MTD 022, 021 manual Maintaining Your Lawn Mower

Using Your Lawn Mower

WARNING: Never operate your unit without either the rear deflector or entire grass catcher assembly in place.

•Make sure that lawn is clear of stones, sticks, wire, or other objects which could damage lawn mower and/or cause personal injury.

•For best results, do not cut wet grass. New grass or thick grass requires a narrower cut. Blade speed and cutting height should be adjusted to the condition of the lawn.

•For a healthy lawn, never cut more than one-third of the total length of the grass at any one cutting.

•This mower is designed to operate at full throttle.

WARNING: If you strike a foreign object, stop the engine. Remove wire from spark plug, thoroughly inspect the mower for any damage, and repair the damage before restarting and operating the mower. Extensive vibration of the mower during operation is an indication of damage. The unit should be promptly inspected and repaired.

SECTION 6: MAKING ADJUSTMENTS

WARNING: Do not at any time make any adjustment to lawn mower without first stopping engine and disconnecting spark plug wire.

Throttle Control

Your lawn mower engine is equipped with a fixed throttle control that does not need adjustment.

Cutting Height

You can adjust the cutting height of the mower according to your convenience.

•Remove the axle bolts and related hardware from the wheels.

•Reattach the wheels with axle bolts at another hole. Remember to attach all wheels at the same relative position to ensure even cut. Refer to instructions for attaching the wheels in the assembly section of this manual. For higher cutting height, use lower hole on the deck and for lower cutting height, use the upper hole.

Carburetor

WARNING: If any adjustments are made to the engine while the engine is running (e.g. carburetor), keep clear of all moving parts. Be careful of heated surfaces and muffler.

Minor carburetor adjustments may be required to compensate for differences in fuel, temperature, altitude and load. To adjust carburetor, refer to the separate engine manual packed with your mower.

NOTE: A dirty air cleaner will cause an engine to run rough. Be certain air cleaner is clean and attached to the carburetor before adjusting carburetor.

SECTION 7: MAINTAINING YOUR LAWN MOWER

Deck Care

NOTE: We do not recommend the use of pressure washers or garden hose to clean your unit.These may cause damage to electric components spindles, pulleys, bearings or the engine. The use of water will shorten life of the mower and reduce its serviceability.

•The underside of the mower deck should be cleaned after each use to prevent build-up of grass clippings, leaves, dirt or other matter. If this debris is allowed to accumulate, it will invite rust and corrosion, and may cause an uneven discharge of grass clippings at the next cutting.

•The deck may be cleaned by tilting the mower and scraping clean with a suitable tool (make certain the spark plug wire is disconnected).

Lubrication

(Refer to Lubrication Chart in Figure 13.)

Always stop engine and disconnect spark plug wire before cleaning, lubricating or doing any kind of work on lawn mower.

Blade Control

•Lubricate the pivot points on the blade control handle and the brake cable at least once a season with light oil. The blade control must operate freely in both directions.

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