Safe Operation Practices • Set-Up • Operation • Maintenance • Service • Troubleshooting • Warranty Operator’s Manual Two-Stage Snow Thrower — 500 Series & 600 Series WARNING READ AND FOLLOW ALL SAFETY RULES AND INSTRUCTIONS IN THIS MANUAL BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO OPERATE THIS MACHINE. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THESE INSTRUCTIONS MAY RESULT IN PERSONAL INJURY. MTD LLC, P.O. BOX 361131 CLEVELAND, OHIO 44136-0019 Printed In USA Form No.
1 To The Owner Thank You Thank you for purchasing an MTD Snow Thrower. It was carefully engineered to provide excellent performance when properly operated and maintained. Please read this entire manual prior to operating the equipment. It instructs you how to safely and easily set up, operate and maintain your machine. Please be sure that you, and any other persons who will operate the machine, carefully follow the recommended safety practices at all times.
Important Safe Operation Practices 2 WARNING! This symbol points out important safety instructions which, if not followed, could endanger the personal safety and/or property of yourself and others. Read and follow all instructions in this manual before attempting to operate this machine. Failure to comply with these instructions may result in personal injury. When you see this symbol.
Safe Handling of Gasoline 5. To avoid personal injury or property damage use extreme care in handling gasoline. Gasoline is extremely flammable and the vapors are explosive. Serious personal injury can occur when gasoline is spilled on yourself or your clothes which can ignite. Wash your skin and change clothes immediately. Never run an engine indoors or in a poorly ventilated area. Engine exhaust contains carbon monoxide, an odorless and deadly gas. 6.
Clearing a Clogged Discharge Chute Hand contact with the rotating impeller inside the discharge chute is the most common cause of injury associated with snow throwers. Never use your hand to clean out the discharge chute. To clear the chute: 1. SHUT THE ENGINE OFF! 2. Wait 10 seconds to be sure the impeller blades have stopped rotating. 3. Always use a clean-out tool, not your hands. Maintenance & Storage 1. Never tamper with safety devices. Check their proper operation regularly.
Safety Symbols This page depicts and describes safety symbols that may appear on this product. Read, understand, and follow all instructions on the machine before attempting to assemble and operate. Symbol Description READ THE OPERATOR’S MANUAL(S) Read, understand, and follow all instructions in the manual(s) before attempting to assemble and operate WARNING— ROTATING BLADES Keep hands out of inlet and discharge openings while machine is running.
3 Assembly & Set-Up Contents of Carton • One Snow Thrower • Two Replacement Auger Shear Pins • One Product Registration Card • One Chute Control Rod (if so equipped) • One Snow Thrower Operator’s Manual • One Chute Assembly • One Engine Manual There are four chute control styles available that determine your set-up. Refer to the images above and on the next page to determine which chute control style you have.
2-Way & 4-Way Assembly NOTE: Make certain the cables are seated properly in the roller guides. See Fig. 3-2. Remove all loose parts before assembling. Handle Assembly 1. Place the shift lever in the Forward-6 position 2. Observe the lower rear area of the snow thrower to be sure both cables are aligned with roller guides before pivoting the handle upward. Pivot the handle upward. See Fig. 3-1. Figure 3-2 3.
Chute Assembly 1. 3. Remove hairpin clip, wing nut and hex screw from chute control head and clevis pin and bow-tie cotter pin from chute support bracket. See Fig. 3-3. Place chute onto chute base and ensure chute control rod is positioned under the handle panel. Install hex bolt previously removed but do not secure with wing nut at this time. See Fig. 3-5. Chute Control Head Chute Support Bracket Chute Chute Base Figure 3-5 Figure 3-3 2. Insert chute control rod into chute control head.
5. Rotate the joystick to the one o’clock position so that the silver indicator arrow on the pinion gear below the control panel faces upward. See Fig. 3-7. 7. Push the chute control rod toward the control panel until the hole in the rod lines up with the hole in the chute control input closest to the chute control head and insert the hairpin clip removed earlier. See Fig. 3-9. Figure 3-7 Figure 3-9 NOTE: The joystick will be angled slightly to the right at the one o’clock position.
Overhead Chute Control Assembly Chute Assembly Handle Assembly 1. 1. Place the shift lever in the Forward-6 position. 2. Observe the lower rear area of the snow thrower to be sure both cables are aligned with roller guides before pivoting the handle upward. See Fig. 3-11. Remove wing nut and hex screw from chute control assembly and clevis pin and cotter pin from chute support bracket. Position the chute assembly (forward-facing) over the chute base. See Fig. 3-12.
