Troy-Bilt OG-4605 User Manual

Owner’s Man ual

¨SET-UP ¨OP ER A TION ¨MAIN TE NANCE

IM POR TANT: Read Safety Rules and In struc tions Care fully

PRINTED IN U.S.A. OG-4605

CALLING CUSTOMER SUPPORT

• LO CATE YOUR MODEL NUMBER AND SE RIAL NUMBER which ap pears on your unit

and re cord the in for ma tion in the space pro vided be low.

IM POR TANT: You must have these num bers, along with the date and proof of
pur chase to re ceive war ranty or ser vice.

• If you are hav ing dif fi culty as sem bling this prod uct or if you have any ques tions re gard -

ing the con trols, op er a tion or main te nance of this unit, please call an au tho rized dealer.

• Please have your model num ber and se rial num ber ready when you call.

NOTE: Al though both num bers are im por tant, you will be asked to en ter only
your se rial num ber be fore your call can be pro cessed.

This is where your model num ber will be,
re cord model num ber here:

This is where your se rial num ber will be,
re cord se rial num ber here:

TA BLE OF CON TENTS

CALLING CUS TOMER SUP PORT .............................................2

TA BLE OF CON TENTS .....................................................2

IM POR TANT SAFE OP ER A TION PRAC TICES ....................................3

SLOPE GAUGE...........................................................6

UN PACKING.............................................................7

AS SEM BLY..............................................................7

CON TROLS .............................................................9

OP ER A TION ............................................................10

AD JUST MENTS .........................................................12

LU BRI CA TION ..........................................................12

MAIN TE NANCE..........................................................12

OFF SEA SON STOR AGE IN STRUC TIONS......................................14

TROU BLE SHOOTING ....................................................15

RE PLACE MENT PARTS/PIÈCES DÉTACHÉES...................................16

WAR RANTY ............................................................21

2

This unit has been in spected against the man u fac tur ers qual ity check list. In case of a dis crep ­ancy, please call us. We will make ev ery ef fort to ship the part(s) by cou rier within one work ing
day of your call.

IM POR TANT SAFE OP ER A TION PRAC TICES

WARNING: 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.

DANGER: 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, un der stand, and fol low all in struc tions

on the ma chine and in the man ual(s) be fore
at tempt ing to as sem ble and op er ate. 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.

• Be fa mil iar with all con trols and their proper

op er a tion. Know how to stop the ma chine
and dis en gage them quickly.

• Never al low chil dren un der 14 years old to

op er ate this ma chine. Children 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.

• Never al low adults to op er ate this ma chine

with out proper in struc tion.

• To help avoid blade con tact or a thrown ob -

ject in jury, keep by stand ers, help ers,
chil dren and pets at least 75 feet from the
ma chine while it is in op er a tion. Stop ma ­chine if any one en ters the area.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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 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.

• Do not en gage the self-pro pelled mech a -

nism on units so equipped while start ing
en gine.

• Never at tempt to make a wheel or cut ting

height ad just ment while the en gine is run ­ning.

• The blade con trol han dle is a safety de vice.

Never at tempt to by pass its op er a tion.
Doing so makes the safety de vice in op er a -

3

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.
Con tact your cus tomer sup port de part ment.

SLOPE OP ER A TION

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, bumps, rocks, or other hid den
ob jects 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.

CHILDREN

• Tragic ac ci dents can oc cur if the op er a tor is

not alert to the pres ence of chil dren. Children
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.

a) 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.

b) Be alert and turn mower off if a child en -

ters the area.

c) Be fore and while mov ing back wards, look

be hind and down for small chil dren.

d) 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.

e) 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. Children 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

4

your clothes which can ig nite. Wash your

skin and change clothes im me di ately.
a) Use only an ap proved gas o line con tainer.
b) 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.

c) When prac ti cal, 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.

d) 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.

e) Ex tin guish all cig a rettes, ci gars, pipes

and other sources of ig ni tion.
f) Never fuel ma chine in doors.
g) 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.
h) Never over fill fuel tank. Fill tank to no

more than ½ inch be low bot tom of filler

neck to pro vide space for fuel ex pan sion.
i) Re place gas o line cap and tighten se -

curely.
j) 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.
k) Never store the ma chine or fuel con tainer

in side where there is 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.
l) To re duce fire haz ard, keep ma chine 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.
m) Al low ma chine 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 turer’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(s) 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 .

