MTD 105 User Manual

OWNEirSGUIDE

AMERICAN AMERICAN

M A D E O W N E D

OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT

Important: Read Safety Rules and Instructions Carefully

	Model Series
20" and 21 "	105 thru 108
MULCHING	(Push)
	130 thru 148

	ROTARY MOWERS	(Self-Propelled)
		730 thru 738
		(Push)
	WARNING: This unit is equipped with an internal combustion engine and should not be used on or near any
	unimproved forest-covered, brush-covered or grass-covered land unless the engine’s exhaust system is equipped
	with a spark arrester meeting applicable local or state laws (if any). If a spark arrester is used, it should be
	maintained in effective working order by the operator.
	In the State of California the above is required by law (Section 4442 of the California Public Resources Code).
	Other states may have similar laws. Federal laws apply on federal lands. A spark arrester for the muffler is avail­
	able through your nearest engine authorized service dealer or contact the service department, P.O. Box 368022,
"•N	Cleveland, Ohio 44136-9722.
	MTD PRODUCTS INC • P.O. BOX 368022 • CLEVELAND, OHIO 44136-9722

PRINTED IN U.S.A.

FORM NO. 770-8558J

IMPORTANT	SAFE OPERATION PRACTICES

THIS SYMBOL POINTS OUT IMPORTANT SAFETY lIJSTRUCTIONS WHICH, IF NOT FOLLOWED, COULD ENDANGER THE PERSONAL A SAFETY AND/OR PROPERTY OF YOURSELF AND )THERS. READ AND FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS IN THIS MANUAL BEFORE à

ATTEMPTING TO OPERATE YOUR LAWN MOWER. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THESE INSTRUCTIONS MAY RESULT IN PERSONAL INJURY. WHEN YOU SEE THIS SYMBOL— ^ HELD ITS WARNING.

A	Your lawn mower was b lilt to be operated according to the rules for sate operation in this manual. As
	DANGER: with any type of power e iuipment, carelessness or error on the part of the operator can result in serious
	injury. If you violate any i if these rules, you may cause serious injury to yourself or others.

TRAINING

1.Read this owner’s guide carefully in its entirety before attempt­ ing to assemble or operate this machine. Be compì 3tely famil­ iar with the controls and the proper use of this mac line before operating it. Keep this manual in a safe place for future and regular reference and for ordering replacement parts.

2.Your rotary mower is a precision piece of power squipment, not a plaything. Therefore, exercise extreme caution at all times. Your unit has been designed to perform une job: to mow grass. Do not use it for any other purpose.

3.Never allow children under 14 years old to operate a power mower. Children 14 years old and over should only operate mower under close parental supervision. Only psrsons well acquainted with these rules of safe operation should be allowed to use your mower.

4.Keep the area of operation clear of all persons, rarticularly small children and pets. Stop engine when they are in the vicinity of your mower to help prevent blade contac: or thrown

object injury. Although the area of operation shou d be com­ pletely cleared of foreign objects, an object may have been overlooked and could be accidentally thrown by th ; mower in any direction and cause serious personal injury to t ie operator or any others allowed in the area.

PREPARATION

1. Thoroughly inspect the area where the equipment is to be used. Remove all stones, sticks, wire, bones and o her foreign objects which could be picked up and thrown by tha mower in any direction and cause serious personal injury to tie operator or any others allowed in the area. Plan your mowing pattern to avoid discharge of material toward roads, sidewalks, bystanders and the like.

2.Always wear safety glasses or eye shields during operation or while performing an adjustment or repair, to protec: eyes from foreign objects that may be thrown from the mac line in any direction.

3.Wear sturdy, rough-soled work shoes and close-filing slacks and shirts. Shirts and pants that cover the arms and legs and steel-toed shoes are recommended. Do not wear bose fitting clothes or jewelry. They can be caught in moving [ arts. Never operate a unit in bare feet, sandals, or sneakers.

4.Before working with gasoline, extinguish all cigare tes, cigars, pipes and other sources of ignition. Check the fuel evel before starting the engine. Gasoline is an extremely flammable fuel. Do not fill the gasoline tank indoors, while the engine is run­ ning, or until engine has been allowed to cool for it least two minutes after running. Replace gasoline cap secure y and wipe off any spilled gasoline before starting the enginu as it may cause a fire or explosion.

5.Disengage the self-propelled mechanism or drivu clutch on

units so equipped before starting the engine.

