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Safety Instructions and Operator’s Manual for

 

 

PRO GEAR EXPRESS 

WALK BEHIND MOWERS 

MID-SIZE 

SERIES 1 

 

POWER UNIT

MODEL 

SPE131KW 
SPE151KW 

 

MOWER UNIT

MODEL 

SPE361 
SPE481 

 
 

 

MODEL NUMBER EXPLANATION 

 

S P E 13 1 KW 

 
MODEL DESIGNATION 

ENGINE TYPE 

MODEL TYPE 

SERIES DESIGNATION 

MODEL OPTION 

ENGINE HP 

 

S – Snapper Commercial Model

 

ENGINE HORSE POWER 

CUTTING DECK WIDTH 

1 - Series Designation

 

KW – Kawasaki Engine

 

P – Pro Mid Size Model 

13 – 13 Engine HP 

361 – 36” Cutting Deck 

 

 

E – Express Model 

15 – 15 Engine HP 

481 – 48” Cutting Deck 

 

 

 

Thank you for buying a SNAPPER Product!  Before operating your PRO GEAR WALK BEHIND, read this manual carefully 
and pay particular attention to the “IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS” on Pages 2 - 4.  Remember that all power 
equipment can be dangerous if used improperly.  Also keep in mind that SAFETY requires careful use in accordance with 
the operating instructions and common sense! 

 

* Actual sustained equipment horsepower will likely be lower due to operating limitations and environmental factors. 

 

COPYRIGHT © 2004 
SNAPPER – A Division of Simplicity Manufacturing, Inc. 
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 

MANUAL No. 7-4324 (I.R. 8/04/04) 

Summary of Contents for SPE131KW, SPE151KW, SPE361, SP

Page 1: ...E Express Model 15 15 Engine HP 481 48 Cutting Deck Thank you for buying a SNAPPER Product Before operating your PRO GEAR WALK BEHIND read this manual carefully and pay particular attention to the IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS on Pages 2 4 Remember that all power equipment can be dangerous if used improperly Also keep in mind that SAFETY requires careful use in accordance with the operating instru...

Page 2: ... handling and the stability of the machine 4 DO NOT use tow behind attachments on slopes 5 AVOID uphill starts 6 Turf conditions can affect the machine s stability DO NOT operate machine under any condition where traction steering or stability is doubtful 7 Chose a low enough ground speed setting so that you will not have to stop or shift on a slope Tires may lose traction on slopes even though th...

Page 3: ...E blades must be OFF and Traction Levers LOCKED in the Traction Lock position OPERATION Continued From Previous Column 3 Stop Blades when crossing gravel drive walks and under any conditions where thrown objects might be a hazard 4 DO NOT raise deck with the blades running 5 Mow only in daylight or good artificial light 6 USE EXTRA CARE when approaching blind corners shrubs trees or other objects ...

Page 4: ...onnect positive first and negative last Charge battery in an open well ventilated area free from spark and flames Unplug charger before connecting or disconnecting from battery Wear protective clothing and insulated gloves 8 Park machine on level ground DO NOT work under machine without safety blocks 9 Service engine and clean adjust or repair only when engine and blades are stopped Remove key Rem...

Page 5: ...OUBLESHOOTING 17 18 Engine Troubleshooting 17 Mower Troubleshooting 17 18 Transmission Troubleshooting 18 Service Lubrication 18 SECTION 5 ADJUSTMENTS 19 20 Steering and Brakes 19 Traction Levers Rods 19 Handle Height 20 Transmission Shift Lever Adjustment 20 SECTION 6 POWER UNIT SERVICE 21 Replacement Parts 21 Transmission Parts Service 21 General Transmission Servicing 21 Transmission Lube 21 SE...

Page 6: ...the controls components and operation of this machine before operating Specific details involving the engine are found in the separate engine owner s manual Study these manuals before operating and keep both handy for future reference For the nearest SNAPPER dealer in your area check the yellow pages under the heading LAWN MOWERS For engine parts and service look for the engine manufacturer s deal...

Page 7: ...D ON KEYSWITCH ENGINE STOP ENGINE RUN BLADES DISENGAGED OFF LEFT TRACTION LEVER SQUEEZE FOR LEFT TURN RIGHT TRACTION LEVER SQUEEZE FOR RIGHT TURN ENGINE SPEED SLOW FAST CHOKE DANGER ROTATING BLADES KEEP CHILDREN AND OTHERS OUT OF THE MOWING AREA DANGER ROTATING BLADES ...

Page 8: ...8 SECTION 2 SAFETY MESSAGES AND SYMBOLS IMPORTANT SAFETY AND OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS ...