• 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 and in struc tion 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.

SI-102

7.23.03

5

OWNER'S
MAN UAL

YLEFAS ET AR EPO TON YAM UOY EREHW SEPOLS ENI MRE TED OT EDIUG A SA TEEHS SIHT ESU .

SAFETY LA BEL

WARNING - 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.

SLOPE GAUGE

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

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6

It is suggested that this manual be read in its
entirety before attempting to assemble or
operate. Keep this manual in a safe place for
future reference and for ordering
replacement parts.

This unit is shipped WITHOUT GASOLINE
or OIL. After assembly, service engine with
gasoline and oil as instructed in the separate
engine manual 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.

UNPACKING

3 Lift

up per
han dle.

Fig ure 1

2 Lift lower han dle.

1 Move

bag
away.

RE MOVING UNIT FROM CAR TON

• Re move sta ples, break glue on top flaps, or

cut tape at car ton end and peel along top
flap to open.

• Re move loose parts in cluded with unit (i.e.,

op er a tor’s man ual, oil, etc.).

• Cut cor ners and lay car ton down flat. Re -

move pack ing ma te rial.

• Roll or slide unit out of car ton. Check car ton

thor oughly for loose parts.

CAU TION: DO NOT BEND OR KINK
CA BLES.

TOOLS RE QUIRED

Pair of Pli ers Fun nel

ASSEMBLY

CAUTION: DISCONNECT SPARK

PLUG WIRE. IF THE WIRE IS NOT

EQUIPPED WITH A RUBBER BOOT,

SEE SEPARATE ENGINE MANUAL

FOR GROUNDING PROCEDURE.

• Re move grass bag from the unit and set it

out of the way. See Fig ure 1, step 1.

• Re move any pack ing ma te rial which may be

be tween the up per and lower han dles for
ship ping pur poses.

• Raise the lower han dle in the di rec tion

shown in Fig ure 1, step 2 till it snaps into
place.

• Raise the up per han dle in the di rec tion

shown in Fig ure 1, step 3. Tighten the wing
nuts which are al ready on the han dle. See
Fig ure 2.

• Pull the drive con trol han dle all the way

back.

• While hold ing the drive con trol han dle, hook

the “Z” end of the drive ca ble into the bot -

Carriage

Large

Wing Nut

Saddle

Bolt

Washer

Figure 2

Drive
Control
Handle

Insert "Z"
fittiing

Fig ure 3

tom hole of the drive con trol han dle from in ­side to out side. See Fig ure 3.

NOTE: Make cer tain the drive ca ble is
routed around the out side and above
the lower han dle so it does not in ter fere
with at tach ing the grass bag.

• At tach drive ca ble to the lower han dle with

one ca ble tie. In sert peg on ca ble tie into the
hole on the lower han dle. Pull ca ble tie tight
and cut off the ex tra.

• For ship ping pur poses, the hair pin clip is

placed in the outer hole of the weld pin on
the lower han dle. Re move the hair pin clip
from the outer hole of the weld pin. See Fig -

ure 4.

• Using a pair of pli ers, in sert the hair pin clip

into the in ner hole on the weld pin. Re peat
on other side.

7

Lower Handle

Upper Hole

Carriage

Bolt

Wing Nut

Weld Pin

Place the hairpin clips in the inner hole.

Fig ure 4

• In sert the car riage bolt, in cluded in the

hard ware pack, in the up per hole on the
han dle mount ing bracket (car riage bolt must
go to the in side of han dle).See Fig ure 4. Se ­cure with one plas tic wing nut, also in cluded
in the hard ware pack. Re peat on the other
side with re main ing items from the hard ware
pack.

