Manual

Neverstorelawntractorwithfuel in tankindoorsor in poorly
ventilatedareaswherefuelfumesmayreachanopenflame,spark,
or pilotlight as ona furnace,waterheater,clothesdryer,orgas
appliance.
PREPARING THE ENGINE
iMPORTANT:Fuelleft inthe fuel tankduringwarmweatherdeterio-
ratesandwill causeseriousstartingproblems.
Gasolineis a toxicsubstance.Disposeofgasolineproperly.Contact
yourlocal authoritiesfor approveddisposalmethods.
Failureto usea fuel stabilizingadditiveorcompletelyrunthe engine
until it's out of fuel beforeoff-seasonstoragemayresultindamageto
yourengine'scarburetor.Subsequentdamagewouldnot becovered
underthe manufacturer'swarranty.
Enginesstoredbetween30 and90 daysneedto betreatedwitha
gasolinestabilizerandenginesstoredover90 daysneedto bedrained
of fuelto preventdeteriorationandgum fromformingin fuel systemor
onessentialcarburetorparts. Ifthe gasolinein yourenginedeterio-
ratesduringstorage,you mayneedto havethe carburetor,andother
fuel systemcomponents,servicedor replaced.
Topreventgum depositsfromforminginsidethe engine'scarburetor
andcausingpossiblemalfunctionof theengine,the fuelsystemmust
beeithercompletelyemptied,or thegasolinemustbetreatedwitha
stabilizerto preventdeterioration.
1. If usingafuel stabilizer:
a. Readtheproductmanufacturer'sinstructionsandrecom-
mendations.
b. Addto clean,freshgasolinethe correctamountof stabilizer
forthe capacityofthe fuelsystem.
c. Fillthe fuel tankwithtreatedfueland runtheenginefor 2-3
minutesto get stabilizedfuel intothe carburetor.
2. If emptyingthefuelsystem:
a. Do notdrainfuel whentheengineis hot.Allowtheengine
adequatetimeto cool. Drainfuel intoan approvedcontainer
outdoors,awayfromopenflame.
b. Drainanylargevolumeof fuelfromthe tankby disconnect-
ingthe fuel linefromthe in-linefuelfilterneartheengine.
Seethecompleteinstructionsfor DrainingThe Fuellater in
thissection.
Gasolineis extremelyflammableandcan beexplosiveundercertain
conditions.Draingasolinebeforestoringthe equipmentfor extended
periods.Drainfuelonly intoan approvedcontaineroutdoors,away
fromanopenflame.Allow engineto cool.Extinguishcigarettes,
cigars,pipes,andothersourcesofignitionpriorto drainingfuel.
Storegasolinein anapprovedcontainerin safelocation.
c. Reconnectthe fuellineand runtheengineuntilit startsto
falter,then usethechoketo keepthe enginerunninguntilall
fuel inthe carburetorhasbeenexhausted.
d. Disconnectthe fuel lineanddrainanyremaininggasoline
fromthe system.
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3. Removethesparkplugandpourone(1)ounceof engineoil
throughthe sparkplugholeinto thecylinder.Crankthe engine
severaltimestodistributethe oil. Replacethesparkplug.
4. Cleandebrisfromaroundengine,underfingerguard,and under,
aroundandbehindmuffler.Touchupany damagedpaint,and
coatotherareasthatmayrustwitha light filmofoil.
5. Storeina clean,dry andwellventilatedareaawayfromany ap-
pliancethatoperateswitha flameor pilotlight,suchas afurnace,
waterheater,or clothesdryer.Alsoavoidanyareawitha spark
producingelectricmotor,or wherepowertoolsareoperated.
6. If possible,alsoavoidstorageareaswith highhumidity,because
thatpromotesrustandcorrosion.
7. Keepthe enginelevelin storage.Tiltingcan causefueloroil
leakage.
DRAINING THE FUEL
1. Locatethefuel filter,whichislocatedon the leftside of the
engine,andmaybeattachedto theenginewitha tie strap.
2. Cutthe tie strap,ifpresent,thenpinch thein-lineclampon the
fuel filterwitha pairof pliers,slidethe clampup thefuelline.
3. Pullthefuellinefree fromthefilterandplacethe openendof the
lineintoan approvedcontainerto drainthefuel.
PREPARING THE LAWN TRACTOR
1. Cleanandlubricatethe unitthoroughlyas describedinthe
Lubricationinstructionsinthe ServiceandMaintenancesection.
2. Do not usea pressurewasherorgardenhosetocleanyourunit.
3. Storemowerina dry,cleanarea.Donot storenextto corrosive
materials,suchas fertilizer.
Removing From Storage
1. Checktheoil levelas describedinthe Assemblysectionof this
manual.
2. If thefuelwasdrainedduringstoragepreparation,fillthe tankwith
freshgasoline.If youkeepa containerof gasolinefor refueling,
makecertainitcontainsonlyfreshfuel.Gasolineoxidizesand
deterioratesovertime,causinghardstarting.
3. If thecylinderwascoatedwithoil duringstoragepreparation,the
enginewill smokebrieflyat startup.Thisisnormal.