Yard Machines 070 User Manual

Op er a tor's Man ual

22" Push Mower

070 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. MTD Prod ucts Lim ited, Kitchener, ON N2G 4J1 772C0760

TA BLE OF CON TENTS

MTD PRODUCTS LIMITED
KITCHENER, ON N2G 4J1
1-800-668-1238

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXX

Model Number
Numéro de modèle

Serial Number
Numéro de série

www.mtdcanada.com

CALL ING CUS TOMER SUP PORT ············2
IM POR TANT SAFE OP ER A TION PRAC TICES ····3
SLOPE GAUGE··························6
SET-UP IN STRUC TIONS ···················7
OP ER A TION ····························9
AD JUST MENTS ························10

LU BRI CA TION ·························10
MAIN TE NANCE·························10
OFF SEA SON STOR AGE IN STRUC TIONS ·····11
TROU BLE SHOOT ING····················12
WAR RANTY ···························13
REPLACEMENT PARTS/PIÈCES DÉTACHÉES ··14

FIND ING MODEL NUM BER

This Op er a tor’s Man ual is an im por tant part of your new equipment. 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 Rep re sen ta tive, 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; contact 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.

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.

3

• 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.

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.

4

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

5

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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6

This unit is shipped WITH OUT GAS O LINE or OIL.

A

B

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.

Tools Re quired for As sem bly

(1) 9/16" Wrench (1) 3/4" Wrench
(re quired only if wheels are un as sem bled)

Set-Up

• Re move the lawn mower and all parts from the car -

ton. Make cer tain all parts and lit er a ture have been
re moved from the car ton be fore the car ton is dis ­carded.

• 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.

• 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.

Fig ure 2

over the lower han dle. Snap the plas tic fit ting into the
hole on the in side of the up per han dle as shown in
Fig ure 3.

• Move the blade con trol han dle away from the up per

han dle. Hook the “Z” end of the brake ca ble into the
hole in the blade con trol han dle from the out side to
the in side as shown in Fig ure 4.

WARN ING: Brake ca ble must be as sem bled
as shown for proper blade brake op er a tion.

Blade Control Handle

Plastic Fitting

Fig ure 1

• If sat is fied with height of han dle, tighten wing nuts at

the ends of the lower han dle shown in Fig ure 2. The
han dle may be ad justed by re mov ing the wing nuts
shown in Fig ure 2 and plac ing the weld pin on the
han dle bracket in the up per or lower hole in the
lower han dle.

Brake Cable

• The brake ca ble is at tached to the en gine, and has a

“Z” fit ting on the loose end. Route the brake ca ble

Fig ure 3

Blade Control Handle

“Z” Fitting

Fig ure 4

7

Cable Ties

• In sert posts on ca ble ties into holes pro vided on the

han dle, holes may be in dif fer ent lo ca tions de pend ­ing on the model. See Fig ure 5.

• Po si tion the ca ble to avoid all mov ing parts and se -

cure with the ca ble ties. Trim ex cess ends of ca ble
ties.

WARN ING: When at tach ing the con trol ca ble,
the ca ble must be routed to avoid con tact
with all sharp edges and hot sur faces to pre ­vent dam age to the ca ble, which will ren der
the con trol in op er a tive.

Cable Tie

Small Cupped Washer

Axle Bolt

Fig ure 7 - Front Wheels

Hex Nut

Large Cupped Washer

Crowned

Side

Cupped

Side

Large Cupped Washer

Lower

Handle

Fig ure 5

Starter Rope

• With the spark plug wire dis con nected and

grounded, de press the blade con trol han dle and pull
the rope out of the en gine.

• Place the rope guide around the starter han dle, so

the open ing in the rope guide is to ward the front of
the mower as shown. In sert the rope guide into the
right side of the han dle.

• Se cure with small wing nut. See Fig ure 6.

Small WingNut

Starter
Handle

Rope Guide

Fig ure 6

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 blade
con trol han dle and pull the starter rope out from
en gine slowly. Slip the starter rope into the rope
guide bolt on han dle.

Wheels (Front and Rear)

Us ing hard ware from hard ware pack, se cure the
wheels to the deck as shown in Fig ures 7 and 8.

Small Cupped Washer

Hex Nut

Axle Bolt

Fig ure 8 - Rear Wheels

• In sert axle bolts through wheels, then place small

cupped wash ers on bolts (cupped side of wash ers
go against the deck).

• Se cure the wheels to the deck with the large cupped

washer and nut (cupped side of wash ers go against
the deck).

• Tighten axle bolt un til cupped wash ers flat ten.

Chute Deflector (See Figure 9)

• The chute de flec tor on your mower may be held in

an up right po si tion by a block for ship ping pur poses
only. This ship ping block must be re moved and dis ­carded be fore the mower is put into op er a tion. See
Fig ure 9.

To re move the ship ping block, pull the spring-loaded
chute to ward the en gine. Re move the block and
care fully lower the chute into op er at ing po si tion,
keep ing fin gers out of the way.

Installing The Mulching Baffle (optional)

A. Lift the chute de flec tor on the mower. Slide the

notches in the bot tom of the mulch ing baf fle over
the lip of the dis charge open ing. See Fig ure 10.

B. Push the hooks on the top of the baf fle un til they

snap over the hinge on the dis charge chute. Re ­lease the chute de flec tor.

NOTE: When you wish to mow in stead of mulch,
sim ply raise the chute de flec tor, grasp the han dle
on the mulch ing baf fle and lift up ward to re move
the baf fle. It is not nec es sary to re move the
mulch ing blade.

8

B

B

A

Metal
Loop
on Spark
Plug Wire

Rubber Boot

Shipping
Block

Fig ure 9

Fig ure 10 (op tional)

Final Assembly

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

CAU TION: Do not run your lawn mower with out
chute de flec tor 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.

OPERATION

Be fore Start ing

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.

WARN ING: 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 Engine and Engage Blade

• 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 11.

Fig ure 11

Blade

Con trol Han dle

Starter

Handle

Fig ure 12

• 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 12.

• 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.

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.

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 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.

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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.

WARN ING: 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.

ADJUSTMENT

CAUTION: DO NOT AT ANY TIME MAKE ANY
ADJUSTMENT TO LAWNMOWER WITHOUT
FIRST STOPPING THE ENGINE AND
DISCONNECTING THE SPARK PLUG WIRE.

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

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.

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.

MAINTENANCE

Cutting Blade

WARN ING: 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.

WARN ING: Pe ri od i cally 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 -

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