MTD 998, Operator'S Manual

Page 1: ...austsystemis equippedwitha sparkarrestermeetingapplicablelocalor statelaws if any If a sparkarresteris used it shouldbemaintainedineffectiveworkingorderby the operator In theStateof Californiathe aboveis requiredbylaw Section4442of the CaliforniaPublicResources Code Otherstatesmayhavesimilarlaws Federallawsapplyonfederallands A sparkarrester for the muffleris availablethroughyour nearestengineauth...

Page 2: ...efrom the Customer Support Department or an authorizedservice dealer Model Number www mtdproducts com Serial Number MTD LLC P O BOX 361131 CLEVELAND OH 44136 330 220 4683 800 800 7310 Customer Support Please do NOTreturn the unit to the retailer from which it was purchased without first contacting Customer Support Ifyou have difficulty assemblingthis product or have any questions regardingthe cont...

Page 3: ...O o 1 o 13 O3 13 13 O O O O5 E O 13 13 o3 13 O O o3 13 E 3 13 o 13 C5 5 O3 O5 13 t b 13 O9 o5 13 O O O3 5 O3 O O E Sight and hold this levelwith a verticaltree also I 15 ...

Page 4: ...nsible individualswho arefamiliar withthese rulesof safe operationshould beallowedto usethis machine 4 Thoroughlyinspectthe areawherethe equipmentis to beused Removeall stones sticks wire bones toys and otherforeignobjectswhichcouldbetripped overor picked upandthrownby the blade Thrownobjectscancause seriouspersonalinjury Planyourmowingpatternto avoid dischargeof materialtowardroads sidewalks byst...

Page 5: ...o minutesbefore refueling 10 Neveroverfill fueltank Filltankto nomorethan Y2 inch belowbottomof filler neckto providefor fuelexpansion 11 Replacegasoline capandtightensecurely 12 If gasolineis spilled wipe itoff theengineand equipment Moveunitto anotherarea Wait5 minutesbeforestarting engine 13 Neverstorethe machineorfuel containernearanopen flame sparkor pilot light as ona water heater space heat...

Page 6: ...h sideof lowerhandle a Removehairpinclipfromthis hole Usinga pairof pliers inserthairpinclip intothe other holeon the weldpin Repeaton otherside SeeFigure2 b Inserta carriagebolt fromthe hardwarepackinto the upperholeonthe handlemountingbracket Securewithone plasticwing nut also included inthe hardwarepack Repeatonother sidewith remainingitemsfromhardwarepack The ropeguide whichis connectedto the ...

Page 7: ...ert c Liftandplacelockpins inlargerholesto lock wheels Placepinsin smallerholesto allow castersto rotatefreelyfor turning 8 The adjustment wheelis locatedinthe drivecontrol handlehousingandis usedto tightenor loosenthe drive belt Youwill haveto adjustthe drivecontrolif any of the followinghappens a The mowerdoesnot propelitselfwiththe drive controlengaged b The mower sdrive wheelshesitatewiththe d...

Page 8: ...r wheel To adjust the cutting height refer to the Adjustment Section on page 7 Drive Control The drive control is located on the upper handle Squeeze the drive control to engage the drive system Release it to disengage the drive system Release the drive control to slow down when ap proaching an obstacle making a turn or stopping See Figure 9 Shift Lever The shift lever is located on the drive cont...

Page 9: ...air damage before restart ingand operating Extensive vibration of mower during operation is an indicationof damage The unit should be promptlyinspectedand repaired 1 Forbest results do notcut wetgrass 2 Fora healthierlawn nevercut offmorethan one thirdof the totallengthof the grass Using as Mulcher Formulchinggrass removethe grasscatcherand adapterfromthe mower Reattachmulchingbafflewith the three...

Page 10: ...votpointoneach endof the adapterdoorat leastoncea seasonwith lightoil to preventrust SeeFigure11 4 Thetransmissionis pre lubricated andsealedat the factoryanddoes not requirelubrication 5 Followtheaccompanying enginemanualfor lubrica tion scheduleandinstruction for enginelubrication Deck Care 1 Disconnectsparkplugwire Draingasolinefromlawn mower or placea pieceof plasticunderthe gas cap 2 Tip mowe...

