Gravely 12031303 manual Section Operating Instructions, Section Maintenance

2-19 Final Checks

To check the operation of the safety interlock harness perform the following:

A. Start mower

B. While seated in the operator’s seat, rotate the engagement handle of the collection system away from the mower.

C. With the blower engaged, stand up from the operator’s seat. This action will shut off the mower which verifies proper installation of the harness.

D. Check the mower’s safety interlock, see mower’s manual for more detail.

NOTE: If the mower does not shut off, turn off mower and refer to page 7 to verify proper installation of the harness. If problem persists contact your local dealer.

SECTION III

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS

3-1 General Safety

Only qualified people familiar with this operator’s manual and the mower’s operator’s manual should operate this machine.

3-2 Operation And Tips On Mowing

A. Perform BEFORE EACH USE the maintenance list in paragraph 4-1.

B. Start mower.

C. With the mower at high idle speed, engage the mower deck.

D. While seated in the operator’s seat, rotate the engagement handle of the collection system away from the mower. Continue to rotate the handle until it stops in an over center position. With the blower engaged, you can proceed to operate the control levers of the mower.

NOTE: If the collection system does not appear to be collecting the grass clippings, disengage the deck

and blower, then, engage the parking brake and turn the mower off. Proceed to section 3-3, and review the section 2-6, in this manual.

To obtain the maximum effectiveness from your collection system the tips listed below should be followed:

*Watch your speed- Normal conditions will allow a speed of up to approximately 5 mph, but thick, heavy damp conditions will require reduced ground speed.

*Mow with sharp blades- A sharp blade cuts cleaner.

*Wet grass and leaves will decrease effectiveness and will increase horsepower requirements.

*Mow at higher cutting heights- Remove and mulch no more than 2” of grass length with each mowing. (Experts recommend not cutting off more than 1/3 of the grass blade length at any given time.)

*Mow twice, at different height settings, (high, then low), if grass is extra tall.

*Remember that horsepower requirements will vary with the mowing conditions such as type and height of turf grass, moisture content, amount of leaves, whether the terrain is flat or hilly, etc.

3-3 Disengagement Of The Blower

A. To disengage the blower, rotate the engagement handle towards the mower.

WARNING: The blower will continue to spin. DO NOT TOUCH the blower, pulleys, or the belt until the tractor is turned off. DO NOT adjust the belt tension until the mower is turned off. Refer to section 2-6 of the manual.

3-4 Unloading The Collection System

NOTE: To determine when the collection bags are full, follow the following steps:

A. Stop the forward movement of the mower. B. Disengage the mower deck.

C. Disengage the blower.

D. Engage the parking brake.

E. Once the parking brake has been engaged, then and only then, walk behind the mower and check the collection bags by lifting the plastic hood. Load in bags should not exceed the height of the installed bag.

F. To release bags from frame, lift bag ring from tab on bagger frame, slide bag out and turn bags over to deposit clippings.

G. Follow steps on page 14 to re-attach bags back to the bagger.

NOTE: Do not allow collection bags to become over- filled as potential damage may occur to your equipment. Also, be sure to clean the hood screen as needed.

SECTION IV

MAINTENANCE

4-1 Maintenance Checklist

Before each use:

1.Check blades and spindles to be sure that no foreign objects, such as wire or steel strapping bands, are wrapped around them.

2.Inspect blades for wear. Replace if necessary. If it is necessary to sharpen the blades, remove the blades from the spindles before sharpening. DO NOT sharpen blades while still attached to the mower.

16