Yard Machines 540 User Manual

PERATOR’S

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.

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

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.

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

SLOPE

A POWER POLE

A CORNER OF A BUILDING

OR A FENCE POST

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.

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

• 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.

+ 16 hidden pages