Troy-Bilt 400 User Manual

Op er a tor's Man ual

21" Rear Dis charge

Push Mower

400 Se ries

IM POR TANT:
READ SAFETY RULES AND
IN STRUC TIONS CARE FULLY
BE FORE OP ER AT ING EQUIP MENT.

PRINTED IN U.S.A. OG-4805

TA BLE OF CON TENTS

CALL ING CUS TOMER SUP PORT············2
IM POR TANT SAFE OP ER A TION PRAC TICES ··3
SLOPE GAUGE ·························5
SET-UP IN STRUC TIONS ··················6
OP ER A TION ···························8
AD JUST MENTS ·························9

LU BRI CA TION ··························9
MAIN TE NANCE ·························9
OFF SEA SON STOR AGE IN STRUC TIONS ····10
TROU BLE SHOOT ING ···················11
RE PLACE MENT PARTS/PIÈCES DÉTACHÉES · 12
WAR RANTY ···························15

FIND ING MODEL NUM BER

This Op er a tor’s Man ual is an im por tant part of your new lawn mower. It will help you as sem ble, pre pare and main ­tain the unit for best per for mance. Please read and un der stand what it says.

Be fore you start as sem bling your new equip ment, please lo cate the model plate on the equip ment and copy the in ­for ma tion from it in the space pro vided be low. A sam ple model plate is also given be low. You can lo cate the model
plate by stand ing at the op er at ing po si tion and look ing down at the rear of the deck . This in for ma tion will be nec es ­sary to use the man u fac turer’s web site and/or help from the Cus tomer Sup port De part ment or an au tho rized

ser vice dealer.

Copy the model num ber here:

Copy the se rial num ber here:

EN GINE IN FOR MA TION

The en gine man u fac turer is re spon si ble for all en gine-re lated is sues with re gards to per for mance, power-rat ing,
spec i fi ca tions, war ranty and ser vice. Please re fer to the en gine man u fac turer’s Owner’s/Op er a tor’s Man ual packed
sep a rately with your unit for more in for ma tion.

CALL ING CUS TOMER SUP PORT

Please do NOT re turn the unit to the re tailer from which it was pur chased, with out first con tact ing Cus tomer Sup port.

If you have dif fi culty as sem bling this prod uct or have any ques tions re gard ing the con trols, op er a tion or main te ­nance of this unit, please call a Cus tomer Sup port Representataive.

For US Cus tom ers: 1- (330) 220-4MTD (4683) or 1- (800)-800-7310

For Ca na dian Cus tom ers: 1-800-668-1238

Please have your unit’s model num ber and se rial num ber ready when you call. See pre vi ous sec tion to lo cate this
in for ma tion. You will be asked to en ter the se rial num ber in or der to pro cess your call.

HOW TO OB TAIN SER VICE

Ser vice is avail able, WITH PROOF OF PUR CHASE, through your lo cal au tho rized ser vice dealer. To lo cate the
dealer in your area;

In the U.S.A.: Check your Yel low Pages, or con tact MTD LLC at P.O. Box 361131, Cleve land, Ohio 44136-0019, or
call 1-800-800-7310 or 1-330-220-4683 or log on to our Web site at www.mtdproducts.com.

In Can ada: Con tact MTD Prod ucts Lim ited, Kitchener, ON N2G 4J1, or call 1-800-668-1238 or log on to our Web
site at www.mtdcanada.com.

2

IM POR TANT SAFE OP ER A TION PRAC TICES

WARN ING: This sym bol points out im por tant safety in struc tions which, if not fol lowed, could en dan ger
the per sonal safety and/or prop erty of your self and oth ers. Read and fol low all in struc tions in this
man ual be fore at tempt ing to op er ate this ma chine. Fail ure to com ply with these in struc tions may re sult
in per sonal in jury. When you see this sym bol—heed its warn ing.

WARN ING: En gine Ex haust, some of its con stit u ents, and cer tain ve hi cle com po nents con tain or emit
chem i cals known to State of Cal i for nia to cause can cer and birth de fects or other re pro duc tive harm.

DAN GER: This ma chine was built to be op er ated ac cord ing to the rules for safe op er a tion in this man ­ual. As with any type of power equip ment, care less ness or er ror on the part of the op er a tor can re sult
in se ri ous in jury. This ma chine is ca pa ble of am pu tat ing hands and feet and throw ing ob jects. Fail ure
to ob serve the fol low ing safety in struc tions could re sult in se ri ous in jury or death.

