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Section 4
4.4 STARTING THE ENGINE
CAUTION
DO NOT USE STARTING FLUIDS. Use of starting fluids in the air intake system may be potentially explosive or cause a “runaway” engine condition that could result in engine damage and/or personal injury.
1.Be sure the fuel shutoff valve, located behind the operator's seat, is completely open. (See Section 7.5.)
2.Secure the ROPS in the upright and locked position.
3.Sit in the operator’s seat, fasten seat belt and place the steering control levers in the neutral position.
4.Engage the parking brake.
5.Place the PTO switch in the disengaged position.
6.If the engine is cold, choke the engine as needed.
7.Move the engine throttle control to about half engine speed.
8.Turn the ignition key to the START position and release the key as soon as the engine starts. Do not hold the key in the START position for more than 15 seconds at a time. Allow at least 60 seconds between each cranking attempt to prevent overheating of the starter motor. Prolonged cranking can damage the starter motor and shorten battery life.
Learn to feather the steering controls to obtain a smooth operating action.
Practice operating the mower until you are comfortable with the controls before proceeding to mow.
Forward Travel
To travel forward with the mower, disengage the parking brake, pull levers inward out of the neutral lock position and slowly push the steering control levers forward an equal distance. The further the steering control levers are pushed forward the greater the forward speed will be. To increase the speed, push the steering control levers further forward and to decrease the speed, pull the steering control levers back.
To stop the forward travel, pull the steering control levers back to the neutral position.
To steer the mower left while traveling forward, pull the left steering lever back.The further the lever is pulled back, the quicker the mower will turn left.
To steer the mower right while traveling forward, pull the right steering control lever back. The further the lever is pulled back, the quicker the mower will turn right.
- NOTE -
Smooth operation of the steering levers will produce smooth mower operation. While learning the operation of the steering controls, keep the travel speed low.
9. Allow engine to warm before operating the mower.
4.5 GROUND TRAVEL AND STEERING
- IMPORTANT -
If you are not familiar with the operation of a machine with lever steering and/or hydrostatic transmissions, the steering and ground speed operations should be learned and practiced in an open area, away from buildings, fences, or obstructions.
Learn the operation on flat ground before operating on slopes.
Start practicing with a slow engine speed and slow forward travel.
14
- IMPORTANT -
Do not travel forward over a curb. The mower will hang up on the curb. Raise the deck and travel backwards over the curb at a 45 degree angle. (See Figure