Yard Machines 540 User Manual
O
PERATOR’S
M
ANUAL
21” Two-in-One
Mulching Mower
540 Series
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.
MTD PRODUCTS INC. P.O. BOX 368022 CLEVELAND, OHIO 44136-9722
PRINTED IN U.S.A. FORM NO. 770-0912A
This unit is equipped with an internal combustion engine and should not be used on or near any unimproved forest-
(12/97)
Table of Contents
Content Page
Safe Operation Practices.........................................................................3
Slope Guage............................................................................................5
Finding Model Number.............................................................................6
Unpacking................................................................................................6
Setting Up Mower ....................................................................................7
Controls....................................................................................................11
Operation.................................................................................................12
Maintenance ...........................................................................................14
Lubrication ...............................................................................................15
Service & Adjustments.............................................................................16
Off-Season Storage................................................................................ 18
Trouble-Shooting Guide.......................................................................... 19
Parts List..................................................................................................20
Shroud Chart............................................................................................23
Warranty ..................................................................................................24
This owner’s guide covers various models of mowers. Follow only those
instructions which pertain to your unit.
2
SECTION 1: IMPORTANT SAFE OPERATION PRACTICES
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.
Your lawn mower was built to be operated according to the rules for safe operation in this manual.
DANGER:
As with any type of power equipment, carelessness or error on the part of the operator can result in
serious injury.
self/herself or others.
If the operator violates any of these rules, he/she ma y cause serious injury to him-
1. GENERAL OPERATION
• Read this owner’s guide 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.
• 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 object’s injury, keep
children, bystanders and helpers at least 75 feet
from the mower while it is in operation.
• 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.
• 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, or sneakers.
• 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.
• 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. Mow only in daylight or
in 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.
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
3
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.
• Never allow children under age 14 to operate the
mower.
• 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.
• 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). Replace with blade which meets original
equipment specifications.
• 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.
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.
• Following are representations of the safety labels
on your lawn mower. Maintain safety while
operating the mower.
4
SECTION 1: SLOPE GAUGE
Use this page as a guide to determine slopes where you may not operate safely.
Operate RIDING mowers up and down slopes, never across the face of slopes.
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.
FOLD ON DOTTED LINE, REPRESENTING A 15
WARNING
15o
SIGHT AND HOLD THIS LEVEL WITH A VERTICAL TREE
o
SLOPE
A POWER POLE
A CORNER OF A BUILDING
OR A FENCE POST
5
SECTION 3: FINDING MODEL NUMBER
This owner’s guide is an important part of your new Yard-Machine lawn mower. It will help you to
assemble, prepare and maintain your mower. Please read and understand what it says.
Before you start assembling the mower for its first use, please locate its model plate and copy the
information on to this owner’s guide. The information on the model plate is very important if you contact
a service center or the Yard-Machine customer support department.
• Every mower has a model plate. You can locate it by standing behind the unit in the operating
position and looking down at the cutting deck.
• The model plate will look like Figure 1.
This is where mower model number will be.
XXX-X-XXX-X-XXX XXXXXXXXXXX
This is where mower serial number will be.
Copy the model number here:
MTD PRODUCTS INC
CLEVELAND, OHIO 44136
Copy the serial number here:
FIGURE 1
SECTION 4: UNPACKING
Removing Unit From Carton
• 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.). See Figure 2.
OWNER’S
MANUAL
FIGURE 2
• 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. See Figure 2
NOTE:
NOTE: Reference to right or left hand side of the mower and/or front or behind the mower is observed from
Make sure not to crimp the cables while removing the loose parts or the entire unit from the carton.
the operating position.
6
.
SECTION 5: SETTING UP MOWER
Tools Required
• Pair of Pliers
• Funnel
• Set of adjustable wrenches
Disconnecting Spark Plug
• Before setting up your lawn mower, disconnect the spark plug wire from the spark plug, and
ground it against the engine. See Figure 3.
• If the engine is equipped with the optional rubber boot, attach the boot to a bolt on the engine to
ground.
Spark Plug
Wire
Rubber Boot
Spark Plug
Engine with rubber boot
FIGURE 3
Assembling Handle
NOTE: If your mower is equipped with a hardtop grass bag which is packed on top of the mower in the
carton, remove the grass bag from the unit and set it out of the way now. See Figure 4 (step 1). If your
mower is equipped with a soft top grass bag or a hard top bag which is packed unassembled in the
carton, please follow the instructions given later in this section to assemble the grass bag.
2. Lift lower handle
1. Move bag away
3. Lift upper
handle
FIGURE 4
7
8
• Raise the lower handle in the direction shown in Figure 4 (step 2) till it snaps into place.
• Raise the upper handle in the direction shown in Figure 4 (step 3). Tighten the wing nuts which are
already on the handle. See Figure 5A.
Note: Make sure to route the cables inside the lower handle. Also do not crimp the cables while lifting the
handle up.
• For shipping purposes, the hairpin clip is placed in the outer hole of the weld pin on the lower
handle. Remove the hairpin clip from the outer hole of the weld pin.
• Using a pair of pliers, insert the hairpin clip into the inner hole in the weld pin. Repeat on other
side. See Figure 5B.
• Attach the cables to the lower handle with the two cable ties already on the lower handle. Pull tight
the cable ties and cut off the extra. See Figure 5C below.
Upper Handle
Lower Handle
Tighten
wing nut
Move hairpin clip to
this hole
Lower
Weld Pin
Handle
Lower
Handle
Cable Tie
ABC
FIGURE 5
Attaching Starter Rope
The rope guide is already attached to the right side of the upper handle of your mower. See Figure 6.
• With the spark plug wire disconnected and grounded, hold the blade control handle against the
upper handle, and pull the starter rope out of the engine.
• Slip the rope through the rope guide. Tighten the wing nut holding the rope guide to the upper
handle.
Recoil
Starter
Rope Guide
Lower Handle
FIGURE 6
Wing Nut
Upper Handle
Assembling Grass Catcher
Following parts are included with a soft top grass bag: front frame, rear frame and grass bag.
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