Gen eral Op er a tion

• Read this op er a tor’s man ual care fully in its en tirety be fore at -

tempt ing to as sem ble this ma chine. Read, un der stand, and
fol low all in struc tions on the ma chine and in the man ual(s) be ­fore op er a tion. Be com pletely fa mil iar with the con trols and the
proper use of this ma chine be fore op er at ing it. Keep this man ­ual in a safe place for fu ture and reg u lar ref er ence and for
or der ing re place ment parts.

• This ma chine is a pre ci sion piece of power equip ment, not a

play thing. There fore, ex er cise ex treme cau tion at all times. Your
unit has been de signed to per form one job: to mow grass. Do
not use it for any other pur pose.

• Never al low chil dren un der 14 years old to op er ate this ma -

chine. Chil dren 14 years old and over should read and
un der stand the in struc tions in this man ual and should be
trained and su per vised by a par ent. Only re spon si ble in di vid u ­als who are fa mil iar with these rules of safe op er a tion should
be al lowed to use this ma chine.

• Thor oughly in spect the area where the equip ment is to be

used. Re move all stones, sticks, wire, bones, toys and other
for eign ob jects which could be trip ped over or picked up and
thrown by the blade. Thrown ob jects can cause se ri ous per ­sonal in jury. Plan your mow ing pat tern to avoid dis charge of
ma te rial to ward roads, side walks, by stand ers and the like. Also,
avoid dis charg ing ma te rial against a wall or ob struc tion which
may cause dis charged ma te rial to ric o chet back to ward the op ­er a tor.

• To help avoid blade con tact or a thrown ob ject in jury, stay in

the op er a tor zone be hind the han dles and keep chil dren, by ­stand ers, help ers and pets at least 75 feet from the mower
while it is in op er a tion. Stop ma chine if any one en ters the area.

• Al ways wear safety glasses or safety gog gles dur ing op er a tion

and while per form ing an ad just ment or re pair to pro tect your
eyes. Thrown ob jects which ric o chet can cause se ri ous in jury
to the eyes.

• Wear sturdy, rough-soled work shoes and close-fit ting slacks

and shirts. Shirts and pants that cover the arms and legs and
steel-toed shoes are rec om mended. Never op er ate this ma ­chine in bare feet, san dals, slip pery or light weight (e.g.
can vas) shoes.

• Do not put hands or feet near ro tat ing parts or un der the cut -

ting deck. Con tact with the blade can am pu tate hands and feet.

• A miss ing or dam aged dis charge cover can cause blade con -

tact or thrown ob ject in ju ries.

• Many in ju ries oc cur as a re sult of the mower be ing pulled over

the foot dur ing a fall caused by slip ping or trip ping. Do not hold
on to the mower if you are fall ing; re lease the han dle im me di ­ately.

• Never pull the mower back to ward you while you are walk ing. If

you must back the mower away from a wall or ob struc tion first
look down and be hind to avoid trip ping and then fol low these
steps:

a. Step back from the mower to fully ex tend your arms.

b. Be sure you are well bal anced with sure foot ing.

c. Pull the mower back slowly, no more than half way to -

ward you.

d. Re peat these steps as needed.

• Do not op er ate the mower while un der the in flu ence of al co hol

or drugs.

• Do not en gage the self-pro pelled mech a nism on units so

equipped while start ing en gine.

• The blade con trol han dle is a safety de vice. Never at tempt to

by pass its op er a tion. Do ing so makes the safety de vice in op er ­a tive and may re sult in per sonal in jury through con tact with the
ro tat ing blade. The blade con trol han dle must op er ate eas ily in
both di rec tions and au to mat i cally re turn to the dis en gaged po ­si tion when re leased.

• Never op er ate the mower in wet grass. Al ways be sure of your

foot ing. A slip and fall can cause se ri ous per sonal in jury. If you
feel you are los ing your foot ing, re lease the blade con trol han ­dle im me di ately and the blade will stop ro tat ing within three
sec onds.

• Mow only in day light or in good ar ti fi cial light. Walk, never run.

• Stop the blade when cross ing gravel drives, walks or roads.

• If the equip ment should start to vi brate ab nor mally, stop the

en gine and check im me di ately for the cause. Vi bra tion is gen ­er ally a warn ing of trou ble.

• Shut the en gine off and wait un til the blade co mes to a com -

plete stop be fore re mov ing the grass catcher or un clog ging the
chute. The cut ting blade con tin ues to ro tate for a few sec onds
af ter the en gine is shut off. Never place any part of the body in
the blade area un til you are sure the blade has stopped ro tat ­ing.

