Section4: Operation
C.
O.
E,
Putthe GearSelectLever(C, Figure
4-2) in R(reverse)setting by first
movingleverto N (neutral). Then
pull leverup,turn it to R position,
and releaselever.
To startthe wheels,slowlysqueeze
WheelDriveControl(D, Figure4-2).
Toavoid suddenacceleration,slowly
squeezethe lever.
TOSTOPTHEWHEELS:
• Tostopdrivepowerto thewheels,
releasethe WheelDriveControl.The
wheelswillgraduallyslow to astop.
• Toquickly stop thewheels,release
both theWheelDriveControland
theOperatorPresenceControl.
• ReturntheGearSelectLeverto the
N (neutral)position whenyou have
completedreverseoperation. Allow
thewheelsto stop completelybe-
foreshifting from R(reverse)intoa
forward speed.
MowWhen
LawnIsDry
Forbestresults,avoidcuttinggrass
whenit is wet. Wetgrasstendsto form
clumpswhich interferewith the cutting
action. Thebesttime to mow is in the
lateafternoonor earlyeveningwhenthe
grassis usuallydry.
1
CutTop1/3 of /-_
GrassBlades __'
Cuttingmorethan 1/3 of grasslength
maycausethe grassto becomeexces-
sivelydry. In tall grass,it maybeneces-
saryto mowat a highersetting andthen
mow againat thedesiredheight. NOTE:
Thecutting heightis criticalto achieving
a well-groomedlawn. Youshould exper-
iment with varioussettingsto find that
"just right" cutting height.
MAKINGTURNS..... _
VaryCuttingPattern
Themowerturns easily by pushing
thehandlebarsin the oppositedirection
that youwantto turn. Thedifferential
mechanisminsidethe transaxlewill
allowthe inside turning wheelto stop or
slow downwhile the outsideturning
wheelis poweredby the drive system.
Reducethewheel speedbeforeturn-
ing the mower.Fortight turns, disen-
gagethe WheelDriveControlandmanu-
Varythecutting patternfrom weekto
weekto help preventmattingofthe
grass. Oneweek,mowfrom north to
south,the nextweekmow from eastto
west. Overlapseveralincheswhen
mowingto obtainan evenappearance.
MowingonSlopes
allypush the mowerthrough the turn (if
needed,putthe GearSelectLeverin
neutralso the wheelsturn freely).
MOWINGTIPSAND HINTS
Toavoidinjuryorpropertydamage:
• Before mowing, thoroughly inspect
area where mower is to be usedand
remove all stones, sticks, wires,
bones,nailsandotherforeignobjects.
• Disengage mower blades before
crossinggraveldrives, roads, or side-
walksto preventbladesfrom throwing
stonesor otherhazardousobjects.
Toavoidinjury orpropertydamage:
• Maximum safe operating angle
is150.
• Exceedingmaximum safe operating
angle may cause tipping or loss of
footing.
• Donotmowwet slopes.
• Mowacrossslopes,notupanddown.
• Exercise extreme caution when
changingdirectiononslopes.
MulchingLeaves
• Themowercanbeusedto mowfallen
leaves.Theleafparticlesfilter downinto
thelawn andprovideaddedfertilizer.
• Theleavesmust bedry in order to be
mulched.
• Usea slowerground speedif the
leavesarenot mulchedinto fine parti-
cles.
• If you mulch oakleaves(whichaddacid
tothe soil), addlimeto the lawninthe
springto reducethe acidity ofthe soil.
KeepMowerBladesSharp
Forbestmowerperformance,keepthe
bladessharp. Dullbladeswill tear,
bruiseandsplit theends of grass. See
bladesharpeninginstructionsin Section
5: Maintenance.
Donot mowexcessivelysteepslopes
(seeWARNINGstatementthat follows).
Slowdown andexerciseextremecaution
whenchangingdirectionon slopes.
Beforemowing on slopes,checkthe en-
gine oil leveland makesure thatthe level
is atthe FULLmark. Maintaininga FULL
oil levelis particularlyimportantwhen
operatingon slopesasoil can be drained
awayfrom vital engineparts.
CleanMowerFrequently
Cleanthe undersideof the mowerdeck
frequentlyto removegrass build-up.
Seemowercleaninginstructionsin
Section5: Maintenance.
PrecisionTrimming
Forprecisiontrimming, usethe slow-
estgearand inch themower alongby
"feathering"the WheelDriveControl
lever. Or, disengagethe wheeldrive by
releasingtheWheel DriveControlso that
you canmanuallymaneuverthe mower
(if needed,putthe GearSelectLever in
neutralsothat the wheelsturn freely).
MowingDitches
If you haveto mow ditches,stop the
engineandadjustthe cutting height to
its highestsetting. Mow in the direction
ofthe ditch. Mow bothsidesof theditch
14
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