OPERATION
WARNING: Experience indicates that alcohol blended fuels (called gasohol or using ethanol or methanol) can attract moisture which leads to separation and formation of acids during storage. Acidic gas can damage the fuel system of an engine while in storage. To avoid engine problems, the fuel system should be emptied before stor- age of 30 days or longer. Drain the gas tank, start the engine and let it run until the fuel lines and carburetor are empty. Use fresh fuel next season. See Storage Instruc- tions for additional information. Never use engine or carburetor cleaner products in the fuel tank or permanent damage may occur.
CAUTION: Fill to bottom of gas tank filler neck. Do not overfill. Wipe off any spilled oil or fuel. Do not store, spill or use gasoline near an open flame.
INDICATOR LIGHTS
Located on the dash of your tractor, these lights alert you to necessary steps required to start your tractor or, while tractor is running, alerts you to a serious problem which requires immediate attention.
• Indicates low level of gasoline in fuel tank. Fill tank with clean, fresh gasoline.
FUEL
•Indicates you must disengage attachment
clutch control to start tractor.
DISENGAGE
ATTACHMENT
•Indicates a drop in battery voltage. In-
| crease throttle speed and/or check bat- | |
BATTERY | tery and wiring (Seethe Customer Re- | |
sponsibilities and Troubleshooting sec- | ||
DISCHARGING | ||
| tions in this manual). |
•Indicates low oil pressure in your engine.
| Light should come on when engine is not | |
| running and key switch is in "ON" position. | |
CHECK | This is a test to be sure light is working | |
and a reminder to always check oil level | ||
OIL | ||
before starting engine. | ||
|
IMPORTANT: IF CHECK OIL LIGHT COMES ON WHILE THE ENGINE IS RUNNING, SHUT OFF ENGINE IMMEDIATELY AND CHECK FOR CAUSE OR SERIOUS ENGINE DAMAGE WILL OCCUR.
TO START ENGINE (See Fig. 10)
When starting engine for the first time or if engine has run out of fuel, it will take extra cranking time to move fuel from the tank to the engine.
•Depress clutch/brake pedal and set parking brake.
•Place gearshift lever in neutral (N) position.
•Move attachment clutch to “DISENGAGED” position.
•Pull choke control out to choke ( 
) position for cold engine start. For warm engine start do not use choke control.
• Move throttle control to midway between fast ( ) and slow (
) positions.
•Insert key into ignition and turn key clockwise to “START”
position and release key as soon as engine starts. Do not run starter continuously for more than fifteen seconds per minute. If engine does not start after several attempts, move throttle control to fast ( ) position, wait a few minutes and try again.
•When engine starts, slowly push choke control in.
•Move throttle control to fast (
) position.
•Allow engine to warm up for a few minutes before engaging drive or attachments.
NOTE: If at a high altitude (above 3000 feet) or in cold temperatures (below 32°F), the carburetor fuel mixture may need to be adjusted for best engine performance. See “TO ADJUST CARBURETOR” in the Service and Adjust- ments section of this manual.
MOWING TIPS
•Tire chains cannot be used when the mower housing is attached to tractor.
•Mower should be properly leveled for best mowing performance. See "TO LEVEL MOWER HOUSING" in the Service and Adjustments section of this manual.
•The left hand side of mower should be used for trim- ming.
•Drive so that clippings are discharged onto the area that has been cut. Have the cut area to the right of the machine. This will result in a more even distribution of clippings and more uniform cutting.
•When mowing large areas, start by turning to the right so that clippings will discharge away from shrubs, fences, driveways, etc. After one or two rounds, mow in the opposite direction making left hand turns until finished (See Fig. 12).
•If grass is extremely tall, it should be mowed twice to reduce load and possible fire hazard from dried clip- pings. Make first cut relatively high; the second to the desired height.
•Do not mow grass when it is wet. Wet grass will plug mower and leave undesirable clumps. Allow grass to dry before mowing.
•Always operate engine at full throttle when mowing to assure better mowing performance and proper dis- charge of material. Regulate ground speed by select- ing a low enough gear to give the mower cutting performance as well as the quality of cut desired.
•When operating attachments, select a ground speed that will suit the terrain and give best performance of the attachment being used.
FIG. 12
13
