MTD 31A-250-800 Owner’s Manual

Safety ,, Set-Up ,,Operation ,,Adjustments ,, Maintenance ,,Troubleshooting ,, Parts Lists ,,Warranty

OF A O

A AL

Model 230, $230
Model 240, S240

Model 250, S250
Model 260, S260

ingle-Sta!e

iMPORTANT

READ SAFETY RULES AND iNSTRUCTiONS CAREFULLY BEFORE OPERATION

Warning: Thisunit isequippedwithaninternalcombustionengineandshouldnot beusedon or nearany unimprovedforest-covered,brush-
coveredor grass-coveredlandunlesstheengine'sexhaustsystemisequippedwithasparkarrestermeetingapplicablelocalorstatelaws(if any).
If a sparkarresterisused,it shouldbemaintainedineffectiveworkingorderbythe operator.IntheStateofCaliforniatheaboveisrequiredbylaw
(Section4442ofthe CaliforniaPublicResourcesCode).Otherstatesmayhavesimilarlaws.Federallawsapplyonfederallands.A sparkarrester
forthe mufflerisavailablethroughyournearestengineauthorizedservicedealeror contacttheservicedepartment,RO.Box361131Cleveland,

Ohio44136-0019.

ForUSCustomers: MTDLLC,P.O.BOX361131CLEVELAND,OHiO44136-0019 FORMNO.769-00805C

PRINTEDIN U.S.A.

ForCanadianCustomers:MTDProducts Ltd.,P.O.BOX1386,KiTCHENER,ONTARION2G4J1 05/17/06

now

Thrower

Model 261, S261

This Operator's Manual is an important part of your new snow thrower, it will help you assemble,

prepare and maintain the unit for best performance. Please read and understand what it says.

Table of

Safety Labels ...................................................... 3

Safe Operation Practices ................................... 4

Set Up & Adjustment .......................................... 6

Know Your Snow Thrower .................................. 7

Operation ............................................................. 8

Finding and Recording Model Number

BEFOREYOU STARTASSEMBLING
YOURNEW EQUIPMENT,
please locatethe modelplateonthe equipmentand copythe
the modelnumberandthe serial number to the sample model

plate providedto the right.You can locatethe modelplate by
standing atthe operatingposition and looking down at the

frame.

Contents

Adjustments & Maintenance ........................... 10

Off-Season Storage .......................................... 12

Trouble Shooting .............................................. 13

illustrated Parts Lists ....................................... 14

Warranty ............................................................ 18

Model Number Serial Number

Num#ro de module Num#ro de s#rier

XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX

MTD LLC
CLEVELAND, OH 44136

MTD PRODUCTSLIMITED

KITCHENER, ON N2G 4J1

USA-www.mtdproducts.com 1-800=800-7310
CAN=www.mtdcanada.com 1=800=668=1238

Customer Support

Please do NOTreturn the unit to the retailer from which it was purchased,

without first contacting Customer Support.

Ifyou havedifficulty assembling this productor haveany questionsregarding the controls, operationor maintenanceof this unit,

youcan seek helpfrom theexperts. Choose fromtheoptions below:

1.Visit www.mtdcanada.cafor manyusefulsuggestions,click on CustomerSupportbutton.

2. Call a CustomerSupport Representative:For US Customers: 1-330-220-4MTD (4683)or 1-800-800-7310
ForCanadianCustomers" 1-800-668-1238

3. The engine manufactureris responsiblefor all enigne-relatedissues with regardsto performance, power-rating,specifica-

tions,warrantyandservice. Pleaserefer to the engine manufacturer'sOwner's/Operator'sManual, packedseparatelywith
your unit,for more information.

Please haveyour unit's modelnumber and serial number readywhenyou call.See previoussection to locate this information.
Youwill be asked to enterthe serial number inorderto processyour call.

2

• NEVERPUTHANDiN CHUTE.CAN
AMPUTATEHANDSANDFINGERS.

• STOPENGINEANDAUGERBEFOREUSING

CLEAN-OUTTOOLORSTICK.

i i l_I ii_ _ i _iii_!i _ _ii_ ii

WARNING

Thissymbolpoints
out importantsafety

instructionswhich,if
notfollowed,could
endangerthepersonal
safetyand/or property

of yourselfand others.

