Troy-Bilt OG-4905 User Manual

Owner’s Manual

¨SET-UP ¨OPERATION ¨MAINTENANCE

IMPORTANT: Read
Safety Rules and
Instructions Carefully

PRINTED IN CANADA OG-4905

CALLING CUS TOMER SUP PORT

• 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 the Cus tomer Sup port De part ment.

• Cus tomer Sup port can be reached by di al ing: 1-800-668-1238

• 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

SET-UP IN STRUC TIONS....................................................7

CON TROLS .............................................................8

OP ER A TION .............................................................9

AD JUST MENT ..........................................................12

LU BRI CA TION ..........................................................13

MAIN TE NANCE..........................................................13

OFF SEA SON STOR AGE IN STRUC TIONS ......................................17

RE PLACE MENT PARTS/PIÈCES DÉTACHÉES...................................18

WAR RANTY: ............................................................29

TROU BLE SHOOTING ....................................................30

For more de tails about your unit, visit our website at www.mtdcanada.com

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

SET-UP INSTRUCTIONS

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: Reference to right or left

hand side of the mower is observed

from the operating position.

HOW TO SET-UP YOUR LAWN MOWER

Re fer to Il lus tra tion Be low

• Dis con nect the spark plug wire and move it

away from spark plug 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.

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

raise the han dle into the op er at ing po si tion.
See Fig ure 1. Make cer tain the lower han dle
is seated se curely into the han dle mount ing
brack ets. Tighten the wing nuts on each side
of the han dle. See Fig ure 2.

• 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 ure 2.

• 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. Se cure
with one plas tic wing nuts. Re peat pro cess
on other side. See Fig ure 2.

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.

• The rope guide (pigs tail) is part of the grass

catcher sup port rod at tached to the lower
han dle. See Fig ure 3. 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 slowly un til it ex tends past the
rope guide (pigs tail).

• Guide the starter rope around the rope guide

(pig tail) un til the rope is se curely in the cen ­ter.

• Make cer tain all nuts and bolts are tight ened

se curely.

Upper

Handle

Wing Nut

Rope Guide

Lower Handle

Handle Mounting

Blade Control Handle

Drive Clutch
Control

Shift Lever

Fig ure 1

Cutting Height
Adjustment Lever

Bracket

7

Lower Handle

Upper Hole

Carriage

Bolt

Lower
Handle

Recoil
Starter

Wing Nut

Place the hairpin clips in the inner hole.

Fig ure 2

Weld Pin

CONTROLS

BLADE CONTROL HANDLE

WARNING: This con trol mech a nism
is a safety de vice. Never at tempt to
by pass its op er a tions.

The blade con trol han dle is lo cated on the
up per han dle of the mower. See Fig ure 1.
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 will be ro tat ­ing when ever the en gine is run ning.

RECOIL STARTER

The recoil starter handle is attached to the
handle. See Figure 3. Stand behind the unit
in the operating position to start the unit.

IGNITION SWITCH (Electric Start Units
Only)

The ignition switch is located on the left side
of the handle panel. It is used for starting
only. See Figure 4.

DRIVE CLUTCH CONTROL

Squeezing the drive clutch control engages
the drive system. Releasing the clutch
control disengages the drive system.
Release the clutch control to slow down
when negotiating an obstacle, making a turn
or stopping.

SHIFT LEVER

The shift lever is located on the drive clutch
control housing on the upper handle. See
Figure 1. This lever is used to select the
forward speed of the mower. When changing
your speed selection, release the drive
clutch control.

Rope
Guide

Fig ure 3

Ignition Key (Switch)

Fig ure 4-(Elec tric Start Units Only)

NOTE: Only move the shift le ver when
the en gine is run ning. Changing the
shift le ver set ting with the en gine off
can cause dam age to the mower.

CUTTING HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT LEVER
(Models: 959 & 979)

The height ad juster de ter mines the cut ting
height of the mower. The ad juster is lo cated
above the left rear wheel. To ad just the cut ­ting height, pull the le ver out and away from
the mower and then move it for ward or back
to se lect a new cut ting height. See Fig ure 5.