• Never op er ate mower with out proper trail shield, dis charge

cover, grass catcher, blade con trol han dle or other safety pro ­tec tive de vices in place and work ing. Never op er ate mower
with dam aged safety de vices. Fail ure to do so, can re sult in
per sonal in jury.

• Muf fler and en gine be come hot and can cause a burn. Do not

touch.

• Only use parts and ac ces so ries made for this ma chine by the

man u fac turer. Fail ure to do so can re sult in per sonal in jury.

• If sit u a tions oc cur which are not cov ered in this man ual, use

care and good judg ment. Call cus tomer as sis tance for the
name of your near est ser vic ing dealer.

3

Slope Operation

Slopes are a ma jor fac tor re lated to slip and fall ac ci dents
which can re sult in se vere in jury. Op er a tion on slopes re quires
ex tra cau tion. If you feel un easy on a slope, do not mow it. For
your safety, use the slope gauge in cluded as part of this man ­ual to mea sure slopes be fore op er at ing this unit on a sloped or
hilly area. If the slope is greater than 15 de grees, do not mow
it.

Do:

• Mow across the face of slopes; never up and down. Ex er cise

ex treme cau tion when chang ing di rec tion on slopes.

• Watch for holes, ruts, rocks, hid den ob jects, or bumps which

can cause you to slip or trip. Tall grass can hide ob sta cles.

• Al ways be sure of your foot ing. A slip and fall can cause se ri -

ous per sonal in jury. If you feel you are los ing your bal ance,
re lease the blade con trol han dle im me di ately, and the blade will
stop ro tat ing within 3 sec onds.

Do Not:

• Do not mow near drop-offs, ditches or em bank ments, you could

lose your foot ing or bal ance.

• Do not mow slopes greater than 15 de grees as shown on the

slope gauge.

• Do not mow on wet grass. Un sta ble foot ing could cause slip -

ping.

Chil dren

Tragic ac ci dents can oc cur if the op er a tor is not alert to the
pres ence of chil dren. Chil dren are of ten at tracted to the mower
and the mow ing ac tiv ity. They do not un der stand the dan gers.
Never as sume that chil dren will re main where you last saw
them.

• Keep chil dren out of the mow ing area and un der the watch ful

care of a re spon si ble adult other than the op er a tor.

• Be alert and turn mower off if a child en ters the area.

• Be fore and while mov ing back wards, look be hind and down for

small chil dren.

• Use ex treme care when ap proach ing blind cor ners, door ways,

shrubs, trees, or other ob jects that may ob scure your vi sion of
a child who may run into the mower.

• Keep chil dren away from hot or run ning en gines. They can suf -

fer burns from a hot muf fler.

• Never al low chil dren un der 14 years old to op er ate a power

mower. Chil dren 14 years old and over should read and un der ­stand the op er a tion in struc tions and safety rules in this man ual
and should be trained and su per vised by a par ent.

Ser vice
Safe Han dling Of Gas o line:

• To avoid per sonal in jury or prop erty dam age use ex treme care

in han dling gas o line. Gas o line is ex tremely flam ma ble and the
va pors are ex plo sive. Se ri ous per sonal in jury can oc cur when
gas o line is spilled on your self or your clothes which can ig nite.

• Wash your skin and change clothes im me di ately.

• Use only an ap proved gas o line con tainer.

• Never fill con tain ers in side a ve hi cle or on a truck or trailer bed

with a plas tic liner. Al ways place con tain ers on the ground away
from your ve hi cle be fore fill ing.

• Re move gas-pow ered equip ment from the truck or trailer and

re fuel it on the ground. If this is not pos si ble, then re fuel such
equip ment on a trailer with a por ta ble con tainer, rather than
from a gas o line dis penser noz zle.

• Keep the noz zle in con tact with the rim of the fuel tank or con -

tainer open ing at all times un til fuel ing is com plete. Do not use
a noz zle lock-open de vice.

• Ex tin guish all cig a rettes, ci gars, pipes and other sources of ig ni -

tion.

• Never fuel ma chine in doors be cause flam ma ble va pors will ac -

cu mu late in the area.

• Never re move gas cap or add fuel while the en gine is hot or run -

ning. Al low en gine to cool at least two min utes be fore re fu el ing.

• Never over fill fuel tank. Fill tank to no more than ½ inch be low

bot tom of filler neck to pro vide for fuel ex pan sion.

