8
Refuel With Care
Gasoline is extremely flammable and gasoline vapor can explode.
Refuel only outdoors, in a well-ventilated area, with the engine OFF.
Never smoke near gasoline, and keep other flames and sparks away.
Always store gasoline in an approved container.
Wear Protective Clothing
Wearing protective clothing will reduce your risk of injury. Long pants
and eye protection reduce the risk of injuries from thrown objects.
Sturdy shoes with aggressive soles will help protect your feet and give
you better traction on slopes or uneven ground.
Stop the Engine When Not Mowing
If you need to leave the mower for any reason, even just to inspect the
lawn ahead, stop the engine by releasing the blade control lever.
Avoid Slopes
Avoid steep slopes of more than
20
°.
Mow across slopes, not up and
down. Be careful when changing
direction. Mowing on a slope
when the grass is damp or wet
could cause you to slip, fall, and
lose control of the mower.
NOTICE
Mowing on steep slopes can
starve the engine of oil, causing engine damage that is not covered by
the
DISTRIBUTORS LIMITED WARRANTY (
).
Keep all four wheels on the ground, and be careful to avoid losing
your footing and your control of the mower. Keep a firm grip on the
handlebar, and walk, never run, with the mower. Be very careful when
mowing uneven or rough ground.
If stuck, do not kick or shove the mower with your foot. Use the
handlebar to control the mower.
Avoid Obstacles
Gravel, loose stones, and landscaping material can be picked up by
the mower and thrown many feet with enough force to cause serious
personal injury and/or property damage. The best way to prevent
potential injury from thrown objects is to release the blade control
lever to stop the blades before reaching areas with gravel, loose
stones, or landscaping material.
Be careful when mowing over obstacles that stick up above the
surface of the lawn such as sprinkler heads, paving, edging, raised
tree roots, etc.
If the blade hits something, or if the mower starts to vibrate, stop the
engine immediately, disconnect the spark plug cap, and check for
damage (
). Striking objects may damage the blades, bend the
crankshaft, and/or break the mower deck or other components.
Vibration usually indicates serious trouble.
The
DISTRIBUTOR’S LIMITED WARRANTY
) does not
cover parts damaged by accidental impact collision.
Operating the Controls
Blade Control Lever
The blade control lever must
be pulled back against the
handlebar to start and run the
engine. The blades start to
rotate when the lever is pulled
back against the handlebar
and the recoil starter grip is
pulled.
Continue to hold the lever fully against the handlebar. This will keep
the engine and blades rotating smoothly and prevent premature wear
to the flywheel brake system.
Release the blade control lever to stop the engine and stop blade
rotation whenever you need to leave the mower.
Select Drive Control
With the engine running and
the blades rotating, slowly
push the Select Drive control
to propel the mower forward.
Normal operation is with your
hand comfortably around the
handle bar and Select Drive
control.
Push the Select Drive control
with your thumb into the
indentation for extra torque
(up a hill, or through thick
grass).
You can reduce the ground speed by partially releasing the Select
Drive control.
Ground speed varies with terrain, grass height, slope, and grass bag
weight. Moving the Select Drive knob (shown below) or varying how
far you push the Select Drive control forward allows you to maintain
the desired ground speed under constantly changing mowing
conditions.
Release the Select Drive control to disengage (stop) the rear wheels.
Disengage the drive when mowing around trees and other obstacles.
Push the mower around obstacles for better directional control.
Adjusting the Select Drive Control
The Select Drive control
knob allows you to adjust the
maximum ground speed
when the Select Drive lever
is fully engaged.
Adjustment is from MIN to
MAX. With the Select Drive
lever fully engaged:
MIN
will propel the lawn
mower at it’s slowest speed.
MAX
will propel the lawn
mower at it’s fastest speed.
The position of Select Drive
knob determines the forward
speed of the lawn mower, but it still varies based on the mowing
surface and terrain. For example, with the knob in the slowest
position, the mower may seem to propel quickly on smooth concrete.
However, once the mower is moving through grass, it will go slower
because of the added resistance of the grass.
WARNING
A worn, cracked, or damaged blade can break, and
pieces of the damaged blade can become dangerous
projectiles.
Blades thrown from the mower could seriously hurt or kill
someone.
Inspect the blades regularly (see
), and do not
operate the mower with a worn or damaged blade.
BLADE
CONTROL
LEVER
SELECT DRIVE CONTROL
SELECT DRIVE KNOB