3. Finish securing chute control assembly to chute support bracket with wing nut and hex screw removed earlier. See Fig. 3-14. 5. Remove the hairpin clip from the rear of the chute control assembly. 6. Insert chute directional control rod into rear of the chute control assembly. Secure the chute directional control rod to the chute control assembly with the hairpin clip removed earlier. See Fig 3-16. 2 1 Figure 3-14 4.
NOTE: Make certain the cables are seated properly in the roller guides. See Fig. 3-18. 2. Close the flange keepers to secure the chute assembly to the chute base. The flange keepers will click into place when properly secure. See Fig. 3-20. Figure 3-18 Figure 3-20 2. Secure the handle by tightening the plastic knob located on both the left and right sides of the handle. Remove and discard any rubber bands, if present. They are for packaging purposes only. Chute Assembly 1.
U-Joint Crank Assembly 2. Handle 1. Place the shift lever in the forward-6 position. 2. Observe the lower rear area of the snow thrower to be sure both cables are aligned with roller guides before pivoting the handle upward. See Fig. 3-22. Close the flange keepers to secure the chute assembly to the chute base. The flange keepers will click into place when properly secure. See Fig. 3-24.
Set-Up Drift Cutters (if so equipped) Shear Pins Storage (if so equipped) 1. Remove the two screws and lock nuts that secure each drift cutter, and remove them from the sides of the auger housing. 2. Turn the drift cutters around and position them as shown in Fig. 3-28 to the outside of the auger housing. A pair of replacement auger shear pins and bow tie cotter pins are included with your snow thrower.
Adjustments Skid Shoes Chute Assembly The snow thrower skid shoes are adjusted upward at the factory for shipping purposes. Adjust them downward, if desired, prior to operating the snow thrower. NOTE: Upper chutes on models with 4-Way Chute Control are also controlled by the Chute Directional Control. See Fig. 4-1. Caution: It is not recommended that you operate The distance snow is thrown can be adjusted by changing the angle of the chute assembly. To do so: 1. 2.
Auger Control Warning! Prior to operating your snow thrower, carefully read and follow all instructions below. Perform all adjustments to verify your snow thrower is operating safely and properly. Check the adjustment of the auger control as follows: 1. When the auger control is released and in the disengaged “up” position, the cable should have very little slack. It should NOT be tight. 2. In a well-ventilated area, start the snow thrower engine. Refer to your Engine Operator’s Manual. 3.
4 Controls and Features Shift Lever † 4-Way/2-Way Chute Directional Control † Drive Control Auger Control Headlight † Heated Grips † Steering Trigger † Chute Assembly Drive Control Drift Cutter † Shift Lever † Clean Out Tool Auger Control Overhead Chute Directional Control † Standard Chute Directional Control † Augers U-Joint Chute Directional Control † Skid Shoe † If Equipped Figure 4-1 Snow thrower controls and features are described below and illustrated in Fig. 4-1.
Drift Cutters (If so Equipped) Steering Trigger Controls (If so Equipped) The drift cutters are designed for use in deep snow. Their use is optional for normal snow conditions. Maneuver the snow thrower so that the cutters penetrate a high standing snow drift to assist snow falling into the augers for throwing. Heated Grips (If so Equipped) Caution: It is recommended that you wear gloves when using the heated grip. If the heated grip become too hot, turn it off.
2-Way Chute Directional Control (If so Equipped) Overhead Chute Directional Control (If so Equipped) The overhead chute directional control is located in the center of the snow thrower between the handle panel and lower handle. To change the direction in which snow is thrown, rotate the chute directional control. The chute directional control is located on the left side of the dash panel.
5 Operation Starting and Stopping the Engine Replacing Shear Pins Refer to the Engine Operator’s Manual packed with your snow thrower for instructions on starting and stopping the engine. The augers are secured to the spiral shaft with shear pins and cotter pins. If the auger should strike a foreign object or ice jam, the snow thrower is designed so that the pins may shear. If the augers will not turn, check to see if the pins have sheared. See Fig. 5-2. To Engage Drive 1.
6 Maintenance & Adjustments Maintenance Lubrication Engine Gear Shaft Refer to the Engine Operator’s Manual packed with your snow thrower. The gear (hex) shaft should be lubricated at least once a season or after every twenty-five (25) hours of operation. Tire Pressure 1. Allow the engine to run until it is out of fuel. Refer to the Assembly & Set-up section for information regarding tire pressure. 2. Carefully pivot the snow thrower up and forward so that it rests on the auger housing. 3.