• Re place gas o line cap and tighten se curely.

• If gas o line is spilled, wipe it off the en gine and equip ment.

Move unit to an other area. Wait 5 min utes be fore start ing the
en gine.

• Never store the ma chine or fuel con tainer near an open flame,

spark or pi lot light as on a wa ter heater, space heater, fur nace
,clothes dryer or other gas ap pli ances.

• To re duce fire haz ard, keep mower free of grass, leaves, or

other de bris build-up. Clean up oil or fuel spill age and re move
any fuel soaked de bris.

• Al low a mower to cool at least 5 min utes be fore stor ing.

Gen eral Ser vice:

• Never run an en gine in doors or in a poorly ven ti lated area. En -

gine ex haust con tains car bon mon ox ide, an odor less and
deadly gas.

• Be fore clean ing, re pair ing, or in spect ing, make cer tain the

blade and all mov ing parts have stopped. Dis con nect the spark
plug wire and ground against the en gine to pre vent un in tended
start ing.

• Check the blade and en gine mount ing bolts at fre quent in ter -

vals for proper tight ness. Also, vi su ally in spect blade for
dam age (e.g., bent, cracked, worn) Re place blade with the
orig i nal equip ment man u fac ture’s (O.E.M.) blade only, listed in
this man ual. “Use of parts which do not meet the orig i nal equip ­ment spec i fi ca tions may lead to im proper per for mance and
com pro mise safety!”

• Mower blades are sharp and can cut. Wrap the blade or wear

gloves, and use ex tra cau tion when ser vic ing them.

• Keep all nuts, bolts, and screws tight to be sure the equip ment

is in safe work ing con di tion.

• Never tam per with safety de vices. Check their proper op er a tion

reg u larly.

• Af ter strik ing a for eign ob ject, stop the en gine, dis con nect the

spark plug wire and ground against the en gine. Thor oughly in ­spect the mower for any dam age. Re pair the dam age be fore
start ing and op er at ing the mower.

• Never at tempt to make a wheel or cut ting height ad just ment

while the en gine is run ning.

• Grass catcher com po nents, dis charge cover, and trail shield are

sub ject to wear and dam age which could ex pose mov ing parts
or al low ob jects to be thrown. For safety pro tec tion, fre quently
check com po nents and re place im me di ately with orig i nal equip ­ment man u fac turer’s (O.E.M.) parts only, listed in this man ual.
“Use of parts which do not meet the orig i nal equip ment spec i fi ­ca tions may lead to im proper per for mance and com pro mise
safety!

• Do not change the en gine gov er nor set ting or overspeed the

en gine. The gov er nor con trols the max i mum safe op er at ing
speed of the en gine.

• Main tain or re place safety la bels, as nec es sary.

• Ob serve proper dis posal laws and reg u la tions. Im proper dis -

posal of flu ids and ma te ri als can harm the en vi ron ment.

Your Re spon si bil ity

• Re strict the use of this power ma chine to per sons who read,

un der stand and fol low the warn ings and in struc tions in this
man ual and on the ma chine.

SI-102

10.6.04

4

SLOPE GAUGE

(Keep this sheet in a safe place for fu ture ref er ence.)

Use this page as a guide to de ter mine slopes where you may not op er ate safely. Do not op er ate your lawn mower
on such slopes.

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5

SET-UP

This unit is shipped WITH OUT GAS O LINE or OIL.
Af ter as sem bly, ser vice en gine with gas o line and oil
as in structed in the sep a rate en gine man ual packed
with your unit.

NOTE: Ref er ence to right or left hand side of the
mower is ob served from the op er at ing po si tion.

This owner’s man ual cov ers var i ous mod els of
lawnmowers. The units il lus trated may vary slightly
from your unit. Fol low only those in struc tions which
per tain to your model lawnmower.

• Dis con nect the spark plug wire and ground it as in -

structed in the sep a rate en gine man ual packed with
your unit.

• Re move the car ton in serts (if any). Re move the loose

parts which are in the car ton, lift the mower from the
car ton, or cut the cor ners of the car ton and roll the
mower out.

Lower

Carriage Bolt

Handle

Wing Nut

Place the

hairpin clip in

Hairpin
Clip

the inner hole

of weld pin.

Fig ure 2- For mod els with 8" rear wheels.

Lower Handle

Wing Nut

Carriage

Bolt

Place the

hairpin clip

in the inner

Hairpin

hole of weld

Clip

pin.