6.The blade control handle is a safety device. Never attempt to bypass its operation. Doing so makes the safety de rice inoper­ ative and may result in personal injury through contact with the rotating blade. The blade control handle must operite easily in both directions and automatically return to the disengaged position when released.

7.Never attempt to make a wheel or cutting height adjustment

while the engine is running.

8.Never operate the mower in wet grass. Always be ; ure of your footing. A slip and fall can cause serious personal njury. Keep a firm hold on the handle and walk, never run. N ow only in daylight or in good artificial light.

9. For your safety, use the slope gauge Included as part of this rhanual to measure slopes before operating this unit on a sloped or hilly area. If the slope is greater than 15° as shown oh the slope gauge, do not operate this unit on that area or serious injury could result.

. OPERATION

1.Do not change the engine governor settings or overspeed the engine. Excessive engine speeds are dangerous.

2.Do not put hands or feet near or under rotating parts. Keep clear of the discharge opening at all times as the rotating blade can cause injury.

3.Stop the blade when crossing gravel drives, walks or roads.

4.After striking a foreign object, stop the engine, remove the wire from the spark plug, and thoroughly inspect the mower for any damage. Repair the damage before restarting and operating the mower.

5.If the equipment should start to vibrate abnormally, stop the engine and check immediately for the cause. Vibration is gen­ erally a warning of trouble.

6.Shut the engine off and wait until the blade comes to a com­ plete 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 rotat­ ing.

7.Before cleaning, repairing or inspecting, make certain the blade and all moving parts have stopped. Disconnect the spark plug

wire, and keep the wire away from the spark plug to prevent

'accidental starting.

8.Do not run the engine indoors.

9.Never cut grass by pulling mower toward you. Mow across the face of slopes, never up-and-down. Exercise extreme caution when changing direction on slopes. Do not mow excessively steep slopes. Always be sure of your footing. A slip and fall can cause serious personal injury.

10.Never operate mower without proper guards, plates or other safety protective devices in place.

11.Muffler and engine become hot and can cause a burn. Do not touch.

MAINTENANCE AND STDRAGE

1.Check the blade and engine mounting bolts at frequent inter­ vals for proper tightness. Also visually inspect blade for dam­ age (e.g. bent, cracked). Replace with blade which meets origi­ nal equipment specifications.

2.Keep all nuts, bolts, and screws tight to be sure the equipment is in safe working condition.

3.Never store the mower with gasoline in the tank or gas con­ tainers inside of a building where fumes may reach an open flame or spark (e.g. gas hot water heater). Allow the engine to cool before storing in any enclosure.

4.To reduce fire hazard, keep the engine free of grass, leaves and excessive oil.

5.Check the grass catcher bag frequently for wear or deteriora­ tion. Replace a worn or damaged bag immediately. For safety protection, replace only with new bag meeting original equip­ ment specifications.

SET-UP INSTRUCTIONS

IMPORTANT:

This

unit

is

shipped

WITHOUT

GASO­

LINE

or

OIL.

Be

certain

to

service

engine

with

gaso­

line

and

oil

as

instructed

in the

separate

engine

manual before operating your mower.

NOTE: Reference to right or

left

hand

side

of

the

mower is observed from the operating position.

HOW TO SET-UP YOUR LAWN MOWER

Refer to Illustration Below

1.

Remove

carton

inserts

(if

any)

and

the

side

dis­

charge chute which is loose in

the

carton.

Lift

the

mower from the carton, or cut

the

corners

of

the

carton and roll the mower out.

2.

Remove

any

cardboard

pieces

which

may

be

between

the

upper

and

lower

handles

for

ship­

ping

purposes.

If

there

is

any

packaging

(plastic

or

cardboard)

around

the

upper

handle,

remove

it.

3.

Disconnect the

spark

plug

wire

and

move

it

away

from the spark plug.

4. Pull up and back on the upper

handle

to

raise

the

handle into

the

operating

position.

Make

certain

the

lower

handle

is

seated

securely

into

the

han­

dle

mounting

brackets.

Tighten

the

hand

knobs

on each side of the handle.

NOTE: Your mower is shipped with the handie in the higher height position. If you wish to lower the height of the handle, refer to the Adjustment Section at this time.

Remove

the

hairpin

clips

from

the

outer

hole

in

the

weld

pins

on

the

handle

mounting

brackets.

Place the hairpin clips in the inner hole.

The rope guide and wing

nut are attached to the

starter rope,

on

top

of

the

engine.

Remove

the

wing

nut

from

rope

guide.

Remove

the

rope

guide

from the starter rope.