CUTTING HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT LEVER
(Model: 999)

The rear wheel height ad juster de ter mines
the cut ting height of the mower. The ad juster
is lo cated above the left rear wheel. To ad ­just the cut ting height, pull the le ver out and
away from the mower and then move it for ­ward or back to se lect a new cut ting height.
See Fig ure 5.

The front wheel cut ting height is de ter mined
by the se lec tion of one of six po si tions in
each caster as sem bly. See Fig ure 6.

To ad just, re move the wing nut from the axle
bolt. Slide the axle bolt and spring washer
from the as sem bly and se lect a cut ting

8

Support
Rod

HIGHER

LOWER

Locking Pin

Axle Bolt

and

Spring

Washer

Cutting Height Adjustment Lever

Figure 5

height. With the spring washer on the axle
bolt re in sert in the square hole de sired,
through the wheel as sem bly and se cure with
the wing nut pre vi ously re moved.

IM POR TANT: All wheels must be placed in
the same rel a tive po si tion.

NOTE: For rough or un even lawns,
move the height ad just ment le ver to a
higher po si tion. This will help stop
scalp ing.

CASTER LOCK

WARNING: When op er at ing mower
on hills, front wheels should be
locked in the straight ahead po si ­tion.

The cast ers can be locked in a straight
ahead po si tion or can be left to swivel freely.
Lift and place the lock pins in the larger
holes for locked, straight ahead op er a tion,
place pins in smaller holes to al low cast ers
to ro tate freely.

OPERATION

IM POR TANT: Move the shift le ver ONLY

when the en gine is run ning. Shifting the
speeds with the en gine off can cause dam ­age to the unit. Dis en gage the drive clutch
con trol be fore chang ing the speed se lec tion.

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.

Fig ure 6

BEFORE STARTING
MODELS WITH ELEC TRIC START ONLY:

WARNING: The bat tery con tains
cor ro sive fluid and toxic ma te rial.
HAN DLE WITH CARE. Keep away
from chil dren. Do not punc ture, dis ­as sem ble, mu ti late or in cin er ate.
Ex plo sive gases could be vented
dur ing charg ing or dis charg ing. Use
in a well-ven ti lated area, away from
sources of ig ni tion.

• Charge bat tery for 16 hours be fore ini tial

use. DO NOT CHARGE LONGER THAN 20
HOURS.

IMPORTANT: Use only the battery
charger supplied with this mower.

To charge the bat tery, first re move the pro -

tec tive cap from the end of the bat tery pack
lead. Al ways plug charger lead into bat tery
pack lead be fore in sert ing bat tery charger
plug into 120 volt stan dard house hold out let.
See Fig ure 7.

Protective
Cap

Battery

pack

lead

Fig ure 7

Af ter charg ing, dis con nect bat tery charger
plug from house hold out let first, then dis con ­nect charger lead from bat tery pack lead.

9

WARNING: Do not re move the bat ­tery pack from the han dle panel for
any rea son other than re place ment.
When re plac ing the bat tery pack,
re fer to in struc tions in Main te nance
sec tion.

NEU TRAL TEST FOR ALL MODELS:

• Be fore each use, check for proper drive

clutch op er a tion by per form ing the fol low ing
be fore start ing the en gine:

With the drive clutch con trol re leased, push
mower for ward. It should move freely.

If it does not and the rear wheels tend to
lock up, the clutch may not be re leas ing
com pletely. Do not start the en gine un til cor ­rec tions have been made. Check the con trol
ca ble for se vere bend, kinks and bind ing, or
grass build-up in the pul ley groove. Re fer to
the "Ad just ment" sec tion for any ad di tional
in for ma tion.

TO START ENGINE AND EN GAGE BLADE

WARNING: When start ing the unit
for the first time, place mower in
first speed (slow) po si tion. Face the
mower against a solid ob ject such
as a wall, fence, etc. Start the unit,
and if it shows any signs of mo tion
with the drive clutch con trol dis en ­gaged, shut the en gine off im me di ­ately. Make cer tain the drive clutch
con trol is ad justed so the drive belt
is as loose as pos si ble. Re fer to the
Ad just ment Sec tion.

• 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 8.