Fig ure 1

• Pull up and back on the up per han dle to raise the

han dle into the op er at ing po si tion. Make cer tain the
lower han dle is seated se curely into the han dle
mount ing brack ets. Tighten the large wing nuts on
each side of the han dle. See Fig ure 1.

• Re move the hair pin clips from the outer hole in the

weld pins on the han dle mount ing brack ets. Place the
hair pin clips in the in ner hole. See Fig ures 2 and 3.

• Place one car riage bolt (found in the hard ware pack

in cluded with your unit) in the up per hole of the right
han dle mount ing bracket from the in side out ward.
See Fig ures 2 and 3. Se cure with one wing nut. Re ­peat pro cess on the left side.

• The rope guide is al ready at tached to the han dle on

the right side of your mower. See Fig ure 4. With the
spark plug wire dis con nected and grounded as in ­structed in the sep a rate en gine man ual, hold the
blade con trol han dle, against the up per han dle and
pull the starter rope out of the en gine. Slip the rope
through the rope guide and se cure us ing the small
wing nut. See Fig ure 4. Make cer tain all nuts and
bolts are tight ened se curely.

Fig ure 3 - For mod els with 12" rear wheels.

Small Wing

Nut

Blade
Control
Handle

Rope Guide

Fig ure 4

• Fas ten the ca ble to the lower han dle with the ca ble

ties found on the lower han dle. Pull the ca ble ties
tight and trim off the ex cess. See Fig ure 5.

• Make cer tain all nuts and bolts are tight ened se curely.

NOTE: If the starter rope be comes dis con nected
from rope guide on han dle, dis con nect and
ground the spark plug wire. De press the bail and
pull the starter rope out from en gine slowly. Slip

6

Lower

Handle

Fig ure 5

Cable Tie

Hook

Hole in
Plastic
Channel

the starter rope into the rope guide bolt on han ­dle.

Attaching Rear Wheels (If Not Al ready At tached)

• Re move the hex flanged nut on the rear axle and

place the rear wheel on the axle.

• For mod els with ball bear ing wheels place the wave

washer be tween the wheel and the lawnmower. See
Fig ure 6.

• Re in sert the flanged nut onto the axle as shown, and

tighten se curely. Re peat on other side.

Rear

Wheel

Rear

Axle

Hex

Nut

Wave Washer

(Models with

ball bearings

wheels only)

Fig ure 6

Assembly of Grass Catcher

NOTE: If your mower's grass catcher is as sem -
bled, pro ceed to the next sec tion. If not, fol low
these steps.

NOTE: Make cer tain the grass bag is turned right
side out be fore as sem bling (warn ing la bel will be
on the out side).

• Place bag over frame (black plas tic side is the bot tom

of bag.) In sert the hooks on the frame through the
holes in the side plas tic chan nels of the bag. See
Fig ure 7.

• Se cure bag to frame by work ing the plas tic chan nels

on bag over frame as shown in Fig ure 7. All of the
plas tic chan nels ex cept cen ter top of bag at tach from
the out side of bag. Cen ter top of bag at ta ches from
the in side of bag.

Bag

Plastic
Channels

Fig ure 7

Rear Discharge

Door

Pivot

Rod

Grass

Catcher

Fig ure 8

Attaching Grass Catcher to Mower

CAU TION: Never at tach or re move grass catcher
while the en gine is run ning.

• Lift the rear dis charge door on the mowe r, and place

the grass catcher on the pivot rod. Let go of dis ­charge door so that it rests on the grass catcher.
See Fig ure 8.

NOTE: Make cer tain ca bles are routed to the
out side of the han dle so they are not in the way
when at tach ing the grass catcher.

To Re move the Grass Catcher

• Lift the rear dis charge door on the mower as shown

in Fig ure 8. Lift the grass catcher up and off the pivot
rod. Re lease the rear dis charge door.

WARN ING: Never op er ate the mower un less
the hooks on the grass catcher are seated
on the pivot rod, and the rear dis charge door
rests firmly against the top of the grass
catcher.

Converting to Side Discharge

If your unit is equipped with a side dis charge de flec ­tor, you can con vert to a side dis charge mower as
fol lows:

• Re move the grass catcher as pre vi ously de scribed.

• On the side of the mower deck, lift the hinged mulch -

ing plug. See Fig ure 9.

