Bush Hog GC-250 manual Section Operating Instructions

SECTION IV

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS

4-1 General Safety

Only qualified people familiar with this operator’s manu- al a nd the mower’s o perator’s manua l sho uld operate this machine.

4-2 Operation and Tips on Mowing

A.Perform BEFORE EACH USE maint enanc e list in paragraph 5-1.

B.Start mower.

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

NOTE: If t he collecti on system doe s not appear to be collecting the grass clippings, disengage the deck, then engage the parking brake and turn the engine off. pro - ceed to Section 4-3.

To obtain the maxim um effectiveness from your collec- ti on system t he t ips l ist ed bel ow should be followed:

…Larger Machine With Grass Catcher Remember that the mower is longer and wider with this attachme nt inst alled. By turning too sharpley i n con - fined p laces you m ay damage the grass c atcher or mower.

…Trimming

Always trim with the left side of the mower. Do not trim with the right side of the mower becau se you cou ld damage the boot assembly and collection tube.

…Cutting Height

Do not set the mower cutting height too low beca use long grass surrounding the mower can prevent air from getting under the mower, the bagging system will plug.

…Cutting Fr quency

Cut the grass of ten, especially when it grows ra pidly. You will have to cut your grass twice if it get excessively long.

…Bagging Long Grass

Excessively lo ng grass is heavy and may not be pro- pelled completely into the grass bags. If thi s happens, the discharge tube and chute may plug. To avoid pl ug- ging the bagging syste m, mow the gras s at a high height of cut, the lower the mower to your normal mow- ing height and repeat the bagging process.

…Bagging Wet Grass

Always try to cut grass when it is dry because your lawn will have a neat a pperance. If you must cut wet gr ass, use the conventional dis charge fe ature of the mower. Several hours later, when the clippings are dry , i nstall the grass catcher and vacuum up the grass clippings.

…Signs of Plugging

As you are bagging, a sm all amount of grass cl ippings normally blow out the front o f the mower. an excessi ve amount of clippi ngs blowing out indicates that the bags are full or plugged.

4-3 Emptying the Collection Bags ! WARNING!

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.Turn the Ignition off and remove key.

D.Engage the parking brake.

E.Once the parking b rake h as been engaged, a nd only th en, walk behind the mowe r a nd c hec k th e

collec tion bags by lifting the plastic top.T he l oad in the bags should not exceed the height of the installed bags.

F.Slide the bag out and turn the bag over to deposit the clippings.

G.To empty the bag, remove the bag by slid- ing rear war d. Gr asp the strap on the bottom

of the bag, turn it upside d own and empty the collected debris. Repeat for the other bag. Reinstal l both bags and line with plastic bags if desired, close the top.

NOTE: Do not allow c ollection ba gs to become o ver filled as p otential damage may occur to your equ ip- ment. Also, be sure to clean the hood an d screen as needed.

4-4 Clearing Obstructions from Grass Catcher

! WARNING!

Never per for m this proce dure with the engine running ! To do s o could resu lt in severe injury or death.

A.Stop the forward movement of the mower.

B.Disengage the mower deck.

C.Turn the Ignition off and remove key.

D.Engage the parking brake.

E.Check the collection bags and empty if they are full. Refer to step 4-3.

F.Remove the bo ot ass embly fr om the deck by removing t he boot ro d and hair pin (refe r to F igure 6). Use a stick o r simular object t o r emove the obstruction from th e mowe r, bo ot assembly or c ol- lection tub e.

G.After th e obstru ction is re moved re-attac h the boot asse mbly to t he de ck.

H.Resume mowin g.

4-5 Removing the Grass Catcher ! WARNING!

This machine sh ould NEVER be in operation with the mower discharge opening uncovered. Thrown objects fro m an uncovered disc harge opening could impact t he operator or bystanders res ulting in injury or de ath. Also conta ct with blade could result in injury or death.

Never operate this m achine unl ess the d ischarge opening is covered by the original grass deflector

14 or the complete grass catcher is installed.