Moving The Tractor Manually

•Do not cut the grass too short. Short grass invites weed growth and yellows quickly in dry weather.

•Mowing should always be done with the throttle control lever to the FAST (rabbit) position.

•Under heavier conditions it may be necessary to go back over the area a second time to get a clean cut.

•Do NOT attempt to mow heavy brush and weeds and extremely tall grass. Your tractor is designed to mow lawns, NOT clear brush.

•Keep the blades sharp and replace the blades when worn. Refer to Cutting Blades on page 26 of this manual for proper blade sharpening instructions.

Mulching (if equipped)

Some, NOT ALL, models come equipped with a mulch kit which incorporates special blades, already standard on your tractor, in a process of recirculating grass clippings repeatedly beneath the cutting deck. The ultra-fine clippings are then forced back into the lawn where they act as a natural fertilizer. Observe the following points for the best results when mulching.

•Never attempt to mulch if the lawn is damp. Wet grass tends to stick to the underside of the cutting deck preventing proper mulching of the clippings.

•Do NOT attempt to mulch more than 1/3 the total height of the grass or approximately 1-1/2 inches. Doing so will cause the clippings to clump up beneath the deck and not be mulched effectively.

•Maintain a slow ground speed to allow the grass clippings more time to effectively be mulched.

•Always position the throttle control lever in the FAST (rabbit) position and allow it to remain there while mowing. Failing to keep the engine at full throttle places strain on the tractor’s engine and does not allow the blades to properly mulch grass.

NOTE: Do NOT remove the discharge chute when operating the mower with the mulch kit installed.

To operate the cutting deck without mulching, on models so equipped, simply remove the mulch plug by unthreading the plastic wing nut which secures it to the cutting deck. This will allow the clippings to discharge out the side. See Figure 11.

Carriage Screw
Plastic Wing Nut	Mulch Plug

Figure 11

Your tractor’s transmission is equipped with a hydrostatic relief valve for occasions when it is necessary to move the tractor manually. Activating this valve forces the fluid in the transmission to bypass its normal route, allowing the rear tires to "freewheel." To engage the hydrostatic relief valve, proceed as follows:

•Locate the hydrostatic bypass rod in the rear of the tractor. See Figure 12.

•Pull the hydrostatic bypass rod outward, then down and to the left, to lock it in place.

Hydrostatic

Bypass Rod

Figure 12

NOTE: The transmission will NOT engage when the hydrostatic bypass rod is pulled out. Return the rod to its normal position prior to operating the tractor.