Manual

Operation
Before operating mower, be sure to
read all safety, controlsand operating
instructions in this Manual and on
decalslocatedonmachine.
Severe personal injury or property
damage couldresultif this instruction
isnotfollowed.
BEFOREOPERATINGMOWER
1. Pre-OperaUon Checklist
With the sparkplug wiredisconnected
from the spark plug, performthefollow-
ing checksandservicesbeforeeachuse:
1. ReviewSection1: "Safety"andSection
3, "FeaturesandControls" in this man-
ual. Readthe separateEngineOwner's
Manualprovidedwith the unit.
2. Checkunit for loose or missing hard-
ware.Tightenor replaceas needed.
3. With the unit on levelground, check
the engineoil level accordingto the
instructions in the EngineOwner's
Manual. Theoil levelshould beat the
FULLmarkonthe dipstick or up to the
top of the oil fill holeon engineswith-
out a dipstick.
4. Checkall leversfor freedomof move-
ment. Readjustor repairasneeded
beforestarting engine.
5. Checkthat all guards andshieldsare
in placeand properly secured.
6. Inspectthe areato mowedandre-
moveany debris which could be
pickedup andthrown bythe mower
blades.
7. Checkthat the mulchercoveris prop-
erly installedin the dischargeopening
(seeinstructions in this Section).
Removethe mulchercoverto usethe
side-dischargemowingfeature.
8. Onelectric start models,checkthat
all wiring connectionsare cleanand
tight.
9. Checkthe air pressurein therear
tires (15-20 PSI). Keeptires inflated
equally.
GASOLINEISHIGHLYFLAMMABLEAND
ITS VAPORSAREEXPLOSIVE.To help
preventseverepersonalinjuryor prop-
ertydamage:
• Follow gasoline safety rules in
Section1: "Safety" of this Manualand
in the separate Engine Owner's
Manual.
• Neverremovethe gasolinefill capor
add fuel when indoorsor when engine
is runningor still hot. Allow engineto
coolat least three (3) minutesbefore
refueling.
• Keep smokingmaterials, sparks or
flamesfar awayfromfuel tank andfuel
container.
• Store gasoline in an approvedfuel
containerandin a well-ventilatedarea.
Storeit safely outof the reachof chil-
dren. Do notstore gasolinewhere va-
porscanreachan opensparkor flame
or where ignitionsourcesare present
(suchas hot water or space heaters,
furnaces,clothesdryers, stoves,elec-
tric motors,etc.).
• Fill tankto 1/2"below bottomof filler
neckto allowfor fuel expansion.Wipe
up spilled gasoline immediately and
movemowerawayfromgasolinefumes
before starting engine. Securely re-
place caps on fuel tank and fuel
container.
10. Removethe fuel cap andcheckthe
levelof gasolineaccordingto the in-
structions in the EngineOwner's
Manual.Cleanaroundfuelfill area
before removingfuel cap. Donot
checkfuel level or addfuelwhile in-
doors or if engineis running or hot.
Allow engineto cool for three (3)
minutes. Fill the tankwith fresh,
clean unleadedgasolinewith a mini-
mum octanerating of 77. Leave1/2"
of spacefor fuel expansion.Do not
mix oil with gasoline.Do not use
gasolinewhich contains Methanol.
Seethe EngineOwner'sManualfor
instructions and precautionsregard-
ingthe useofgasolinesthat are
blendedwith alcoholsor ethers
(calledoxygenatedor reformulated
gasolines). Securelyreplacecapson
fuel tankandfuel container.
11.Attach sparkplug wireto spark plug
after completingabovechecklist.
2. Set Mower Cutting Height
To avoidpersonalinjury, do notadjust
cuttingheightwhile wheels or blades
are turning. Release all handlebar
controlsandwait for all motionto stop
beforeadjustingcuttingheight.
1. Releaseall controls beforeadjusting
the cutting height.
2. Adjustthe cutting height from 1to 4
inchesby rotatingthe CuttingHeight
Controllever(Figure3-4) eitherclock-
wiseto raisethe height or counterclock-
wiseto lowerthe height. Notethat ac-
tual cutting heightswill vary according
to grassandsoil conditions. A decaland
pointer on the right sideof themower
deckindicatestheheightsetting.
3. In heavyor tall grass,it is usually
betterto makethe first cut at a higher
setting andthen makeasecondcut at
the desiredheight. In roughterrain, a
highersetting is recommendedas it will
minimizethe chancesof the bladestrik-
ing the ground or hidden obstructions.
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