Yard Machines 378, 389, 370, 387 User Manual

Operators Manual

Model Series

370 thru 389

Rotary Mowers

IMPORTANT: READ SAFETY RULES AND INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY

Warning:

covered, brush-covered or grass-covered land unless the engine’s exhaust system is equipped with a spark arrester meeting
applicable local or state laws (if any). If a spark arrester is used, it should be maintained in effective working order by the operator.
In the State of California the above is required by law (Section 4442 of the California Public Resources Code). Other states may have
similar laws. Federal laws apply on federal lands. A spark arrester for the muffler is available through your nearest engine authorized
service dealer or contact the service department, P.O. Box 368022 Cleveland, Ohio 44136-9722.

This unit is equipped with an internal combustion engine and should not be used on or near any unimproved forest-

MTD PRODUCTS INC. P.O. BOX 368022 CLEVELAND, OHIO 44136-9722

PRINTED IN U.S.A.

FORM NO. 770-0420A

10/97

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SECTION 1: IMPORTANT SAFE OPERATION PRACTICES

WARNING: THIS SYMBOL POINTS OUT IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS WHICH, IF

NOT FOLLOWED, COULD ENDANGER THE PERSONAL SAFETY AND/OR PROPERTY OF
YOURSELF AND OTHERS. READ AND FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS IN THIS MANUAL
BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO OPERATE YOUR LAWN MOWER. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH
THESE INSTRUCTIONS MAY RESULT IN PERSONAL INJURY. WHEN YOU SEE THIS
SYMBOL, HEED ITS WARNING.

WARNING: The Engine Exhaust from this product contains chemicals known to

the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm.

DANGER: Your lawn mower was built to be operated according to the rules for safe operation in

this manual. As with any type of power equipment, carelessness or error on the part of the operator
can result in serious injury. This lawn mower is capable of amputating hands and feet and throwing
objects. Failure to observe the following safety instructions could result in serious injury or death.

1. GENERAL OPERATION

• Read this operator’s manual carefully in its entirety
before attempting to assemble this machine. Read,
understand, and follow all instructions on the
machine and in the manual(s) before operation. Be
completely familiar with the controls and the proper
use of this machine before operating it. Keep this
manual in a safe place for future and regular
reference and for ordering replacement parts.

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

• Never allow children under 14 years old to operate
a power mower. Children 14 years old and over
should only operate mower under close parental
supervision. Only responsible individuals who are
familiar with these rules of safe operation should
be allowed to use your mower.

• Keep the area of operation clear of all persons,
particularly small children and pets. Stop engine
when they are in the vicinity of your mower to help
prevent blade contact or thrown object injury.
Although the area of operation should be
completely cleared of foreign objects, an object
may have been overlooked and could be
accidentally thrown by the mower in any direction
and cause serious personal injury to the operator
or any others allowed in the area.

• Wear sturdy, rough-soled work shoes and close­fitting slacks and shirts. Shirts and pants that cover
the arms and legs and steel-toed shoes are
recommended. Do not wear loose fitting clothes or
jewelry. They can be caught in moving parts.
Never operate a unit in bare feet, sandals, slippery
or light weight (e.g. canvas) shoes.

• Always wear safety glasses or safety goggles
during operation or while performing an adjustment
or repair, to protect eyes from foreign objects that
may be thrown from the machine in any direction.

• Thoroughly inspect the area where the equipment
is to be used. Remove all stones, sticks, wire,
bones, toys and other foreign objects which could
be picked up and thrown by the mower in any
direction and cause serious personal injury to the
operator or any others allowed in the area. Plan
your mowing pattern to avoid discharge of material
toward roads, sidewalks, bystanders and the like.
To help avoid a thrown objects injury, keep
children, bystanders and helpers at least 75 feet
from the mower while it is in operation.

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

• Many injuries occur as a result of the mower being
pulled over the foot during a fall. Do not hang on to
the mower if you are falling; release the handle
immediately.

• Never pull the mower toward you while you are
walking. If you must back the mower away from a
wall or obstruction first look down and behind, and
then follow these steps:

• Step back from the mower to fully extend your
arms.

• Be sure you are well balanced with sure
footing.

• Pull the mower back slowly, no more than half
way toward you.

• Repeat these steps as needed.

• Do not operate the mower while under the
influence of alcohol or drugs.

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• Do not engage the self-propelled mechanism on
units so equipped while starting engine.

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

• Never operate the mower in wet grass. Always be
sure of your footing. A slip and fall can cause
serious personal injury. Keep a firm hold on the
handle and walk, never run. If you feel you are
losing your footing, RELEASE THE BLADE
CONTROL HANDLE IMMEDIATELY and the
blade will stop rotating within three seconds.

• Mow only in daylight or good artificial light.