Auger Shaft Auger Control At least once a season, remove the shear pins from the auger shaft. Spray lubricant inside the shaft and around the spacers and the flange bearings found at either end of the shaft. See Fig. 6-3. Refer to the Assembly & Set-up section for instructions on adjusting the auger control cable. Skid Shoes Refer to the Assembly & Set-up section for instructions on adjusting the skid shoes.
Chute Bracket Adjustment (If so Equipped) 3. If the spiral at the bottom of the chute directional control is not fully engaging with the chute assembly, the chute bracket can be adjusted. To do so: Chute Assembly 1. Loosen the two nuts which secure the chute bracket and reposition it slightly. See Fig. 6-6. U-Joint Standard Reinsert the hairpin clip through this hole and the chute control rod. Refer to the Assembly & Set-up section for instructions on adjusting the chute assembly.
7 Service Belt Replacement 4. Carefully pivot the snow thrower up and forward so that it rests on the auger housing. Auger Belt 5. Remove the frame cover from the underside of the snow thrower by removing the self-tapping screws which secure it. See Fig. 7-3. To remove and replace your snow thrower’s auger belt, proceed as follows: 1. Allow the engine to run until it is out of fuel. Do not attempt to pour fuel from the engine. 2.
7. Remove the belt from around the auger pulley, and slip the belt between the support bracket and the auger pulley. See Fig. 7-5. Drive Belt To remove and replace your snow thrower’s drive belt, proceed as follows: 1. To prevent spillage, remove all fuel from tank by running engine until it stops. Do not attempt to pour fuel from the engine. 2. Remove the plastic belt cover on the front of the engine by removing the two self-tapping screws. Refer to Fig. 7-1. 3. Remove the belt as follows. See Fig.
6. Back out the stop bolt to increase the clearance between the friction wheel disc and friction wheel. See Fig. 7-7. Friction Wheel Removal (Multi-Speed 600 Series) If the snow thrower fails to drive with the drive control engaged, and performing the drive control cable adjustment fails to correct the problem, the friction wheel may need to be replaced. Follow the instructions below. Examine the friction wheel for signs of wear or cracking and replace if necessary: 1.
5. Carefully remove the hex nut which secures the hex shaft to the snow thrower frame and lightly tap the shaft’s end to dislodge the ball bearing from the right side of the frame. See Fig. 7-9. 7. Follow the previous steps in reverse order to reassemble components. 8. Perform the Drive Control test on page 23 in the Maintenance and Adjustments section. NOTE: Be careful not to damage the threads on the shaft.
8 Troubleshooting Problem Engine fails to start Cause Remedy 1. Choke not in CHOKE position. 1. Move choke to CHOKE position. 2. Spark plug wire disconnected. 2. Connect wire to spark plug. 3. Fuel tank empty or stale fuel. 3. Fill tank with clean, fresh gasoline. 4. Engine not primed. 4. Prime engine as instructed in the Operation section. 5. Faulty spark plug. 5. Clean, adjust gap, or replace. 6. Key not in ignition on engine. 6. Insert key fully into the switch. 1.
9 Replacement Parts Component Part Number and Description 929-0071A† Extension Cord, 110V 954-04050 954-04260 954-04195 954-04201A Auger Drive Belt (22”, 24” & 26”) Wheel Drive Belt (22”, 24” & 26”) Auger Drive Belt (28” & 30”) Wheel Drive Belt (28” & 30”) 684-04159 684-04153 684-04360 935-04054 Friction Wheel Assembly (500 Series) Friction Wheel Assembly (600 Series) Friction Wheel Assembly (600 Series Single Speed) Friction Wheel Rubber (all models) 725-1629† 725-05352† 925-1658† Lamp, 12V (K & L
10 Attachments & Accessories The following attachments and accessories are available for your snow thrower. Phone (800) 800-7310 for information regarding compatibility, price and availability (have your full model number and serial number ready).
MANUFACTURER’S LIMITED WARRANTY FOR The limited warranty set forth below is given by MTD LLC with respect to new merchandise purchased and used in the United States and/or its territories and possessions, and by MTD Products Limited with respect to new merchandise purchased and used in Canada and/ or its territories and possessions (either entity respectively, “MTD”).
