Safety • Assembly • Operation • Tips & Techniques • Maintenance • Troubleshooting • Parts Lists • Warranty OPERATOR’S MANUAL 22-inch Rotary Mower — Model 038 IMPORTANT READ SAFETY RULES AND INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY BEFORE OPERATION Warning: This unit is equipped with an internal combustion engine and should not be used on or near any unimproved forest-covered, brushcovered or grass-covered land unless the engine’s exhaust system is equipped with a spark arrester meeting applicable local or state laws (if an
This Operator’s Manual is an important part of your new lawn mower. It will help you assemble, prepare, and maintain the unit for best performance. Please read and understand what it says. Table of Contents Slope Gauge ....................................................... 3 Safe Operation Practices ................................... 4 Setup and Adjustment ....................................... 6 Operating Your Lawn Mower ............................ 12 Maintaining Your Lawn Mower ......................
Use this page as a guide to determine slopes where you may not operate safely. Do not operate your lawn mower on such slopes. 1 Slope Gauge ������������������������������������������������� ��� ��������������� ���������������������������� �� �� � � � � � ����� �� � � � � � ������ � � � � ���� � �� � � � � � ���� 3 WARNING Do not mow on inclines with a slope in excess of 15 degrees (a rise of approximately 2-1/2 feet every 10 feet). A riding mower could overturn and cause serious injury.
2 Safe Operation Practices WARNING This symbol points out important safety instructions which, if not followed, could endanger the personal safety and/or property of yourself and others. Read and follow all instructions in this manual before attempting to operate this machine. Failure to comply with these instructions may result in personal injury. When you see this symbol.
19. Shut the engine off and wait until the blade comes to a complete stop before removing the grass catcher or unclogging the chute. The cutting blade continues to rotate for a few seconds after the engine is shut off. Never place any part of the body in the blade area until you are sure the blade has stopped rotating. 20. Never operate mower without proper trail shield, discharge cover, grass catcher, blade control handle or other safety protective devices in place and working.
3 Loose Parts Carton contents include: wheels, handles (upper & lower), blade control handle, and a hardware pack. Be certain to remove all loose parts before discarding the carton. For convenience of assembly, identify and separate the pieces in the hardware pack according to Figure 3-1 below. A set of adjustable wrenches will be needed for assembly. GROUP 1 Setup and Adjustment Reference to right, left, front, or back of the lawn mower is from the operating position only, unless otherwise stated.
Spark Plug Wire Disconnect spark plug wire from the spark plug and ground it against the engine. If engine is equipped with a rubber boot, attach rubber boot to a bolt on the engine. This will prevent the engine from firing during assembly. Lower the Discharge Chute 1. For shipping purposes, the chute deflector on your mower is held in an upright position by a retainer. Push chute deflector up towards engine. Holding deflector in this position, remove the retainer and discard, Figure 3-1. 2.
3 Attach the Blade Control Handle If the blade control handle became displaced either during shipping or during assembly, reassemble it now. If the blade control handle is firmly in place, you may proceed to the next step. Setup and Adjustment The blade control cable is attached to the engine from the factory. You will need to attach the free end of the cable to the upper handle. 1. Insert the curved end of the blade control handle into the right hole, Step A Figure 3-6.
Attach the Recoil Starter NOTE: Use the hardware in Group 5 to secure the recoil starter. 1. Loosely attach the rope guide to the outside of the upper handle and thread the wing nut only a few turns, Figure 3-10. Do not tighten. 2. Depress the blade control handle. 3. Pull the recoil starter out of the engine. 3 Setup and Adjustment 4. Slip the rope through the rope guide as shown in Figure 3-10. Tighten the wing nut to secure the rope guide.
3 Setup and Adjustment Adjustments Always stop engine, disconnect spark plug, and ground against engine before performing adjustments. Cutting Height Each wheel has a height adjustment lever to change the cutting height of the mower. 1. Depress the lever towards the wheel and slide the lever assembly to desired position to change the cutting height, Figure 3-11. IMPORTANT: All wheels must be positioned at the same height.
NOTES 11
4 Operating Your Lawn Mower Know Your Lawn Mower Blade Control Handle Recoil Starter Cutting Height Adjustment Levers (one at each wheel) WARNING Chute Deflector This blade control is a safety device. Do not bypass its operations. Use extreme care when handling gasoline. Gasoline is extremely flammable and the vapors are explosive. Never fuel the machine indoors or while the engine is hot or running. Extinguish cigarettes, cigars, pipes and other sources of ignition.
WARNING: The operation of any lawn mower can result in foreign objects being thrown into the eyes, which can damage your eyes severely. Always wear safety glasses while operating the mower or while performing any adjustments or repairs on it. Starting Engine WARNING: Be sure no one other than the operator is standing near the lawn mower while starting engine or operating mower. Never run engine indoors or in enclosed, poorly ventilated areas.
5 Maintaining Your Lawn Mower General Recommendations • Always observe safety rules when performing maintenance work. • The warranty on this lawn mower does not cover items that have been subjected to operator abuse or negligence. To receive full value from warranty, operator must maintain the lawn mower as instructed here. • Changing of engine-governed speed will void engine warranty. • All adjustments should be checked at least once each season.
3. Remove blade and adapter from the crankshaft, Figure 5-2. 4. The blade can be sharpened with a file or on a grinding wheel. Do not attempt to sharpen the blade while it is still on the mower. When sharpening the blade, follow the original angle of grind. Grind each cutting edge equally to keep the blade balanced. 5. Remove blade from the adapter and balance on a round shaft screwdriver for testing balance. Remove metal from the heavy side until it balances evenly.
6 Engine fails to start Trouble Shooting 1. 2. 3. 4. 1. Spark plug wire loose. 2. Blocked fuel line or stale fuel. 1. 2. 3. 4. Engage blade control. Connect wire to spark plug. Fill tank with clean, fresh gasoline. Choke engine as instructed in the “Operating Your Lawn Mower” section. 5. Clean, adjust gap, or replace. 6. Clean fuel line. 7. Wait a few minutes to restart, but do not prime. Vent in gas cap plugged. Water or dirt in fuel system. Dirty air cleaner. Carburetor out of adjustment. 1.
7 Safety Labels ����������������������������� � ��������������������������������������������� � ����������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������� � ���������������������������������������������� � ��������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������ ��������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �� � � � � ��������������������������������������������������������������
3 5 31 4 32 34 33 35 2 1 6 27 7 30 28 29 27 8 9 26 15 22 17 23 25 14 16 24 21 14 17 18 20 19 18 15 16 14 10 12 13 18 11
1 710-1205 Eye Bolt 2 720-0279 Wing Nut 3 747-1161A Blade Control Handle 4 749-1092A Upper Handle 5 746-0957 Blade Control Cable - 37.25 inch 746-0946 Blade Control Cable - 48.25 inch 746-1130 Blade Control Cable - 40.00 inch 6 749-04037 Lower Handle 7 725-0157 Cable Tie 8 787-01097 Deck Assembly 22-inch 9 710-0654A TT Screw 3/8-16 x 1.0 10 748-0376C Blade Adapter 11 742-0642A Standard Blade 22-inch 12 736-0524B Blade Bell Support 13 710-1044 Screw 3/8-24 x 1.
MANUFACTURER’S LIMITED WARRANTY FOR The limited warranty set forth below is given by MTD LLC with respect to new merchandise purchased and used in the United States, its possessions and territories. “MTD” warrants this product against defects in material and workmanship for a period of two (2) years commencing on the date of original purchase and will, at its option, repair or replace, free of charge, any part found to be defective in materials or workmanship.