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

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

• Shut the engine off and wait until the blade comes
to a complete stop before removing the grass
catcher or unclogging the chute. The cutting blade
continues to rotate for a few seconds after the
engine is shut off. Never place any part of the body
in the blade area until you are sure the blade has
stopped rotating.

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

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

• Only use accessories approved for this machine
by the manufacturer. Read, understand, and follow
all instructions provided with the approved
accessory.

• If situations occur which are not covered in this
manual, use care and good judgment. Contact
your dealer for assistance. Telephone [phone]­7310 for the name of your nearest dealer.

2. SLOPE OPERATION

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

DO:

• Mow across the face of slopes; never up and
down. Exercise extreme caution when changing
direction on slopes.

• Watch for holes, ruts, hidden objects, or bumps.
Tall grass can hide obstacles.

• Always be sure of your footing. A slip and fall can
cause serious personal injury. If you feel you are
losing your balance release the blade control
handle immediately and the blade will stop in less
than 3 seconds.

DO NOT:

• Do not mow near drop-offs, ditches or
embankments. The operator could lose footing or
balance.

• Do not mow slopes greater than 15 degrees as
shown on the slope gauge.

• Do not mow on wet grass. Reduced footing could
cause slipping.

3. CHILDREN

Tragic accidents can occur if the operator is not alert to
the presence of children. Children are often attracted to
the mower and the mowing activity. Never assume that
children will remain where you last saw them.

• Keep children out of the mowing area and under
the watchful care of a responsible adult other than
the operator.

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

• Before and while moving backwards, look behind
and down for small children or other objects.

• Never allow children under age 14 to operate the
mower. Children 14 years of age and above
should read and understand the operation
instructions and safety rules in this manual.

• Use extreme care when approaching blind
corners, shrubs, trees, or other objects that may
obscure your vision of a child or hazard.

4. SERVICE

• Use extreme care in handling gasoline and other
fuels. They are extremely flammable and the
vapors are explosive.

• Use only an approved gasoline container.

• Never remove gas cap or add fuel while the engine
is running. Allow engine to cool at least two
minutes before refueling.

• Replace gasoline cap securely and wipe off any
spilled gasoline before starting the engine as it
may cause a fire or explosion.

• Extinguish all cigarettes, cigars, pipes and other
sources of ignition.

• Never refuel machine indoors because flammable
vapors will accumulate in the area.

• Never store the machine or fuel container inside
where there is an open flame or spark such as a
gas water heater, space heater, or furnace.

• Never run an engine inside a closed area.

4

• To reduce fire hazard, keep mower free of grass,
leaves, or other debris build-up. Clean up oil or
fuel spillage. Allow mower to cool at least 5
minutes before storing.

• Before cleaning, repairing, or inspecting, make
certain the blade and all moving parts have
stopped. Disconnect the spark plug wire, and keep
the wire away from the spark plug to prevent
accidental starting.

• Check the blade and engine mounting bolts at
frequent intervals for proper tightness. Also,
visually inspect blade for damage (e.g., bent,
cracked or worn). Replace with blade which meets
original equipment specifications listed in this
manual.

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

• Never tamper with safety devices. Check their
proper operation regularly.

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

• Never attempt to make a wheel or cutting height
adjustment while the engine is running.

• Grass catcher components are subject to wear,
damage and deterioration, which could expose
moving parts or allow objects to be thrown. For
safety protection, frequently check components
and replace with manufacturer’s recommended
parts, when necessary.

• Mower blades are sharp and can cut. Wrap the
blade(s) or wear gloves, and use extra caution
when servicing them.

• Do not change the engine governor setting or
overspeed the engine. Excessive engine speeds
are dangerous.

WARNING - YOUR RESPONSIBILITY: Restrict the use of this power machine to persons who

read, understand and follow the warnings and instructions in this manual and on the machine.

Figure 1 Safety Labels Found On Lawn Mower

SLOPE GAUGE

Do not mow on inclines with a slope in excess of 15 degrees (a rise of approximately 2-1/2 feet every 10 feet). A riding mower

could overturn and cause serious injury. If operating a walk-behind mower on such a slope, it is extremely difficult to maintain

your footing and you could slip, resulting in serious injury.

Operate RIDING mowers up and down slopes, never across the face of slopes.

Operate WALK-BEHIND mowers across the face of slopes, never up and down slopes.

WARNING

SIGHT AND HOLD THIS LEVEL WITH A VERTICAL TREE

A POWER POLE

A CORNER OF A BUILDING

OR A FENCE POST

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USE THIS PAGE AS A GUIDE TO DETERMINE SLOPES WHERE YOU MAY NOT OPERATE SAFELY.

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SECTION 1: FINDING YOUR MODEL NUMBER

This Operator’s Manual is an important part of your new walk behind. It will help you assemble, prepare and
maintain your walk behind. Please read and understand what it says.
Before you start to prepare your walk behind for its first use, please locate the model plate and copy the
information from it in this Operator’s Manual. The information on the model plate is very important if you need
help from your dealer or the MTD customer support department.