Metal
Loop
on Spark
Plug Wire

Rubber Boot

Fig ure 8

• 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.

• If your unit is equipped with a two speed

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

Blade Control Handle

Drive

Clutch

Handle

Six Speed
Shift Lever

Recoil Start
Handle

Fig ure 9-RE COIL START MODEL SHOWN

• 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 9.

ELEC TRIC START MODELS ONLY:

• Turn the ig ni tion key to the right to start the

en gine. Re lease the key af ter en gine starts.
See Fig ure 4.

NOTE: The en gine on your unit is
pro vided with an aux il iary re coil
starter sys tem. To start the en gine
us ing the aux il iary start sys tem, pro ­ceed as fol lows for re coil start
mod els:

RE COIL START MODELS ONLY:

• 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 9.

• To en gage the drive, squeeze the drive clutch

con trol han dle (see Fig ure 9) to wards the up ­per han dle. 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 six speed shift le ver is lo cated on the

drive clutch con trol hous ing on the up per
han dle. See Fig ure 9. This le ver is used to se ­lect the op er at ing speed of the mower.
Re lease the drive clutch con trol when chang ­ing speeds.

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

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.

10

TO STOP ENGINE

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

en gine and blade.

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 the spark plug wire and ground it

against the en gine 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 ROTARY MOWER

Be sure that lawn is clear of stones, sticks,
wire, or other ob jects which could dam age
lawn mower or en gine. Such ob jects could
be ac ci den tally thrown 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.

For the best re sults, do not cut wet grass be ­cause it tends to stick to the un der side of the
mower, pre vent ing proper mulch ing of grass
clip pings. In ad di tion, wet grass could cause
you to slip and fall. New grass, thick grass or
wet grass may re quire a nar rower cut.

For best re sults, cut off one-third or less of
the to tal length of the grass. Lawn should be
cut in the fall as long as there is growth.

The mower is de signed to be op er ated at full
throt tle to give you the best cut and do the
most ef fec tive job of mulch ing.

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.

BAGGING GRASS CLIPPINGS

This mower can bag grass clip pings. Fol low
steps 1 through 3 to ready the mower for
bag ging.

1. Re move wing nuts hold ing mulch ing baf fle
(see Fig ure 10) or side dis charge chute
(see Fig ure 14) in place. Then re move
baf fle or dis charge chute.

2, Re place with bag ging adapter (see Fig ure

11). At tach us ing wing nuts. Be sure that
in ner lip of at tach ment goes un der the
edge of the deck.

3. Lift flap and slide bag onto adapter. See
Fig ure 12.

Wing Nuts

Mulching
Baffle

Figure 10

Bagging Adapter

Fig ure 11

Flap

Bagging
Adapter

Fig ure 12

EMPTYING YOUR GRASS BAG

Lift grassbag from the bag ging adapter us ing
the lower han dle. While hold ing the lower
han dle lift up the rear sec tion of the
grassbag. The bag will open and the grass
clip pings will fall out. See Fig ure 13. When
re plac ing your grassbag be sure the top of
the bag rests on the wire sup port be tween
the han dles.

11

Figure 13

SIDE DISCHARGE GRASS CLIPPINGS

This mower can also side dis charge grass
clip pings. Fol low steps 1 and 2 to ready this
mower for side dis charge op er a tion.

1. Re move mulch ing baf fle or grass bag
adapter. See Fig ure 10.

2. At tach dis charge chute with wing nuts. See
Fig ure 14.

Side

Discharge

Chute

Wing Nut

Figure 14

ADJUSTMENT

CAU TION: DO NOT AT ANY TIME MAKE
AD JUST MENTS TO LAWNMOWER WITH ­OUT FIRST STOPPING THE ENGINE AND
DIS CON NECTING THE SPARK PLUG
WIRE

CAUTION: Before changing mowing
height, stop mower and disconnect
spark plug cable.

MODELS WITH SINGLE LEVER HEIGHT
ADJUSTERS:

Re fer to “Con trols Sec tion” and Figure 5.