Page 9: ...must be moved the same way when stopping or starting machine motion BLADE CLUTCH SWITCH KEY SWITCH SHOWN IN STOP POSITION OPERATOR S PRESENCE CONTROL OPC RIGHT HAND TRACTION LEVER TRACTION LOCK TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER ENGINE SPEED CONTROL NOTE TRACTION LOCK SHOWN IN THE TRACTION LEVER LOCKED POSITION ...

Page 10: ...he safety of the operator and others All safety devices must be in place and functioning properly before operating the machine Perform the following interlock system checks periodically during the operating season Contact your authorized Snapper dealer if you have questions WARNING DO NOT operate machine if any safety interlock or safety device is not in place and functioning properly DO NOT attem...

Page 11: ...l to tank after pushing the Mower outside where fumes can be dissipated Make sure Fuel Tank Cap is tightened after refueling Refer to Engine manual for fuel specifications NOTE DO NOT add fuel while engine is running or hot Use fresh clean lead free gasoline DO NOT use gasoline that has been stored for long periods Leaded gasoline or gasohol is NOT recommended 3 5 STARTING OPERATING 3 5 1 ENGINE S...

Page 12: ...t comfortable travel speed 11 To START MACHINE MOVEMENT squeeze both Traction Levers firmly against the handlebar allowing the right and left Traction Locks to move to the Unlocked position Using caution slowly and simultaneously allow both Traction Levers to move forward The machine will begin to move forward IMPORTANT Always STOP machine movement and engage both Traction Locks before changing to...

Page 13: ...t be set to SLOW before operating in reverse 3 6 REVERSE OPERATION 3 6 1 TO REVERSE DIRECTION 1 To REVERSE DIRECTION OF MACHINE STOP Machine and lock Traction Levers 2 Pull Blade Clutch Switch rearward to the OFF position Move Engine Speed Control Lever to slow turtle position 3 Move Transmission Shift Lever to REVERSE R position 4 Hold Operator s Presence Control OPC against handlebar 5 To START ...

Page 14: ...IGHT LEFT HAND TURN IMPORTANT Squeezing the right or left traction lever applies the brake to the right or left wheel The brake turns the machine right or left RIGHT TURN 1 With machine in motion gradually squeeze the right hand Traction Lever The machine will turn to the right LEFT TURN 2 With machine in motion gradually squeeze the left hand Traction Lever The machine will turn to the left FIGUR...

Page 15: ...oning Refer to Section ADJUSTING FIXED DECK ATTACHMENT 1 Remove Retainer Pin from Caster Shaft See Figure 3 11 FIGURE 3 11 2 Lift Caster Support while adding or removing bottom spacer See Figure 3 12 NOTE Remove or add spacers by rotating slots to align with flat area on caster shaft 3 12 ADJUSTING BLADE ON CUTTER SPINDLE To change cutting height of Blades move the Spacers from under the Cutter Ho...

Page 16: ...to correspond with the bolt positions to keep deck level Once a desired cutting height is reached attach the mower deck to the power unit by installing 3 bolts on each side in selected height of cut holes Tighten bolts to 70 to 80 foot pounds torque See Illustration FIGURES 3 15A B FIGURES 3 15C D CUTTER HOUSING PULLEY SPACERS ON TOP CUTTER HOUSING BLADE SPACERS ON BOTTOM SIDE PROFILE OF UNIT SPAC...

Page 17: ...place Filter Idles Poorly Fuel Filter plugged Replace Fuel Filter Engine Engine Oil low in Crankcase Add Oil Overheats Engine Cooling Fins clogged Clean Engine Cooling Fins Machine Blade Mounting Bolts loose Tighten Blade Mounting Bolts Vibrates Blade out of Balance Sharpen and balance Blade Excessive Engine Mounting Bolts loose Tighten Mounting Bolts Damaged or Severed Belt Replace Belt Engine Mo...

Page 18: ...r More often if needed Clean Air Intake Screen More often if needed Remove Debris from under Belt Cover More often if needed Sharpen Cutter Blades Tighten to 60 75 Ft Lbs Grease Cutter Spindle Bearings Use Chevron SRI Grease or equal NLGI No 2 Inspect Interlock Switches for Damage Replace if Needed Inspect Belts for Wear or Damage Replace if Needed Inspect brakes Adjust for proper steering stoppin...

Page 19: ...Release the Traction Locks and adjust as required 4 Remove the hairpins from the traction rod adjustment blocks and remove the adjustment blocks from the traction links on each side of the mower See Figure 5 2 FIGURE 5 2 5 Rotate the adjustment block as required to make the idler arms almost touch against the belt cover studs when the Traction Levers are locked There should be about 1 16 to 1 8 ga...

