Manual
Section5: Maintenance
WARNINGBefore inspecting,cleaning or servicing the unit, shutoff engine, wait for all i_
partsto cometo a completestop, disconnectspark plugwire and movewire away from spark ..,Lol
plug. Failure to follow these instructions can result in serious personal injury or
MI
propertydamage.
TILLERLUBRICATION
Proper lubrication of the tiller is an
essential part of maintenance. After
every 10 operating hours, oil or grease
the lubrication points shown in Figures
5-1 and 5-1A and described below.
Usea good quality lubricating oil (#30
weight engineoil is suitable) and aquality
generalpurposegrease (with a metal
lubricant, if available).
• Removewheels, clean wheel shaft (A,
Fig, 5-1) and apply thin coating of
grease to the shaft.
• Greaseback, front and sides of depth
regulator lever (B, Fig.5-1).
• Removetines, clean tine shafts (C,Fig.
5-1)+ Inspectfor rust, rough spots or
burrs (lookaround holes). File or sand
smooth, coat ends of shaft with grease.
• Oil the threads on the handlebarheight
adjustment screws and the handlebar
attaching screws (D, Fig.5-1).
• ShiftingMechanism, Lightlyoil pivot
pointsfor smooth operation(E,Fig.5-1A).
D
A C
Figure5-1
Figure 5-1A
CHECKFOROILLEAKS
Before each use,check your tiller for
signs of an oil leak- usually a dirty, oily
accumulation either on the unit or on the
floor where it has beenparked,
A little seepagearound a cover or oil seal
is usually not a cause for alarm. However,
if the oil drips overnight then immediate
attention is neededas ignoring a leak can
result in severetransmission damage.
If a cover is leaking, try tightening any
loose screws. If the screws are tight, a
new gasket or oil seal may berequired. If
the leak is from around a shaft and oil
seal,the oil seal probablyneedsto be
replaced. Seeyour authorizeddealer or
contact the factory for service or advice.
IMPORTANT:Neveroperate the tiller if
thetransmissionis low on oil. Checkthe
oil level after every 30 hours of operation
and wheneverthere is any oil leakage.
CHECKHARDWARE
Checkfor loose or missing hardware after
every 10 operating hours, Tighten or
replace hardware before using the tiller.
Besure to check the screws underneath
the tiller hood (lift the hood flap) that
securethe transmission cover andthe
depth regulator lever to the transmission.
CHECKTIREPRESSURE(on
machines equipped with
pneumatic tires)
Checkthe air pressurein both tires.
Deflateor inflate both tires evenlyfrom
15-to-20 PSI (pounds per square inch).
Besure that both tires havethe sameair
pressure or the unit will tend to pullto
one side.
NOTE:Your tillermay not beequipped
with pneumatictires, eliminating the need
for air pressurechecks,
TRANSMISSIONGEAROILSERVICE
Checkthe transmission gear oil level after
every30 hours of operation or whenever
you notice any oil leak. Operating the
tiller when the transmission is low on oil
can result in severedamage.
A. To Checkthe Transmission
GearOil Level:
1. Checkthe gearoil level when the trans-
mission is cool, Gearoil will expand in
warm operating temperatures and this
expansionwill provide an incorrect oil
level reading.
2. With thetilleron level ground, adjust
theDepth RegulatorLever up or down to
the notch that makes thetiller level,.
3. Removethe oil fill plug (A, Fig. 5-2)
from the transmission housing and look
into the oil fill hole. You will see the main
drive shaft on one side of the hole.
4. Thegear oil level is correct if the gear
oil is approximately half way up the side
of the drive shaft.
5. If the gearoil levelis low, add gear oil
as described next. If the gearoil level is
okay, securely replacethe oil fill plug.
IMPORTANT:Do not operate the tiller if
the gear oil level is low. Doing so will
result in severedamageto the transmis-
sion components.
6. If adding only a few ouncesof gear
oil, use API rated GL-4 or GL-5 transmis-
sion gearoil having a viscosity of SAE
140, SAE85W-140 or SAE80W-90. If
refilling an empty transmission, use only
GL-4 transmission gear oil having a
viscosity of SAE85W-140 or SAE140.
NOTE:Do not use automatic transmission
fluid or engine oil in the transmission.
7. Whilecheckingfrequently to avoid
overfilling, slowly add gear oil intothe oil
fill hole until it reachesthe halfway point
on the drive shaft.
8. Securely replacethe oil fill plug,
2O