsegrassclippings from the deck'sunderside
andprevent t he buildupof corrosive chemicals.
NOTE: Adeckwashsystem canbepurchased throughthe retaillocationinwhich
youpurchased thistractor.Formoreinformation, call1-888-331-4569.
f-
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Adjustments
Figure21
J
Neverattempt to makeanyadjustments while the engine isrunning, e xcept
where specifiedin the operator'smanual.
Levelingthe Deck
NOTE: Check thetractor's t irepressure before performing any deck leveling
adjustments. Refer toTires intheService section o fthismanual formore
information r egarding tirepressure.
Front To Rear
Thefront of the cuttingdeckissupportedbyastabilizerbarthat canbeadjustedto
levelthe deckfrom front to rear. T hefront of the deckshouldbe between1g-inch
and3/8-inchlowerthanthe rearofthe deck.Adjustif necessary asfollows:
1. With the tractorparked on afirm, levelsurface, p lacethe leverfor lifting the
platformon the second to the top notch(second highest p osition)androtate
the bladeasclose aspossible to the discharge c hannel t hatisparallelto the
tractor.
Measure t he distance fromthe front of the bladetip to thegroundandthe
rearof the bladetip to theground.The first measurement takenshould
bebetweenlg" and3/8"lessthanthe second measurement. Determine
the approximate distance necessary f orproperadjustment a ndproceed, if
necessary, to the nextstep.
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