7

Hinged Mulching Plug (optional)

Side Chute Deflector

(optional)

Hinge Pin

Fig ure 9

• Slide the two hooks on the side dis charge de flec tor

un der the hinge pin on the hinged mulch ing plug as ­sem bly.

• Lower the hinged mulch ing plug.

NOTE: Do not re move the hinged mulch ing plug at
any time, even when you are not mulch ing.

WARN ING: All mow ers are equipped with a rear
pro tec tive guard. The guard helps elim i nate pro ­jec tiles thrown by the blade from in jur ing the
op er a tor. DO NOT RE MOVE THIS GUARD.

OPERATION

Blade

Con trol Han dle

Starter

Handle

Fig ure 11

• Grasp the re coil starter han dle as shown and pull

slowly un til re sis tance is felt, then pull rap idly to start
en gine and avoid kick back. Re turn it slowly to the
rope guide bolt. See Fig ure 11.

The blade con trol han dle must be de pressed in or der
to op er ate the unit. Re lease the blade con trol han dle
to stop the en gine and blade.

WARN ING: THIS CON TROL MECH A NISM IS
A SAFETY DE VICE. NEVER AT TEMPT TO
BY PASS ITS OP ER A TIONS.

To Stop Engine :

• Re lease the blade con trol han dle to stop the en gine

and blade.

Before Starting

Ser vice the en gine with gas o line and oil as in structed
in the sep a rate en gine man ual packed in your mower.
Read in struc tions care fully.

WARNING: Never fill fuel tank in doors, with en ­gine run ning or un til the en gine has been al ­lowed to cool for at least two min utes af ter run ­ning.

To Start En gine

• At tach spark plug wire to spark plug. If unit is

equipped with a rub ber boot over the end of the spark
plug wire, make cer tain the metal loop on the end of
the spark plug wire (in side the rub ber boot) is fas ­tened se curely over the metal tip on the spark plug.
See Fig ure 10.

Metal
Loop
on Spark
Plug Wire

Fig ure 10

• If your unit is equipped with a primer, prime en gine as

in structed in the sep a rate en gine man ual packed with
your unit.

• Stand ing be hind the unit, de press the blade con trol

han dle and hold it against the up per han dle as shown
in Fig ure 11.

Rubber Boot

WARNING: The blade con tin ues to ro tate for a
few sec onds af ter the en gine is shut off.

• Dis con nect and ground the spark plug wire as in -

structed in the sep a rate en gine man ual to pre vent
ac ci den tal start ing while equip ment is un at tended.

Using Your Mulcher (Optional)

Mulching mow ers use a spe cially de signed blade to
chop the grass clip pings ex tra fine and then blow
them back down into the lawn. The small clip pings
de com pose quickly be com ing a nat u ral fer til izer that
re turns much of the needed nu tri ents to the soil. Con ­tin u ous mulch ing means con tin u ous free nat u ral
fer til iza tion, no messy clip pings to worry about ever
again and the end re sult for you is a much greener
health ier lawn.

WARNING: Your mower is de signed to cut nor ­mal res i den tial grass of a height no more than
10". Do not at tempt to mow through un usu ally
tall, dry grass (e.g., pas ture) or piles of dry
leaves. De bris may build up on the mower deck
or con tact the en gine ex haust pre sent ing a po ­ten tial fire haz ard.

For The Best Results When Mulching:

• Clear lawn of de bris. Be sure that the lawn is clear of

stones, sticks, wire or other for eign ob jects which could
dam age the lawnmower. Such ob jects could be ac ci den ­tally thrown out by the mower in any di rec tion and cause
se ri ous per sonal in jury to the op er a tor and oth ers as well
as dam age to prop erty and sur round ing ob jects.

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• Do not cut wet grass. For ef fec tive mulch ing do not cut

wet grass be cause it tends to stick to the un der side of
the deck pre vent ing proper mulch ing of the grass clip ­pings.

• Cut no more than 1/3 the length of the grass. The

rec om mended cut for mulch ing is 1/3 the length of the
grass. Ground speed will need to be ad justed so the
clip pings can be dis persed evenly into the lawn. For es ­pe cially heavy cut ting in thick grass it may be nec es sary
to use one of the slow est speeds in or der to get a clean
well mulched cut. When mulch ing long grass you may
have to cut the lawn in two passes, low er ing the blade
an other 1/3 of the length for the sec ond cut and per haps
cut ting in a dif fer ent pat tern than was used the first time.
Over lap ping the cut a lit tle on each pass will also help to
clean up any stray clip pings left on the lawn. The mower
should al ways be op er ated at full throt tle to get the best
cut and al low it to do the most ef fec tive job of mulch ing.

