Mulching Mowing Tips

OPERATION

•Place tractor safely on level surface with engine off and parking brake set.

•Disengage transmission by placing freewheel control in freewheeling position (See “TOTRANSPORT” in this section of manual).

•Sitting in the tractor seat, start engine. After the engine is running, move throttle control to slow position. With motion control lever in neutral (N) position, slowly dis- engage clutch/brake pedal.

•Move motion control lever to full forward position and hold for ﬁ ve (5) seconds. Move lever to full reverse position and hold for ﬁ ve (5) seconds. Repeat this procedure three (3) times.

NOTE: During this procedure there will be no movement of drive wheels. The air is being removed from hydraulic drive system.

•Move motion control lever to neutral (N) position. Shut- off engine and set parking brake.

•Engage transmission by placing freewheel control in driving position (See “TO TRANSPORT” in this section of manual).

•Sitting in the tractor seat, start engine. After the engine is running, move throttle control to half (1/2) speed. With motion control lever in neutral (N) position, slowly disengage clutch/brake pedal.

•Slowly move motion control lever forward, after the tractor moves approximately ﬁve (5) feet, slowly move motion control lever to reverse position. After the trac- tor moves approximately ﬁve (5) feet return the mo- tion control lever to the neutral (N) position. Repeat this procedure with the motion control lever three (3) times.

•Your transmission is now purged and now ready for normal operation.

MOWING TIPS

•Mower should be properly leveled for best mowing per- formance. See “TO LEVEL MOWER HOUSING” in the Service and Adjustments section of this manual.

•The left hand side of mower should be used for trim- ming.

•Drive so that clippings are discharged onto the area that has been cut. Have the cut area to the right of the machine. This will result in a more even distribution of clippings and more uniform cutting.

•When mowing large areas, start by turning to the right so that clippings will discharge away from shrubs, fences, driveways, etc. After one or two rounds, mow in the opposite direction making left hand turns until ﬁ nished (See Fig. 14).

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FIG. 14

•If grass is extremely tall, it should be mowed twice to reduce load and possible ﬁ re hazard from dried clip- pings. Make ﬁrst cut relatively high; the second to the desired height.

•Do not mow grass when it is wet. Wet grass will plug mower and leave undesirable clumps. Allow grass to dry before mowing.

•Always operate engine at full throttle when mow- ing to assure better mowing performance and proper discharge of material. Regulate ground speed by se- lecting a low enough gear to give the mower cutting performance as well as the quality of cut desired.

•When operating attachments, select a ground speed that will suit the terrain and give best performance of the attachment being used.

IMPORTANT: FOR BEST PERFORMANCE, KEEP MOWER HOUSING FREE OF BUILT-UP GRASS AND TRASH. CLEAN AFTER EACH USE.

•The special mulching blade will recut the grass clip- pings many times and reduce them in size so that as they fall onto the lawn they will disperse into the grass and not be noticed. Also, the mulched grass will biode- grade quickly to provide nutrients for the lawn. Always mulch with your highest engine (blade) speed as this will provide the best recutting action of the blades.

•Avoid cutting your lawn when it is wet. Wet grass tends to form clumps and interferes with the mulching action. The best time to mow your lawn is the early afternoon. At this time the grass has dried the newly cut area will not be exposed to direct sunlight.

•For best results, adjust the mower cutting height so that the mower cuts off only the top one-third of the grass blades (See Fig.15).For extremely heavy mulch- ing, reduce your width of cut on each pass and mow slowly.

MAX 1/3

mulcher_9

FIG. 15

•Certain types of grass and grass conditions may require that an area be mulched a second time to completely hide the clippings. When doing a second cut, mow across (perpendicular) to the ﬁrst cut path.

•Change your cutting pattern from week to week. Mow north to south one week then change to east to west the next week. This will help prevent matting and graining of the lawn.