BOT TOM

VIEW

n

eso

o

L

n

eth

g

iT

Figure 15

DRIVE CLUTCH CONTROL ADJUSTMENT

Use the ad just ment wheel lo cated on the un ­der side of the clutch con trol hous ing to
tighten the drive belt if mower does not
self-pro pel with the drive clutch con trol en ­gaged, or if drive belt is slip ping (unit
hes i tates while en gine main tains the same
speed). See Fig ure 15.

In ad di tion, the ad just ment wheel may also
be used to de ter mine the po si tion in which
the drive clutch con trol is en gaged. If it is
more com fort able to have the drive en gaged
with the le ver fur ther away from the han dle,
tighten the drive belt.

Make cer tain to re test the unit for neu tral as
in structed in the op er a tion Sec tion. Move the
ad just ment wheel in the op po site di rec tion to
loosen the drive belt if nec es sary.

SIX SPEED SHIFT CABLE ADJUSTMENT

Pe ri odic ad just ment of the six speed shift ca ­ble may be re quired due to nor mal stretch
and wear on the ca ble. Ad just ment is
needed if all six speeds can not be ob tained.

The ad just able ca ble bracket is lo cated on
the left side of the mower, be side the en gine.
To ad just, loosen the hex nut which se cures
the ad just able ca ble bracket. See Fig ure 16.
Pull back ward on the bracket (to ward the
rear of the mower). Retighten the hex nut.
Test the speeds on the mower (en gine must
be run ning).

CARBURETOR ADJUSTMENT

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.

12

Hex Nut

Adjustable

Cable Bracket

Fig ure 16

Six Speed
Cable

LUBRICATION

CAUTION: DISCONNECT SPARK
PLUG WIRE BEFORE SERVICING.

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.

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.

TRANS MIS SION - The trans mis sion is
pre-lu bri cated and sealed at the fac tory. It
does not re quire check ing. If dis as sem bled
for any rea son, fill with 2 ounces of Alvania
grease, part num ber 737-0168.

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.

ENGINE

Re fer to the sep a rate en gine man ual for en ­gine main te nance 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 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-Causing 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.

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).

CUTTING BLADE

WARNING: Be sure to dis con nect
and ground the spark plug wire and
re move ig ni tion key 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.

13

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.

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 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 18. 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 conditions 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.

BELT REMOVAL AND REPLACEMENT

1. Dis con nect the spark plug wire and
ground it against the en gine.

2. Drain the fuel tank or place a piece of plas ­tic be neath the cap to pre vent gas o line
leak age.

3. Tip the mower on its side. Block se curely.

4. Re move the blade and blade adapter as
de scribed previously.

5. Move rear height ad juster to the high est
po si tion. See Fig ure 21.

6. Using a 3/8" socket re move three hex
screws hold ing the baf fle to the deck. See
Fig ure 19.

Hex

Screw

Hex

Screw

Figure 19

Hex

Screw

Blade Adapter

Blade

Figure 18

Blade Bell
Support

Hex Bolt

Baffle

Figure 20

7. Pivot baf fle to wards the rear of the mower.
See Fig ure 20.

8. Re move the hex bolt hold ing the trans mis ­sion to the mower hous ing. See Fig ure

21.

14

Rear Wheels Adjustment Lever

Hex
Bolt

Six-Speed
Cable Slot

Control

Arm

Belt

Baffle

Figure 21

9. Tilt the trans mis sion for ward and loosen
the idler pul ley bolt and locknut ½ turn
us ing two 7/16" wrenches.

10. Using a pair of pli ers, pull back and ro tate
belt keeper bracket from the slot on idler
pul ley.

11. Slide the belt out from be tween the belt
keeper bracket and the idler pul ley. See
Fig ure 22.

12. Squeeze the belt to gether and push belt
for ward. Press the con trol arm in ward to ­wards the deck and re move the six speed
ca ble from the slot. See Fig ure 23.

Transmission

Pulley

Belt

Belt Keeper
Bracket

Idler Pulley
Bracket

Idler Pulley

Bolt and
Locknut

Transmission

Figure 23

Six-Speed
Cable Slot

Control

Arm

Figure 24

13. Pivot the con trol arm down away from the
pul ley and belt. See Fig ure 24.

14. Lift off the lower pul ley as sem bly and re ­move the old belt from around the
crank shaft. See Fig ure 25.

15. Place the new belt over the trans mis sion
pul ley. Start the belt in pul ley groove and
ro tate pul ley un til belt is seated in trans ­mis sion pul ley. See Fig ure 25.