ATTACHING DRIVE ADJUSTER BLOCK

• The drive ad juster block is at tached to the

drive ca ble.

• Re move bolt at tached to the lower right han -

dle.

• Align the drive ad juster block, curved side

against han dle, with hole in han dle.

• Se cure drive ad juster block with bolt pre vi -

ously re moved. See Fig ure 5.

ATTACHING STARTER ROPE

• The rope guide and wing nut are at tached to

the starter rope, on top of the en gine. Re ­move the wing nut from rope guide. Re move
the rope guide from the starter rope.

• 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. Hold the rope guide
as shown so the open ing in the rope guide
is to ward the front of mower. Slip the rope
guide around the starter rope and into the
right side of lower han dle us ing the hole
shown. Se cure us ing the small wing nut. See
Fig ure 5.

• Make cer tain all nuts and bolts are tight ened

se curely.

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.

Small Wing Nut

Starter
Handle

Drive Adjuster

Block

Bolt

Rope Guide

Fig ure 5

Soft Grass Bag

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 6.

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

chan nels on bag over frame as shown in
Fig ure 6. 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.

Hook

Hole in
Plastic
Channel

Bag

Plastic
Channels

Fig ure 6

ATTACHING GRASS CATCHER TO
MOWER

• Lift the rear dis charge door on the mower,

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 7.

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 7. Lift the grass catcher up

8

Rear Discharge

Door

Pivot Rod

Grass

Catcher

Fig ure 7

and off the pivot bar. Re lease the rear dis ­charge door.

WARNING: 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 8.

• 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.

WARNING: 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.

Hinged Mulching Plug

Side

Chute

Deflector

CONVERTING TO MULCHER

• Re move the grasscatcher.

• If the unit was set up for side dis charge, lift

the hinged mulch ing plug on the side of the
deck and re move the side dis charge chute.
Lower the hinged mulch plug. See Fig ure 8.

CAU TION: Do not run your lawn
mower with out chute de flec tor,
mulching plug or an ap proved
grass catcher in place. The
de flec tor will de flect a pro jec tile
thrown by the blade into the lawn.

FINAL ASSEMBLY

• Check all nuts and bolts for cor rect tight -

ness.

CONTROLS

Read this owner’s man ual and safety rules
be fore op er at ing your lawn mower. Com pare
Fig ure 9 with your lawn mower to fa mil iar ize
your self with the lo ca tion of var i ous con trols
and ad just ments. Save this man ual for fu ture
ref er ence.

WARNING: The op er a tion of any
lawn mower can re sult in for eign
ob jects be ing thrown into the op er ­a tor’s eyes thus caus ing se vere eye
dam age. Al ways wear safety
glasses while op er at ing the mower,
or while per form ing any ad just ­ments or re pairs on it.

Drive Con trol Han dle

This mower is equipped with Smart Speed™
trans mis sion which en ables the drive con trol
han dle to ad just the mow ing speed au to mat ­i cally with your walk ing. The drive con trol
han dle is lo cated on the up per han dle. Push
the han dle for ward to en gage drive, pull it
back wards to stop. The far ther the han dle is
pushed for ward, the faster the mower will
pro pel.

Blade Con trol Han dle

The blade con trol han dle is lo cated on the
up per han dle of the mower. See Fig ure 9.
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.

WARNING: The blade con trol han ­dle is a safety de vice. Never at ­tempt to by pass its op er a tions.

Fig ure 8

9

Starter Rope

The starter rope is at tached to the han dle.
Stand be hind the unit and pull the starter
rope to start the unit.

Throt tle Con trol

The en gine is equipped with a con stant
speed throt tle which is set at full throt tle for
max i mum en gine and cut ting per for mance.

Cut ting Height Ad just ment Le ver

These le vers are lo cated on each wheel and
they are used to ad just the cut ting height. All
four le vers have to be at the same rel a tive
po si tion to en sure uni form cut.