• Clean un der side of deck. Be cer tain to clean the un -

der side of the cut ting deck af ter each use to avoid a
build-up of grass, which would pre vent proper mulch ing.
Re fer to the Main te nance Sec tion.

• Mulch ing Leaves. The mulch ing of leaves can also be

ben e fi cial to your lawn. When mulch ing leaves make
sure they are dry and are not lay ing too thick on the
lawn. Do not wait for all the leaves to be off the trees
be fore you mulch.

• It is rec om mended keep ing drive ways and side walks

on the op er a tors right while mov ing. Con tinue mow ­ing us ing this pat tern, hav ing the left side of your
lawnmower next to the un cut grass. Mulching with the
cut ting area of the mower on the lawn avoids grass
clip pings in un de sir able ar eas.

WARNING: If you strike a for eign ob ject, stop
the en gine. Re move wire from spark plug, thor ­oughly in spect the mower for any dam age, and
re pair the dam age be fore re start ing and op er at ­ing the mower. Ex ten sive vi bra tion of the mower
dur ing op er a tion is an in di ca tion of dam age. The
unit should be promptly in spected and re ­paired.

ADJUSTMENTS

WARN ING: Al ways stop en gine, dis con nect
spark plug and ground against en gine be fore
per form ing ad just ments.

Height Adjusters:
(See Figure 12).

• Stop mower and dis con -

nect spark plug ca ble
be fore chang ing mower
cut ting height.

• The wheel ad just ers give

you nine (9) dif fer ent cut ­ting po si tions. Me dium is
the best for most mow ers.

• To change the height of

cut, squeeze ad juster le ver

Fig ure 12

to ward the wheel, mov ing up or down to se lected
height.

NOTE: All wheels must be in the same height of cut.

• When cut ting in heavy or moist grass, the rear of

lawnmower may be raised higher to al low better dis ­charge of the grass.

Carburetor Adjustment

Mi nor car bu re tor ad just ment may be re quired to com ­pen sate for dif fer ences in fuel, tem per a ture, al ti tude
and load. Re fer to the sep a rate en gine man ual
packed with your mower for car bu re tor ad just ment in ­for ma tion.

MAINTENANCE

WARN ING: Al ways stop en gine, dis con nect
spark plug and ground against en gine be fore
clean ing, lu bri cat ing or do ing any kind of main ­te nance on your ma chine.

Lubrication

Wheels - If your mower is equipped with ball bear ing
wheels, lu bri cate at least once a sea son with a light
oil, all other types re quire no lu bri ca tion. How ever, if
the wheels are re moved for any rea son, lu bri cate the
sur face of the axle bolt and the in ner sur face of the
wheel with light au to mo tive oil.

en gine - Fol low en gine man ual for lu bri ca tion in struc ­tions.

Blade Con trol - Lu bri cate the pivot points on the
blade con trol han dle and the brake ca ble at least
once a sea son with light oil. The blade con trol must
op er ate freely in both di rec tions.

Cutting Blade

WARNING: Be sure to dis con nect and ground
the spark plug wire be fore work ing on the cut ­ting blade to pre vent ac ci den tal en gine start ing.
Pro tect hands by us ing heavy gloves or a rag to
grasp the cut ting blade.

• Tip mower as spec i fied in sep a rate en gine man ual. If

it is not spec i fied tip with car bu re tor up.

• Re move the bolt and blade sup port which holds the

blade and adapter to the en gine crank shaft. Re move
the blade and adapter from the crank shaft. See Fig ure

13.

WARNING: Pe ri odically in spect the blade
adapter for cracks, es pe cially if you strike a for ­eign ob ject. Re place when nec es sary.

For best re sults your blade should be sharp. The blade
may be resharpened by re mov ing it and ei ther grind ing
or fil ing the cut ting edge keep ing as close to the orig i nal
bevel as pos si ble. It is ex tremely im por tant that each
cut ting edge re ceives an equal amount of grind ing to
pre vent an un bal anced blade. Im proper blade bal ance will
re sult in ex ces sive vi bra tion caus ing even tual dam age
to the en gine and mower. Be sure to care fully bal ance
blade af ter sharp en ing. The blade can be tested for bal -

9

ance by bal anc ing it on a round shaft screw driver.
Re move metal from the heavy side un til it bal ances
evenly.