Page 11: ...ginalangleof grind Grindcuttingedgesequallyto keep bladebalanced 4 Removebladefromthe adapterfor testingbalance Balancethe bladeona roundshaftscrewdriver to check Removemetalfromthe heavysideuntil it balancesevenly __i WARNING Anunbalanced bladewill causeexcessive vibration when rotating at high speeds It may causedamage to mower and could break causing personalinjury Figure 13 J Figure 14 5 Lubri...

Page 12: ...ocknuthalf a turn SeeFigure18 8 Usinga pairof pliers pullbackand rotatebelt keeper i _ bracketfromthe slotonthe idlerpulley 9 Slidethe beltout frombetweenthe belt keeper bracketandthe idlerpulley SeeFigure19 When replacing the v 10 Squeezethe belttogetherandpushit forward while belt do not disas pressingthe controlarm inwardtowardsthe deckand i sembie the lower _ removesixspeedcablefromthe slot Se...

Page 13: ...debell supportinthe correctorder 24 Tightenthe hexbolt to securethe bladeto torque 450 600in Ibs Off Season Storage The followingstepsshouldbetakento prepareyour lawn mowerfor storage 1 Cleanandlubricatemowerthoroughlyas describedin the lubricationinstructions 2 We donot recommendthe useof a pressurewasher or gardenhoseto cleanyour unit 3 Referto enginemanualfor correctengine storageinstructions 4...

Page 14: ... ow restricted 2 Removeblowerhousing I I andclean 3 Carburetornotadjustedproperly i 3 Referto enginemanual Occasional skips 1 Sparkpluggaptooclose 1 Adjustgap to 030 hesitates at 2 Carburetoridlemixtureadjustment 2 Referto enginemanual high speed improperlyset des poor y I 1 Sparkplugfouled faultyorgap 1 Resetgapto 030 or replace I toowide sparkplug H I 2 Carburetor improperlyadjusted I 2 Referto ...

Page 15: ...Safety Labels Found On Your Lawn Mower 15 Labels WARNINC DONOT remove safety or any labels from mower for any reason ...

Page 16: ... j_ I 16 ...

Page 17: ...tRodw Rope Guide 41 747 0939 PivotRod 42 747 0937 GrassCatcherFrame 43 631 0071 GrassCatcherCover 44 726 0106 Cap Nut 45 712 0429 HexNut5 16 18 46 731 1874 ChuteDoor 47 732 0819 TorsionSpring 48 726 0111 PushCap 49 747 0965 PivotRod 50 731 1713B GrassCatcherAdapter 51 710 0654A SeresScrew 3 8 16x 1 00 52 710 0134 CarriageScrew 1 4 20x 62 53 736 0526 WaveWasher 1 38IDx 88OD 54 750 1070 Slve Spacer ...

Page 18: ...i 18 ...

Page 19: ...er 385IDx 624OD 42 750 1050 FlangeSpacer 43 741 0124 Bearing 44 736 3084 FiatWasher 510ID x 1 120 OD 45 682 3053 HandleBracketAssembly LH 46 682 3052 HandleBracketAssembly RH 47 725 0157 CableTie 48 710 1348 Screw1 4 14x 500 49 710 0260A CarriageBolt 5 16 18x 62 50 711 1146 CasterAxle 51 712 0397 WingNut 52 712 3004A FlangeLockNut5 16 18 53 726 0214 PushCap 54 736 0232 WaveWasher 531 IDx 781OD 55 ...

Page 20: ...justments andnormaldeterioration of the exteriorfinishdueto use orexposure d Servicecompletedby someoneotherthananauthorizedservice dealer e MTDdoes notextendany warrantyfor productssoldor exported outsideof the UnitedStates itspossessionsandterritories except thosesoldthroughMTD sauthorizedchannelsof exportdistribution f Replacement partsthatarenot genuineMTDparts g Transportation chargesand serv...