Snow blower Snowblower/Counter wieght question

Greetings and thanks for reading my question. I picked up a 616 used w/250 hrs and a 412 snow thrower on a separate sale. After downloading a 412 user manual it talks about a warning to make sure you use a counter weight. Is this required and or essential or just to make the law department happy? Seems the 48" power-fold deck would be heavier than the snow thrower with the exception that the deck is always in contact with the ground. Help a newbie better understand this.

Thanks!