Be fore re as sem bling the blade and the blade adapter to
the unit, lu bri cate the en gine crank shaft and the in ner
sur face of the blade adapter with light oil. In stall the
blade adapter on the crank shaft with the “star” away
from the en gine. Re fer to Fig ure 13. Place the blade
with the side marked bot tom (or with part num ber) fac ­ing away from the adapter. Align the blade bell sup port
over the blade with the tabs in the holes of the blade
and in sert the hex bolt. Tighten the hex bolt to the
torque listed be low:

Blade Mounting Torque

Cen ter Bolt 450 in. lb. min., 600 in.lb. max.
To in sure safe op er a tion of your unit, ALL nuts and bolts

must be checked pe ri od i cally for cor rect tight ness.

CAUTION: Cutting grass in sandy soil
condition causes abrasive wear to the blade.

Af ter pro longed use, es pe cially in sandy soil con di ­tions, the blade will be come worn and lose some of
the orig i nal shape. Cut ting ef fi ciently will be re duced
and the blade should be re placed. Re place with an
ap proved fac tory re place ment blade only. Pos si ble
dam age re sult ing from blade un bal ance con di tion is
not the re spon si bil ity of the man u fac turer.

Deck

The un der side of the mower deck should be cleaned
af ter each use to pre vent a buildup of grass clip pings,
leaves, dirt or other mat ter. If this de bris is al lowed to
ac cu mu late, it will in vite rust and cor ro sion, and may
pre vent proper mulch ing.

The deck may be cleaned by tilt ing the mower and
scrap ing clean with a suit able tool (make cer tain the
spark plug wire is dis con nected).

NOTE: We do not rec om mend the use of pres -
sure wash ers or gar den hose to clean your unit.
These may cause dam age to elec tric com po ­nents, spin dles, pul leys, bear ings, or the en gine.
The use of wa ter will re sult in short ened life and
re duce ser vice abil ity.

Engine

Re fer to the sep a rate en gine man ual for en gine
maintenance in struc tions.

Main tain en gine oil as in structed in the sep a rate en gine
man ual packed with your unit. Read and fol low in struc ­tions care fully.

Un der nor mal con di tions ser vice air cleaner as in -
structed in the sep a rate en gine man ual packed with
your unit. Clean ev ery few hours un der ex tremely dusty
con di tions. Poor en gine per for mance and flood ing usu ­ally in di cates that the air cleaner should be ser viced.

The spark plug should be cleaned and the gap re set
once a sea son. Spark plug re place ment is rec om ­mended at the start of each mow ing sea son; check

Blade Adapter

Blade

Blade Bell
Sup port

Hex Bolt

Fig ure 13

en gine man ual for cor rect plug type and gap
spec i fi ca tions.

NOTE: This spark ig ni tion sys tem meets all re quire ­ments of the Ca na dian In ter fer ence-Caus ing
Equip ment Reg u la tions.

Clean the en gine reg u larly with a cloth or brush. Keep
the cool ing sys tem (blower hous ing area) clean to per mit
proper air cir cu la tion which is es sen tial to en gine per for ­mance and life. Be cer tain to re move all grass, dirt and
com bus ti ble de bris from muf fler area.

Rear Flap Replacement

The rear flap is at tached to the back of the mower deck,
and is de signed to min i mize the pos si bil ity that ob jects
will be thrown from the rear of the mower to ward the op ­er a tor. If the rear flap be comes dam aged, re place as
fol lows.

To re move the old rear flap, cut off the flat end of the
wire rod which se cures it to the deck us ing a pair of
side-cut ters. At tach the new rear flap us ing the new rod
pro vided with the rear flap, bend ing the ends of the rod
over to se cure.

OFF SEA SON STOR AGE IN STRUC TIONS

The fol low ing steps should be taken to pre pare lawn
mower for stor age.

• Clean and lu bri cate mower thor oughly as de scribed in

the lu bri ca tion in struc tions.

• Re fer to en gine man ual for cor rect en gine stor age in -

struc tions.

• Coat mower’s cut ting blade with chas sis grease to

pre vent rust ing.

• Store mower in a dry, clean area.

NOTE: When stor ing any type of power equip ­ment in an un ven ti lated or metal stor age shed,
care should be taken to rust-proof the equip ment.
Using a light oil or sil i cone, coat the equip ment,
es pe cially ca bles and all mov ing parts.

CAU TION: Never fold or un fold han dle
with out dis con nect ing spark plug.

NOTE: Be care ful not to bend of kink ca bles.

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