Operation
Before operating mower, be sure to
read all safety, controlsand operating
instructions in this Manual and on
decalslocatedonmachine.
Severe personal injury or property
damage couldresultif this instruction
isnotfollowed.
BEFOREOPERATINGMOWER
1. Pre-OperaUon Checklist
With the sparkplug wire disconnected
from the spark plug,performthefollow-
ing checksandservicesbeforeeachuse:
1. ReviewSection1:"Safety"andSection
3, "FeaturesandControls"in this man-
ual. ReadtheseparateEngineOwner's
Manualprovidedwith the unit.
2.Checkunit for looseor missinghard-
ware.Tightenor replaceas needed.
3. With the uniton levelground, check
theengineoil levelaccordingto the
instructionsin the EngineOwner's
Manual. Theoil levelshouldbeat the
FULLmarkonthe dipstick or up tothe
top ofthe oil fill holeon engineswith-
out a dipstick.
4. Checkall leversfor freedomof move-
ment.Readjustor repairasneeded
beforestarting engine.
5. Checkthat all guards andshieldsare
in placeand properly secured.
6. Inspecttheareato mowedandre-
moveanydebris which couldbe
pickedup andthrown bythe mower
blades.
7. Checkthat the mulchercoveris prop-
erlyinstalledin the dischargeopening
(seeinstructionsin this Section).
Removethe mulchercoverto usethe
side-dischargemowingfeature.
8. Onelectricstart models,checkthat
all wiring connectionsare cleanand
tight.
9. Checktheair pressurein the rear
tires (15-20 PSI). Keeptires inflated
equally.
GASOLINEISHIGHLYFLAMMABLEAND
ITS VAPORSAREEXPLOSIVE.To help
preventseverepersonalinjuryor prop-
ertydamage:
• Follow gasoline safety rules in
Section1: "Safety" of this Manualand
in the separate Engine Owner's
Manual.
• Neverremovethe gasolinefill capor
add fuel when indoorsor when engine
is runningor still hot.Allow engineto
coolat least three (3) minutesbefore
refueling.
• Keep smokingmaterials, sparks or
flamesfar awayfromfuel tank andfuel
container.
• Store gasoline in an approved fuel
containerandin a well-ventilatedarea.
Storeit safely outof the reachof chil-
dren. Do notstore gasolinewhere va-
porscanreachan opensparkor flame
or where ignition sourcesare present
(suchas hot water or space heaters,
furnaces,clothesdryers, stoves,elec-
tric motors,etc.).
• Fill tankto 1/2"below bottomoffiller
neckto allowfor fuel expansion.Wipe
up spilled gasoline immediately and
movemowerawayfromgasolinefumes
before starting engine. Securely re-
place caps on fuel tank and fuel
container.
10.Removethe fuel cap andcheckthe
levelof gasolineaccordingto the in-
structions in the EngineOwner's
Manual.Cleanaroundfuelfill area
beforeremovingfuel cap. Do not
checkfuellevel or addfuelwhile in-
doorsor if engineis running or hot.
Allow engineto coolfor three (3)
minutes. Fillthe tankwith fresh,
cleanunleadedgasolinewith a mini-
mum octaneratingof 77. Leave1/2"
ofspacefor fuel expansion.Do not
mix oil with gasoline.Donot use
gasolinewhich contains Methanol.
SeetheEngineOwner'sManualfor
instructions and precautionsregard-
ingthe useofgasolinesthat are
blendedwith alcoholsor ethers
(calledoxygenatedor reformulated
gasolines). Securelyreplacecapson
fuel tankandfuel container.
11.Attachsparkplug wire to spark plug
after completingabovechecklist.
2. Set Mower Cutting Height
To avoidpersonalinjury, do notadjust
cuttingheightwhile wheels or blades
are turning. Release all handlebar
controlsandwait for all motionto stop
beforeadjustingcuttingheight.
1. Releaseall controls beforeadjusting
thecutting height.
2. Adjustthecutting height from 1to 4
inchesby rotatingthe CuttingHeight
Controllever(Figure3-4) either clock-
wiseto raisethe height or counterclock-
wiseto lowerthe height. Notethat ac-
tualcutting heightswill vary according
to grassandsoil conditions. A decaland
pointeron the right side of the mower
deckindicatestheheightsetting.
3. In heavyor tall grass, it is usually
betterto makethe first cut at a higher
settingandthen makeasecondcut at
thedesiredheight. In roughterrain, a
highersetting is recommendedasit will
minimizethe chancesof the bladestrik-
ing theground or hidden obstructions.
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