Poulan 178227 owner manual Mulching Mowing Tips, Operation

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MOWING TIPS

OPERATION

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 disengage clutch/brake pedal.

Move motion control lever to full forward position and hold for five (5) seconds. Move lever to full reverse position and hold for five (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 tractor moves approximately five (5) feet return the motion control lever to the neutral (N) position. Repeat this procedure with the motion control lever three (3) times.

Your tractor is now purged and now ready for normal operation.

MOWING TIPS

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

The left hand side of mower should be used for trimming.

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 finished (See Fig. 10).

If grass is extremely tall, it should be mowed twice to reduce load and possible fire 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 mowing to assure better mowing performance and proper dis- charge of material. Regulate ground speed by selecting a low enough gear to give the mower cutting perfor- mance 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.

FIG. 10

MULCHING MOWING TIPS

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 clippings 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 biodegrade 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 and the newly cut area will not be exposed to the direct sun.

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. 11). For extremely heavy mulching, reduce your width of cut on each pass and mow slowly.

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 or 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.

MAX 1/3

FIG. 11

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Contents IMPORTANT MANUAL Do Not Throw Away MODELPRK17H42STB OWNERS MANUALSAFETY RULES Safe Operation Practices for Ride-On MowersLook for this symbol to point out im- portant safety precautions. It means CAUTION!!! BECOME ALERT!!! YOUR SAFETY IS INVOLVED CUSTOMER RESPONSIBILITIES TABLE OF CONTENTSPRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS Seat UNASSEMBLED PARTSSteering Wheel Slope SheetHOW TO SET UP YOUR TRACTOR ASSEMBLYTOOLS REQUIRED FOR ASSEMBLY CHECK BATTERY See FigINSTALL SEAT See Fig CHECK TIRE PRESSURE TO SET UP YOUR MOWER FOR MULCHINGTO INSTALL MULCHER PLATE See Fig CHECK DECK LEVELNESSOPERATION MOTION CONTROL LEVER Selects the speed and direction of tractor KNOW YOUR TRACTORHEIGHT ADJUSTMENT KNOB - Used to adjust the mower cutting height TO SET PARKING BRAKE See Fig HOW TO USE YOUR TRACTORTO ADJUST MOWER CUTTING HEIGHT See Fig TO USE THROTTLE CONTROL See FigTO OPERATE ON HILLS TO ADJUST GAUGE WHEELS See FigTO OPERATE MOWER See Fig TO TRANSPORT See Figs. 5 andADD GASOLINE BEFORE STARTING THE ENGINECHECK ENGINE OIL LEVEL TO START ENGINE See FigMOWING TIPS MULCHING MOWING TIPSCUSTOMER RESPONSIBILITIES LUBRICATION CHARTMAINTENANCE SCHEDULE GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONSBRAKE OPERATION BATTERYTRACTOR TIRESV-BELTS CLEAN AIR SCREENENGINE TRANSAXLE COOLINGAIR FILTER See Fig CLEAN AIR INTAKE/COOLING AREASCLEANING MUFFLERTO LEVEL MOWER HOUSING SERVICE AND ADJUSTMENTSTO INSTALL MOWER See Fig TO REMOVE MOWER See FigBOTH FRONT LINKS MUST BE EQUAL IN LENGTH TO ADJUST BRAKE See FigTO REPLACE MOWER BLADE DRIVE BELT See Fig TO ADJUST STEERING WHEEL ALIGNMENT TRANSMISSION REMOVAL/REPLACEMENTTRANSAXLE MOTION CONTROL LEVER NEUTRAL ADJUSTMENTSee Fig TO REPLACE MOTION DRIVE BELT See FigTO REPLACE HEADLIGHT BULB TO START ENGINE WITH A WEAK BATTERY See FigREPLACING BATTERY See Figs. 28 and INTERLOCKS AND RELAYSTO ADJUST CARBURETOR TO REMOVE HOOD AND GRILL ASSEMBLY See FigTO ADJUST THROTTLE CONTROL CABLE See Fig FUEL SYSTEM STORAGEOTHER ENGINE OILCAUSE TROUBLESHOOTING POINTSPROBLEM CORRECTIONEngine continues to run IGNITION SWITCH SCHEMATICTRACTOR - - MODEL NUMBER PRK17H42STB WIRING INSULATED CLIPSELECTRICAL 144925 CHASSIS Screw Hex Wshd 8-18 x 7/8 DRIVE TRACTOR - - MODEL NUMBER PRK17H42STB STEERING ASSEMBLY 175146 KEY PART NO. NO.DESCRIPTION175121 175118SEAT ASSEMBLY PART DECALSWHEELS AND TIRES 4,10ENGINE OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT Spark ArresterWasher 5/16 x 3/4 x 16 Ga MOWER DECK TRACTOR - - MODEL NUMBER PRK17H42STB MOWER LIFT Washer 11/32 x 1-1/2 10 Ga SERVICE NOTES SERVICE NOTES LIMITED WARRANTY ONLY RIDE UP AND DOWN HILL, NOT ACROSS HILL SUGGESTED GUIDE FOR SIGHTING SLOPES FOR SAFE OPERATIONSIGHTING GUIDE SIGHT AND HOLD THIS LEVEL WITH SKY LINE OR TREE 15 MAXPARTS AND SERVICE FOR SERVICE OR REPLACEMENT PARTS