Page 20: ...djusted 7 Readjust traction levers rods when handle height is changed FIGURE 5 3 FIGURE 5 4 5 4 TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER ADJUSTMENT 1 Disconnect the hair pin from shift rod that connects to the Transmission Shift lever See Figure 5 5 2 Move the Transmission Shift Lever to the neutral position Move the shift lever located on the transmission to the neutral position 3 Rotate the shift rod clockwise ...

Page 21: ... All mid size mowers should be tilted with engine carburetor side UP 6 2 TRANSMISSION PARTS SERVICE For the nearest Peerless Transmission Dealer check the Yellow Pages under heading Engine Gasoline Look for Tecumseh Engine and Transmission under Engine Gasoline 6 2 1 GENERAL TRANSMISSION SERVICING The following service procedures should be understood and practiced whenever service must be performe...

Page 22: ...7 2 2 TRACTION BELT INSTALLATION 1 STOP ENGINE Lay new Traction Belt part number 4 6240 flat on ground in front of Traction Wheel Roll Traction Wheel over Traction Belt until wheel is in middle of belt 2 Place Traction Belt on Wheel Pulley followed by Transmission Output Pulley 3 Reinstall belt cover and tighten two wing nuts 4 Adjust Traction Rod and Brake Rod as necessary Refer to Section ADJUST...

Page 23: ...rinding metal from the heavy end of the Blade 7 Place the Blade mounting bolt through bevel washer and into Blade and place Blade Spacers over Bolt Make certain each Blade is installed with the same amount of Spacers between blade and spindle WARNING Blades are extremely sharp and can cause severe injury Wear heavy leather gloves when handling or working around blades DO NOT use a blade that is ex...

Page 24: ...ealed shielded side DOWN 8 Insert spindle shaft up through the bottom bearing Slide spacer down over spindle shaft 9 Install new top bearing Install the top bearing with the seal shield UP 10 Slide circular retaining ring down spindle shaft until it fully locks into groove on shaft 11 Apply a generous amount of general purpose grease to the concave side of the nylos seal Install the nylos seal wit...

Page 25: ...R NOTCH 15 AMP FUSE TO TRANSMISSION SWITCH MAIN WIRE HARNESS OPC SWITCH PISTOL GRIP MODELS KAWASAKI ENGINE ONLY KAWASAKI MODULE KAWASAKI PIGTAIL KAWASAKI CAPACITOR TO MAIN HARNESS GROUND TO ENGINE TO ENGINE TERMINAL NOTE THIS TERMINAL HAS A LOCK OUT BARB WHICH MUST SLIDE INTO THE CONNECTOR NOTCH TO ELECTRIC CLUTCH ...

Page 26: ...W SEE NOTE RED TRANSMISSION YELLOW BLACK WIRING SCHEMATIC FOR PISTOL GRIP HANDLE ELECTRIC BLADE BRAKE CLUTCH TRANS SWITCH SEE NOTE RED 16 GA ENGINE YELLOW 16 GA L H OPC GREEN 14 GA R H OPC IGNITION PTO SWITCH WHITE 16 GA ELECTRIC CLUTCH NOTE NUMBERS SHOWN ARE CIRCUIT NUMBERS WHICH CORRESPOND TO ONES SHOWN IN WIRING AND TERMINAL TABLE BELOW WIRE AND TERMINAL TABLE ...

Page 27: ...he original purchase date SNAPPER will not be responsible for any installation cost incurred The battery warranty only covers original equipment batteries and does not cover damage to the battery or machine caused by neglect or abuse destruction by fire explosion freezing overcharging improper maintenance or use of improper electrolyte There is no other express warranty DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY Impl...

Page 28: ...________________________ Retailer s Phone Number_________________________________________________ It is very important that you register your purchase with Snapper to ensure warranty coverage Please mail your product registration card to Snapper at P O Box 1379 McDonough Georgia 30253 Or you may register on line at www snapper com You can contact us at our web site or if you would like to speak wi...

Page 29: ...29 PRIMARY MAINTENANCE ...

Page 30: ...30 PRIMARY MAINTENANCE ...

Page 31: ...31 PRIMARY MAINTENANCE ...

Page 32: ...32 PRIMARY MAINTENANCE ...

Page 33: ...33 NOTES ...

Page 34: ...34 NOTES ...

Page 35: ...35 NOTES ...

Page 36: ...ions about your Snapper product contact your local authorized Snapper dealer or contact Snapper Customer Service at Snapper McDonough GA 30253 Phone 1 800 935 2967 COPYRIGHT 2004 SNAPPER A Division of Simplicity Manufacturing Inc ALL RIGHTS RESERVED MANUAL No 7 4324 I R 8 04 04 Printed in U S A WARNING ENGINE EXHAUST SOME OF ITS CONSTITUENTS AND CERTAIN VEHICLE COMPONENTS CONTAIN OR EMIT CHEMICALS...

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