Readand followall

instructionsinthis

manualbeforeat-
temptingto operate
this machine.Failure

to complywith these

instructionsmayresult
in personalinjury.When

youseethis symbol.

HEED ITS WARNING!

Your Responsibility

Restrictthe use
ofthis power machine

to persons who read,

understand
and follow thewarnings

and instructions

in this manual
and onthe machine.

3

WARNING: EngineExhaust,some of itsconstituents,andcertain vehicle compo-
nentscontain or emit chemicals knownto Stateof Californiato cause cancerand

birth defects or other reproductiveharm.

DANGER: This machinewas builtto be operatedaccordingto the rulesfor safe operationin this
manual.As with anytypeof power equipment,carelessnessor erroron the part ofthe operatorcan
result in seriousinjury.This machine iscapableof amputating hands andfeet andthrowing objects.

Failureto observethe followingsafetyinstructionscould resultinserious injuryordeath.

WARNING

Thissymbolpoints

outimportantsafety

instructionswhich,ifnot

followed,could endanger

the personalsafetyand/

i or propertyofyourself

andothers. Readand

followall instructions
inthis manualbefore

attemptingtooperate

this machine.Failure
to complywiththese

instructionsmayresult

in personalinjury.When

youseethis symbol.

i HEED iTS WARNING!

Your Responsibility

i Restrictthe useof

this power machine

i to personswho read,

understandandfollow

the warningsand

instructionsin this

manualand on

the machine.

Training

1. Read,understand,andfollowall instructionson the 1.
machineandin themanual(s)beforeattemptingto

assembleandoperate.Keepthis manualina safe place
forfutureand regularreferenceandforordering

replacementparts. 2.

2. Befamiliarwithall controlsandtheirproperoperation.
Knowhowto stopthe machineanddisengagethemquickly.

3. Neverallowchildrenunder14yearsoldto operatethis
machine.Children14yearsold andovershouldread
andunderstandtheoperationinstructionsandsafety 3.
rulesin thismanualandshouldbetrainedandsupervised
bya parent.

4. Neverallowadultsto operatethis machinewithout
properinstruction.

5. Thrownobjectscancauseseriouspersonalinjury.Plan 4.
yoursnow-throwingpatternto avoiddischargeof material

towardroads,bystandersandthe like.

6. Keepbystanders,helpers,petsandchildrenat least75feet 5.
fromthe machinewhileit isin operation.Stopmachineif

anyoneentersthearea. 6.

7. Exercisecautiontoavoidslippingor falling,especially 7.
whenoperatingin reverse.

Preparation

Thoroughlyinspecttheareawheretheequipmentisto be
used.Removealldoormats,newspapers,sleds,boards,

wiresand otherforeignobjects,whichcouldbetripped over
orthrownbythe auger/impeller.
Alwayswearsafetyglassesor eyeshieldsduringoperation
andwhile performinganadjustmentorrepairto protectyour
eyes.Thrownobjectswhichricochetcancause serious
injurytothe eyes.

Do notoperatewithoutwearingadequatewinterouter
garments.Donotwearjewelry,longscarvesorother
looseclothing,whichcould becomeentangledin moving
parts.Wearfootwearwhich willimprovefootingon
slipperysurfaces.

Useagroundedthree-wireextensioncordand receptacle
forall unitswithelectric startengines.
Adjustcollectorhousingheighttocleargravelorcrushed

rocksurfaces.
Disengageallcontrolleversbeforestartingthe engine.

Neverattemptto makeanyadjustmentswhileengineis
running,exceptwherespecificallyrecommendedinthe
operator'smanual.

8,

Letengineandmachineadjusttooutdoortemperature
beforestartingtoclearsnow.

9.