OPERATION

Ser vice the en gine with gas o line and oil as
in structed in the sep a rate en gine man ual
packed with 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.

BEFORE STARTING

• 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.

TO START ENGINE AND ENGAGE BLADE

WARNING: Be sure no one other
than the op er a tor is stand ing near
the lawn mower while start ing en ­gine or op er at ing mower.

WARNING: Never run en gine in ­doors or in en closed, poorly ven ti ­lated ar eas. En gine ex haust con ­tains car bon mon ox ide, an odor less
and deadly gas.

WARNING: Keep hands, feet, hair
and loose cloth ing away from any
mov ing parts on en gine and lawn
mower.

• 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.

Drive Clutch
Control

Blade Control
Handle

Recoil
Starter

Grass

Catcher

Mulching

Plug

Height
Adjustment
Lever

Fig ure 9 - The left rear wheel

has been left out of the pic ture for clar ity

Metal
Loop

on Spark

Plug
Wire

Rubber Boot

Fig ure 10

• If your unit is equipped with a two speed

con trol on en gine re fer to sep a rate en gine
man ual packed with your unit.

• Stand ing be hind the mower, de press the

blade con trol han dle and hold it against the
drive con trol han dle. Make sure the drive
con trol han dle is pulled all the way back.

WARNING: If the drive con trol han ­dle is not pulled all the way back,
the mower will pro pel for ward when
started.

• Grasp the re coil starter han dle 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.

• Af ter the en gine starts, push the han dle for -

ward to en gage drive, pull it back wards to
stop. Re lease the drive clutch con trol to slow
down when ne go ti at ing an ob sta cle, mak ing
a turn, or stop ping. The far ther the han dle is
pushed for ward, the faster the mower will
pro pel.

10

NOTE: 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.

TO STOP ENGINE

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

en gine and blade.

• Dis con nect 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.

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

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.

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.

• 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 ­lapping 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.

• Mulching 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.

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.

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ADJUSTMENTS

LUBRICATION

CAUTION: DO NOT AT ANY TIME

MAKE ANY ADJUSTMENT TO

LAWNMOWER WITHOUT FIRST

STOPPING THE ENGINE AND

DISCONNECTING THE SPARK

PLUG WIRE
Adjusting Cutting Height

• 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 to ward the
wheel, mov ing up or
down to se lected
height. See Fig ure 11.

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.

Ad justing Drive Clutch

The drive clutch ad just ment wheel is lo cated
on the lower right han dle and is used to
tighten or loosen ten sion on the drive ca ble.
Ad just this ca ble if:

a) the mower does not pro pel it self; or
b) the wheels hes i tate with the drive con trol

han dle pushed for ward.

• To ad just, ro tate the ad just ment wheel with

your fin gers, see Fig ure 12. Turn the wheel
to the left to tighten the drive ca ble. Turn the
wheel to the right to loosen the drive ca ble.

Fig ure 12

Fig ure 11

Drive Clutch

Adjustment

CAUTION: DISCONNECT SPARK
PLUG WIRE BEFORE SERVICING

WHEELS - Lu bri cate the ball bear ings (if so

equipped) in each wheel at least once a sea ­son with a light oil. Also, 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 oil. En gine oil may also
be used.

ENGINE - 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.

DIS CHARGE DOORS - The tor sion springs
and pivot points should be lu bri cated pe ri od ­i cally with light oil to pre vent any rust or
bind ing. Door must work freely.

TRANS MIS SION - The trans mis sion is
pre-lu bri cated and sealed at the fac tory and
does not re quire lu bri ca tion on a reg u lar ba ­sis as part of main te nance.

MAINTENANCE

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.

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.

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 ­ciency 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.

NOTE: Tip mower as spec i fied in sep -
a rate en gine man ual. If not spec i fied
tip with car bu re tor up.

CUTTING BLADE

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

12