Operating the Mower
The Honda Mid-Size Commercial Mower is a powerful, highly maneuverable
mower designed to enhance the productivity of a lawn-care professional. You will
need a complete understanding of its operation and a certain amount of practice
with its controls to safely realize the full potential of this mower.
Read this section completely before operating the mower. Take time to familianze
yourself with the controls and how they operate. Get used to the feel of the
transmission shift lever and direction control levers by running the engine at about
half-throttle.
The small amount of time spent in familiarization will reward you with greater
efficiency and reduced risk.

STARTING THE ENGINE

Because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, it makes good sense to start
the mower outside; or at least in an open area with good ventilation.
1. Pull the blade control lever to
OFF.
(The mower should not be started without
the entire grass catcher or the discharge guard in place.)
2. Place the transmission shift lever in
NEUTRAL.
3. The safety interlock system will prevent the engine from starting if the blade
control is
ON
or if the transmission is in
REVERSE.
(Do not attempt to disconnect
or modify the safety interlock system.)
4. Open the fuel valve. Check the fuel valve at the tank to be sure it is open.
5. Turn the key
ON.
l
To start a cold engine, move the throttle lever to the
CHOKE
position.
l
To restart a warm engine, move the throttle lever to the
FAST
position.
6. When the engine warms up, move the throttle lever back to the
FAST
position
for mowing, or the
SLOW
position to idle. For best engine performance, move
the throttle lever out of
CHOKE
position as soon as the engine will run smoothly.

USING THE DIRECTION CONTROLS

The direction control levers allow you to control the speed and direction of the
mower.
The mower will quickly respond to the position of the levers. To avoid abrupt
changes of direction, squeeze the levers toward the support bar rather than
treating them like a switch. Operate the mower with the transmission in first gear
until you are familiar with the sensitivity of the direction control levers.
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