Toavoidpersonalinjuryorpropertydamageuse
extremecarein handlinggasoline.Gasolineis extremely
flammableand thevaporsare explosive.Seriouspersonal
injurycanoccurwhengasolineis spilledon yourselfor
yourclothes,whichcanignite.Washyourskin andchange
clothesimmediately.

a. Useonlyanapprovedgasolinecontainer.
b. Extinguishallcigarettes,cigars, pipesandothersources

ofignition.

c. Neverfuelmachineindoors.
d. Neverremovegascap oradd fuelwhilethe engineis

hotor running.

e. Allowengineto coolat leasttwo minutesbefore

refueling.

f. Neveroverfill fueltank. Filltankto nomorethan

Y2inchbelow bottomoffiller neckto providespace

forfuel expansion.

g. Replacegasolinecap andtightensecurely.
h. If gasolineis spilled,wipe itoff theengineand

equipment.Movemachineto anotherarea.Wait5
minutesbeforestartingthe engine.

i. Neverstorethe machineorfuel containerinside where

there isan openflame,sparkor pilotlight(e.g.furnace,

waterheater,spaceheater,clothesdryeretc.).

j. Allowmachinetocoolat least5 minutesbeforestoring.

4

Operation

1. Do notput handsor feetnearrotatingparts,inthe
auger/impellerhousingorchuteassembly.Contactwiththe

rotatingpartscanamputatehandsand feet.

2. Theauger/impellercontrolleveris a safetydevice.Never
bypassits operation.Doingso makesthe machineunsafe
andmaycausepersonalinjury.

3. Thecontrolleversmustoperateeasilyin bothdirections
andautomaticallyreturntothe disengagedpositionwhen

released.

4. Neveroperatewitha missingordamagedchuteassembly.
Keepallsafetydevicesinplaceandworking.

5. Neverrunanengineindoorsor inapoorly ventilatedarea.

Engineexhaustcontainscarbonmonoxide,an odorlessand

deadlygas.

6. Do notoperatemachinewhileunderthe influenceofalcohol
or drugs.

7. Mufflerandenginebecomehotandcan causea burn.Do
nottouch.

8. Exerciseextremecautionwhenoperatingonor crossing
gravelsurfaces.Stayalertfor hiddenhazardsortraffic.

9. Exercisecautionwhenchangingdirectionandwhile
operatingon slopes.

10.Planyoursnow-throwingpatternto avoiddischargetowards
windows,walls,carsetc.Thus,avoidingpossibleproperty
damageor personalinjurycausedbyaricochet.

11.Neverdirectdischargeatchildren,bystandersandpetsor
allowanyoneinfront ofthe machine.

12.Donotoverloadmachinecapacityby attemptingtoclear
snowattoofastof arate.

13.Neveroperatethis machinewithoutgoodvisibility or light.
Alwaysbe sureofyourfootingandkeepa firmhold onthe
handles.Walk,neverrun.

14.Disengagepowerto theauger/impellerwhentransporting
or not inuse.

15.Neveroperatemachineathightransportspeedsonslippery
surfaces.Lookdownand behindandusecarewhen

backingup.

16.Ifthe machineshouldstarttovibrateabnormally,stopthe
engine,disconnectthespark plugwireandgroundit against
the engine.Inspectthoroughlyfor damage.Repairany
damagebeforestartingandoperating.

17.Disengageallcontrolleversand stopenginebeforeyou
leavetheoperatingposition(behindthe handles).Wait
untilthe auger/impellercomestoa completestopbefore
uncloggingthechuteassembly,makinganyadjustments,or
inspections.

18.Neverput yourhandinthe dischargeorcollectoropenings.
Alwaysuse theclean-outtool providedto unclogthe
dischargeopening.Do notunclogchuteassemblywhile
engineis running.Shutoffengineandremainbehind
handlesuntilallmovingparts havestoppedbefore
unclogging.

19.Useonlyattachmentsandaccessoriesapprovedbythe
manufacturer(e.g.wheelweights,tirechains,cabsetc.).

20. Ifsituationsoccur whichare notcoveredinthis manual,
usecareand goodjudgment.Contactyourdealerorcall
[phone]for assistanceandthe nameofyour nearest
servicingdealer..

Maintenance & Storage

1. Nevertamperwithsafetydevices.Checktheir proper
operationregularly.Refertothe maintenanceand

adjustmentsectionsofthismanual.

2. Beforecleaning,repairing,orinspectingmachine
disengageall controlleversandstopthe engine.Wait until
theauger/impellercometo acompletestop.Disconnectthe
sparkplugwireand groundagainstthe engineto prevent
unintendedstarting.

3. Checkbolts andscrewsfor propertightnessatfrequent
intervalstokeepthe machineinsafeworkingcondition.
Also,visuallyinspectmachinefor anydamage.