7.

With

the

spark

plug’wire

disconnected

and

grounded,

hold

the

blade

control

handle

against

the

upper

handle, and

pull

the starter rope out of

the engine. Hold the rope

guide

as

shown

so

the

opening in the rope guide

is toward the front of

mower. Slip the rope guide

around

the

starter

rope

and

into

the

right

side

of

upper

handle using

the

hole shown. Secure using the wing nut.

8. Make certain all nuts and

bolts

are

tightened

securely.

Your mower has been shipped

as a mulcher. To dis­

charge grass to the side, proceed with step 9.

9.

To

convert

your

mower

from

a

mulcher to

a

side

discharge

mower,

lift

the

mulching

plug.

Slide

the

two

hooks

on

the

side

discharge

deflec­

tor under the hinge pin

on

the

mulching

plug

assembly. Lower the mulching plug.

	Blade Control	SELF-PROPELLED MODELS:
Wing Nut	Handle		Handle
				Lower
			Mounting
			Bracket	Handle
				Hairpin Clip
	Upper			in Inner
				Hole
	Handle
Rope
Guide
Starter	Rope
	Guide
Rope
Muiching	Lower			Weld
				Pin
Piug
	Handle
	Handie	Spark	PUSH MODELS:
	Mounting
		Plug
	Bracket		Hairpin
			Clip in
			inner Hoie
				Lower
				Handie
				Handie
			Weld	Mounting
			Pin	Bracket

FIGURE 1.—Self-Propelled Model Shown

Drive

Clutch

Control

Recoil

Starter

II

CONTROLS

	Blade	▲	WARNING:	The	throttle control		cannot be
	Control
			used to stop the engine.
	Handle
	1 hrottle	RECOIL STARTER
	Control
		The recoil starter		handle	is attached	to	the	handle.
		See figure 2. Stand behind the unit				in	the	operating
		position to start the unit.

FIGURE 2.—Self-Propelled 6-Speed Model Shown

BLADE CONTROL HANDLE

A

WARNING:

This

controi

mechanism

is a

safety

device.

Never

attempt

to

bypass

its operations.

The

blade control

handle

is

located

on

the

upper

han­

dle of the mower. See

figure

2. The blade

control

han­

dle must be depressed in order

to

operate the

unit.

Release the

blade

control

handle

to

stop

the

engine

and blade.

A

WARNING:

The

blade

will

be

-otating

whenever the engine is running.

THROTTLE CONTROL

The

throttle

control

is

located

on

the

left

si(ie

of

the

upper handle. It is used to regulate the engimj speed.

DRIVE CLUTCH CONTROL

(Self-Propelled Models Only)

Squeezing

the

drive

clutch

control

engages

the

drive

mechanism

to

the

rear

wheels.

Releasing

the

clutch

control

stops

the

rear

wheels

from

driving.

Release

the

drive

clutch

control

to

slow

down

when

negotiating

an obstacle, making a turn or stopping. See figure 2.

SHIFT LEVER (Six Speed Models Only)

The

six

speed

shift

lever

is

located

on

the

drive

clutch

control

housing

on

the

upper

handle.

See

figure

2.

This lever is used to select the

operating

speed

of

the

mower.

Release

the

drive

clutch

control

when

chang­

ing speeds.

IMPORTANT:

Move

the

shift

iever

ONLY

when

the

engine

is

running.

Shifting

the

speeds

with

the

engine off can cause damage to the unit.

OPERATION

TO REDUCE THE RISK OF INJURY, DO N OPERATE MOWER UNLESS REAR TRAILII SHIELD AND THIS GUARD OR ENTII GRASS CATCHER IS IN ITS PROPER PLAC

KEEP HANDS and FEET AWAY

The operation of any lawn mower can result in for­ eign objects being thrown into the eyes, which

can result in severe eye damage. ^sAFEnTGuisrej^ Always wear safety glasses or eye

shields. We recommend wide vision safety mask for over spectacles or standard safety glasses.

NOTE: For best	results	raise the	cutting position until
it is determined	which	height is	best for your lawn.

See cutting height adjustment section.

GAS AND OIL FILL-UP

Service the engine with gasoline and oil as

instructed in the separate engine manual. Read instructions carefully.

	FIGURE 3.	WARNING:		Never	fill	fuel		tank	Indoors,
		with	engine running			or	until	the engine
	Keep hands and feet away from the chute area on	has	been	allowed	to	cool	for	at	least two
	cutting deck. See figure 3.	A minutes after running.