Manual

Section4: Operation
C.
O.
E,
Putthe GearSelectLever(C, Figure
4-2) in R (reverse)setting by first
movingleverto N (neutral). Then
pull lever up,turn it to Rposition,
and releaselever.
To start the wheels,slowly squeeze
Wheel DriveControl(D, Figure4-2).
To avoid suddenacceleration,slowly
squeezethe lever.
TO STOPTHEWHEELS:
• To stopdrive powerto the wheels,
releasethe WheelDriveControl. The
wheelswill graduallyslow to astop.
• To quickly stop the wheels,release
both the WheelDriveControland
the OperatorPresenceControl.
• Returnthe GearSelectLeverto the
N (neutral)position whenyou have
completedreverseoperation. Allow
the wheelsto stop completelybe-
fore shifting from R (reverse)intoa
forward speed.
MowWhen
LawnIsDry
For bestresults,avoid cutting grass
when it is wet. Wetgrasstendsto form
clumps which interferewith thecutting
action. The besttime to mow is in the
late afternoonor earlyeveningwhenthe
grassis usuallydry.
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CutTop1/3 of /-_
GrassBlades __'
Cutting morethan 1/3 of grasslength
maycausethe grassto becomeexces-
sively dry. In tall grass,it maybeneces-
saryto mowata highersetting andthen
mow againat the desiredheight. NOTE:
Thecutting height is critical to achieving
a well-groomedlawn. Youshould exper-
iment with varioussettingsto find that
"just right" cutting height.
MAKINGTURNS..... _
VaryCuttingPattern
The mowerturns easily bypushing
the handlebarsin the oppositedirection
that you wantto turn. Thedifferential
mechanisminside the transaxlewill
allow the inside turning wheelto stop or
slow down while the outsideturning
wheelis poweredby the drive system.
Reducethe wheel speedbeforeturn-
ing the mower. Fortight turns, disen-
gagethe WheelDriveControlandmanu-
Varythe cutting patternfrom weekto
weekto help preventmattingof the
grass. Oneweek, mowfrom north to
south, the nextweekmow from eastto
west. Overlapseveralincheswhen
mowingto obtainan evenappearance.
MowingonSlopes
ally push the mowerthrough the turn (if
needed,put the GearSelectLeverin
neutral so the wheelsturn freely).
MOWINGTIPSAND HINTS
Toavoidinjuryorpropertydamage:
• Before mowing, thoroughly inspect
area where mower is to be usedand
remove all stones, sticks, wires,
bones,nailsandotherforeignobjects.
• Disengage mower blades before
crossinggraveldrives, roads, or side-
walksto preventbladesfrom throwing
stonesor otherhazardousobjects.
Toavoidinjury orpropertydamage:
• Maximum safe operating angle
is150.
• Exceedingmaximum safe operating
angle may cause tipping or loss of
footing.
• Donotmowwet slopes.
• Mowacrossslopes,notupanddown.
• Exercise extreme caution when
changingdirectiononslopes.
MulchingLeaves
• The mowercan beusedto mowfallen
leaves.Theleaf particlesfilter down into
the lawn andprovideaddedfertilizer.
• The leavesmust bedry in order to be
mulched.
• Usea slowerground speedif the
leavesarenot mulchedinto fine parti-
cles.
• If you mulch oakleaves(whichaddacid
to the soil), addlimeto the lawn inthe
spring to reducethe acidity ofthe soil.
KeepMowerBladesSharp
For bestmowerperformance,keepthe
bladessharp. Dull bladeswill tear,
bruise andsplit theends of grass. See
bladesharpeninginstructions in Section
5: Maintenance.
Do not mowexcessivelysteepslopes
(seeWARNINGstatementthat follows).
Slow down andexerciseextremecaution
whenchanging directionon slopes.
Beforemowing on slopes,checkthe en-
gine oil leveland makesure thatthe level
is at the FULLmark. Maintaininga FULL
oil levelis particularlyimportant when
operatingon slopesasoil canbe drained
awayfrom vital engineparts.
CleanMowerFrequently
Cleanthe undersideof the mowerdeck
frequently to removegrass build-up.
Seemowercleaninginstructionsin
Section5: Maintenance.
PrecisionTrimming
Forprecisiontrimming, usethe slow-
estgearand inch the mower alongby
"feathering"the WheelDriveControl
lever. Or, disengagethe wheeldrive by
releasingthe Wheel DriveControlso that
you can manuallymaneuverthemower
(if needed,put the GearSelectLeverin
neutralso that the wheelsturn freely).
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