• Every walk behind has a model plate. You can locate it by standing behind the unit in the operating
position and looking down at the rear of the deck.

• The model plate will look like Figure 1.

This is where your model number will be.

XXX-X-XXX-X-XXX XXXXXXXXXXX

This is where your serial number will be.

Copy the model number here:

MTD PRODUCTS INC

CLEVELAND, OHIO 44136

Copy the serial number here:

Figure 1

SECTION 2: CALLING CUSTOMER SUPPORT

If you are having difficulty assembling this product or if you have any question regarding the controls,
operation or maintenance of this unit, please call the Customer Support Department. You can reach them by
calling:

1-800-800-7310

Before you call, make sure that you have your model and serial numbers ready. By having the model and
serial numbers ready, you help the Customer Support Representative give you faster service. To find your
unit’s model and serial number, see SECTION 2: FINDING YOUR MODEL NUMBER.

SECTION 3: UNPACKING INSTRUCTIONS

REMOVE UNIT FROM CARTON

• See Figure 2.

• Remove staples, break glue on top flaps, or cut tape at carton end and peel along top flap to open
carton.

• Remove loose parts if included with unit (i.e., owner’s manual, etc.).

• Cut along dotted lines and lay carton down flat.

• Remove packing material.

Roll or slide unit out of carton. Check carton thoroughly for loose parts.

REMOVE MANUAL & LOOSE PARTS

PUSH

Figure 2

DISCONNECT SPARK PLUG WIRE

Before setting up your lawn mower, disconnect the spark plug wire from the spark plug, and ground it against
the engine by attaching rubber boot to a bolt or metal clip to the grounding post on the engine. See Figure 3

Spark Plug Wire

Figure 3

Spark Plug

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SECTION 4: SET-UP INSTRUCTIONS

This guide covers models 370 - 379 single speed self propelled mowers and 380 - 389
six speed self propelled mowers. Much of this guide pertains to both models.
However, there are some areas where only one model is covered. Use only the
information that is appropriate for your model.

ITEMS REQUIRED FOR ASSEMBLY

• Pair of Pliers (Not necessary, but helpful)

• Motor Oil

• Fresh Gasoline

IMPORTANT: This unit is shipped WITHOUT GASOLINE or OIL in the engine. Be certain to service

engine with gasoline and oil as instructed in the separate engine manual before operating your mower.

NOTE: Reference to right or left hand side of the mower is observed from the operating position.
SET-UP YOUR LAWN MOWER

Follow steps 1 through 10 to set up your lawn mower.

Step 1. Remove grass bag from unit and set it

out of the way.

Grass Bag

Step 2. Lift upper handle. Align it with lower

handle.

Upper Handle

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Step 3. Tighten wing nuts.

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Step 4. Raise complete handle assembly until it

clicks into place. Make sure not to kink
the control cables.

HERE

Step 5. Pinch lower handle against mounting

bracket with pliers.

Step 6. Move hairpin clip from outer to inner

hole on handle mounting bracket.

Handle Assembly

Control Cables

Step 7. Attach control cables to handle with pull

ties found on the handle.

HERE

PINCH HERE

Step 8. Loosen the wing nut holding the rope guide to the upper handle.
Step 9. Squeeze the blade control handle against the upper handle and pull out starter rope, slowly!
Step 10. Thread starter rope into rope guide.
Step 11. Tighten wing nut.

SQUEEZE

Blade Control Handle

Look Here

Starter Rope

Upper Handle

Rope Guide

Wing Nut

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SECTION 5: CONTROLS

Models 380 - 389All Models

Blade Control Handle

Recoil Starter

Cutting Height Adjustment Lever

Drive Clutch Control

Throttle Control

Shift Lever

Figure 4

BLADE CONTROL HANDLE

The blade control handle is located on the upper handle of the mower. See Figure 4. The blade control
handle must be depressed in order to start and operate the unit. Release the blade control handle to stop the
engine and blade.

WARNING: The blade control handle is a safety device. Never attempt to bypass its operations.

The blade will be rotating whenever the engine is running.

THROTTLE CONTROL

The throttle control is located on the left side of the upper handle. It is used to regulate the engine speed.
See Figure 4.

• Push the throttle lever forward for fast.

• Pull the throttle lever back for slow.

WARNING: The throttle control cannot be used to stop the engine.

RECOIL STARTER

The recoil starter handle is attached to the upper handle. See Figure 4. Stand behind the unit in the operating
position to start the unit.

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 (Models 380 - 389)

The shift lever is located on the drive clutch control housing on the upper handle. See Figure 4. This lever is
used to select the forward speed of the mower. When changing your speed selection, release the drive
clutch control.

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