16. Place belt be tween idler pul ley and the
belt keeper bracket.

Lower Pulley

Half

Crankshaft

Figure 22

Mower is shown tipped on en gine for clar ity.
Re mem ber, only tip mower back on its han ­dle with the spark plug fac ing up.

Belt

Figure 25

15

17. Using pli ers, ro tate the belt keeper bracket
so that it snaps into slot on the idler
bracket.

18. Tighten the idler pul ley bolt and locknut ½
turn us ing two 7/16" wrenches. See Fig ure

22.

19. Place belt be tween the two pul ley halves on
the crank shaft. Make sure to route the belt
in side the belt guard pin. See Fig ure 26.

IM POR TANT: For proper as sem bly, it
is es sen tial to keep the as sem bly
po si tioned as shown in Figure 26.

20. Pinch belt to gether so that it is not in the pul ­ley groove, and the lower pul ley can be
pushed to wards the en gine. See Fig ure 27.

21. Pivot the con trol arm back to its orig i nal po si ­tion and re in stall the six-speed ca ble into the
slot.

22. Check and make sure the belt is routed in ­side the pul ley halves and the belt guard
pin. See Fig ure 28.

23. Re in stall the bolt se cur ing trans mis sion to
rear mower hous ing.

24. Pivot the baf fle back to its orig i nal po si tion
and se cure with three hex screws ear lier re ­moved. You will need a 3/8" socket for these
screws.

25. Lightly lu bri cate the crank shaft and re in stall
blade and blade adapter as de scribed in the
“Cut ting Blade” sec tion.

26. Tip the mower back on its wheels.

27. Make cer tain to re test the unit for neu tral as
in structed in the Op er a tion Sec tion.

BATTERY PACK REPLACEMENT (Electric
start Models Only)

Re move the bat tery pack from the han dle panel
for re place ment only. Do not sep a rate the bat ­ter ies for any rea son. Dis pose of bat ter ies
prop erly.

WARNING: Bat teries con tain sul fu ­ric acid which may cause burns. Do
not short cir cuit or mu ti late in any
way. Do not put bat ter ies in fire.
They may burst or re lease toxic ma ­te rial.

When re plac ing bat tery pack in han dle
panel, bat tery pack must be po si tioned with
the pos i tive ter mi nal to the right hand side
and the neg a tive ter mi nal to the left hand
side of panel. See Fig ure 29. Re placing the
bat tery pack in cor rectly will cause se ri ous
dam age.

The pos i tive lead on the wire har ness has
the smaller con nec tor. Con nect the pos i tive

Figure 26

Figure 27

Figure 28

Figure 29

16

Upper Pulley

Half

Belt Guard

Pin

Lower Pulley

Half

Positive
terminal

Belt

Lower
Pulley
Half

Belt

Belt Guard
Pin

Fuse Holder

Negative

terminal

lead to the pos i tive side of the bat tery pack,
then con nect the neg a tive side.

IN-LINE FUSE

The unit is equipped with an in-line fuse. If
unit fails to start, check the fuse in side the
bat tery cover by turn ing the end of the fuse
holder and re mov ing from the bat tery cover.
See Fig ure 29. Re place with stan dard au to ­mo tive 7-1/2 amp fuse.

OFF SEASON STORAGE

INSTRUCTIONS

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

1. Clean and lu bri cate mower thor oughly as
de scribed in the lu bri ca tion in struc tions.

2. Re fer to en gine man ual for cor rect en gine
stor age in struc tions.

3. Coat mower’s cut ting blade with chas sis
grease to pre vent rust ing.

4. Store mower in a dry, clean area.

STORAGE OF THE BATTERY

The bat tery must be stored with a full
charge. A dis charge bat tery will freeze.

IMPORTANT: All batteries discharge
during storage.

Re charge bat tery ev ery two months and be ­fore re turn ing to ser vice. Re fer to charg ing
in struc tions on page 9.

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.

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

17