MTD 1842, 1438 warranty Charging, Fuse, Cutting Blades, Jump Starting

Jump Starting

WARNING! Never jump start a damaged or frozen battery. Be certain the vehicles do not touch, and ignitions are off. Do not allow cable clamps to touch.

1.Connect positive (+) cable to positive post (+) of your tractor’s discharged battery.

2.Connect the other end of the cable to the (positive +) post of the jumper battery.

3.Connect the second cable (negative –) to the other post of the jumper battery.

4.Make the final connection on the engine block of the tractor, away from the battery. Attach to a unpainted part to assure a good connection.

caution: If the jumper battery is installed on a vehicle (i.e. car, truck), do NOT start the vehicle’s engine when jump starting your tractor.

5.Start the tractor (as instructed in the Operation section of this manual).

6.Set the tractor’s parking brake before removing the jumper cables, in reverse order of connection.

Charging

WARNING! Batteries give off an explosive gas while charging. Charge the battery in a well ventilated area and keep away from an open flame or pilot light as on a water heater, space heater, furnace, clothes dryer or other gas appliances.

caution: When charging your tractor’s battery, use only a charger designed for 12V lead-acid batteries. Read your battery charger’s Owner’s Manual prior to charging your tractor’s battery. Always follow its instructions and heed its warnings.

If your tractor has not been put into use for an extended period of time, charge the battery as follows:

1.Set your battery charger to deliver a max of 10 amperes.

If your battery charger is automatic, charge the battery until the charger indicates that charging is complete. If the charger is not automatic, charge for no fewer than eight hours.

Fuse

One 20 AMP fuse is installed in your tractor’s wiring harness to protect the tractor’s electrical system from damage caused by excessive amperage.

If the electrical system does not function, or your tractor’s engine will not crank, first check to be certain that the fuse has not blown. It can be found at the rear of the unit, underneath the fender located by the battery.

WARNING! Always use a fuse with the same amperage capacity for replacement.

Cutting Blades

WARNING! Shut the engine off and remove ignition key before removing the cutting blade(s) for sharpening or replacement. Protect your hands by using heavy gloves when grasping the blade.

WARNING! Periodically inspect the blade and/or spindle for cracks or damage, especially after you’ve struck a foreign object. Do not operate the machine until damaged components are replaced.

To remove the blades, proceed as follows.

1.Remove the deck from beneath the tractor, (refer to Cutting Deck Removal earlier in this section) then gently flip the deck over to expose its underside.

2.Place a block of wood between the center deck housing baffle and the cutting blade to act as a stabilizer.

See Fig. 7-6.

3.Remove the hex flange nut that secures the blade to the spindle assembly. See Fig. 7-6.

Figure 7-6

4.To properly sharpen the cutting blades, remove equal amounts of metal from both ends of the blades along the cutting edges, parallel to the trailing edge, at a 25°- to 30° angle. Always grind each cutting blade edge equally to maintain proper blade balance. See Fig. 7-7.

caution: If the cutting edge of the blade has previously been sharpened, or if any metal separation is present, replace the blades with new ones.

warning! A poorly balanced blade will cause excessive vibration, may cause damage to the tractor and/or result in personal injury.

5.Test the blade’s balance using a blade balancer. Grind metal from the heavy side until it balances evenly.

Section 7 — Service

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