4. Do notchangetheenginegovernorsettingor over-speed
theengine.The governorcontrolsthemaximumsafe
operatingspeedoftheengine.

5. Snowthrowershaveplatesandskidshoesaresubjectto
wearanddamage.Foryoursafetyprotection,frequently

checkallcomponentsandreplacewith originalequipment
manufacturer's(OEM) partsonly."Useof partswhichdo

notmeetthe originalequipmentspecificationsmayleadto
improperperformanceandcompromisesafety!"

6. Checkcontrolsperiodicallytoverify theyengageand
disengageproperlyandadjust,if necessary.Referto the
adjustmentsectioninthis operator'smanualfor instructions.

7. Maintainor replacesafetyandinstructionlabels,as
necessary.

8. Observeproperdisposallawsandregulationsfor gas,oil,
etc.toprotectthe environment.

9. Priorto storing,run machineafew minutestoclearsnow
frommachineandpreventfreezeupof auger/impeller.

10.Neverstorethemachineorfuel containerinsidewhere
thereisan openflame,sparkor pilotlightsuchas a water

heater,furnace,clothesdryeretc.

11.Alwaysreferto theoperator'smanualforproperinstructions
onoff-seasonstorage.

Do not modify engine
Toavoidseriousinjuryordeath,donot modifyengineinany

way.Tamperingwiththegovernorsettingcan leadto a runaway
engineandcauseit tooperateat unsafespeeds.Nevertamper
withfactorysettingofenginegovernor.

Notice regarding Emissions
Engineswhicharecertifiedto complywithCaliforniaandfederal

EPAemissionregulationsfor SORE(SmallOff RoadEquipment)
arecertifiedto operateonregularunleadedgasoline,and
mayincludethefollowingemissioncontrolsystems:Engine
Modification(EM)andThreeWayCatalyst(TWO)ifsoequipped.

Your Responsibility

Restrictthe useofthis powermachineto personswhoread,
understandandfollowthe warningsandinstructionsinthis
manualandonthe machine.

WARNING

Thissymbolpoints

outimportantsafety

instructionswhich,ifnot

followed,couldendanger

the personalsafetyand/

orpropertyof yourself
and others.Readand

followall instructions
in this manualbefore

attemptingtooperate

this machine.Failure
to complywiththese

instructionsmayresult

in personalinjury.When

youseethissymbol.

HEED iTS WARNING!

Your Responsibility

Restrictthe useof

this power machine

to personswho read,

understandand follow

the warningsand

instructions inthis

manualand on

the machine.

5

Contents of Carton

Cartoncontentsare listedbelowwithpart numbersin
parentheses,

1. TwoignitionKeys(725-0201)
2, 2,6 ozBottleof 2 CycleOil (737-04037)
3, ExtensionCord(if soequipped)(629-0236)

NOTE: This Operator's
Manual coversseveral

models.Snowthrower

featuresvary by

model.Not all features
discussed inthis

manualare applicable
to all snowthrower

models.

NOTE: All references

i to leftor right sideof

thesnowthrower is

i fromtheoperating

positiononly.

IMPORTANT:
Do not usethe chute

handleto lift the snow
thrower.

Figure 1

Figure 2

__IL ARNING: Disconnectthe sparkplug

wireand grounditagainst the engineto
preventunintended starting.

Positioning the Upper Handle

1. Removepackingmaterial,if present.

2. Makingsurenotto pinchthe cableinthe process,

pivottheupperhandleintotheoperatingpositionas
illustratedinFigure1 untilit clicksintoplace.

3. Tightenthe starknobstosecurethe handlein place

asin Figure1.

/

Assembling the Discharge Chute

Forshippingreasons,the snowthrowerhasbeen
packagedwiththeupperchutepivotedallthe waydown.
Topivotitupward,proceedasfollows:

,

Turnthechuteuntilthe chuteopeningisfacing
straightahead. Removethewingknob,flatwasher
andcarriageboltfromthe lowerchute. See Figure2.

,

Pivottheupperchuteupwardoverthe lip onthelower
chutesothatthere isNOgap betweentheupper

chuteandthelowerchute.

3. Resecurewiththe hardwarejust removed.If installed

correctly,your snowthrowershouldlooklikeFigure3.

IMPORTANT:Do notusethechutehandleto liftthe
snowthrower.

Figure 3

6