Locoweed
ArboristSite Guru
It's time for doing the usual stuff before putting the splitter up for the summer. Changing oil, cleaning the air filter, draining the gas are all a pain the way that MTD mounted the engine. So, off came the engine, out came the drill and the end result was to rotate the engine 90° counter clockwise.
Now, the air filter is readily acessible the oil drain plug is much more convenient to access, (new drain hole necessary) the hose to the gas tank is easy to get to for draining the gas tank. A added benefit is that the fill cap for the gas tank is in a more accessible place also.
The engine does stick out a bit further to the side, but IMHO, it won't be a problem for me. I also removed the guard over the muffler as it was pretty close to the plastic fender.
If you decide to do this, make sure you pay attention to the alignment of the coupler to the pump.
Now, the air filter is readily acessible the oil drain plug is much more convenient to access, (new drain hole necessary) the hose to the gas tank is easy to get to for draining the gas tank. A added benefit is that the fill cap for the gas tank is in a more accessible place also.
The engine does stick out a bit further to the side, but IMHO, it won't be a problem for me. I also removed the guard over the muffler as it was pretty close to the plastic fender.
If you decide to do this, make sure you pay attention to the alignment of the coupler to the pump.
