MTD 285 Maintaining Your Snow Thrower, Replacing Belt, Replacing Shave Plate, Engine, Lubrication

SECTION 6: MAINTAINING YOUR SNOW THROWER

WARNING: Before servicing, repairing, or inspecting, disengage all clutch levers and stop engine. Wait until all moving parts have come to a complete stop. Disconnect spark plug wire and ground it against the engine to prevent unintended starting.

Replacing Belt

•Remove the belt cover by removing five hex screws. See Figure 12.

Hex

Screw

Hex Screw

Belt Cover

Figure 12

•Pull up on the idler pulley and slip the belt off the engine pulley.

•Push down on the idler pulley and slip the belt off the auger pulley.

•Reassemble new belt. See Figure 13.

•Reinstall the belt cover.

Replacing Shave Plate

The shave plate is attached to the bottom of the auger housing and is subject to wear. It should be checked periodically. There are two wearing edges and the shave plate can be reversed. See Figure 14.

•Remove the four carriage bolts and hex lock nuts which attach it to the snow thrower housing.

•Install new shave plate, making sure the heads of the carriage bolts are on the inside of the housing.

•Adjust the shave plate according to instructions on page 9. Tighten securely.

Shave

Plate

Remove these hardware

Figure 14

Engine

•Refer to the separate engine manual for all engine maintenance procedures.

•Check engine and snow thrower frequently for loose hardware, and tighten as needed.

Auger

Pulley

		Lubrication
		• Lubricate pivot points on the control handle and the
		extension spring at the end of the clutch cable with
Idler Pulley		a light oil once every season and before storage of
		the snow thrower at the end of the season.
		• Lubricate the flange keepers on the chute crank
		once a season with a light oil making sure the crank
	Engine	rod moves freely. Remove bolts holding the shroud
	Pulley	to the housing, and lift shroud to access the chute
		crank bracket.

Drive

Belt

Figure 13

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