5

Operation

And

Adjustment

WARNING

Do not lower blade if blade is over concrete, asphalt, rocks or the like. The blade can strike the supporting surface, resulting in personal injury or property damage.

Never fill fuel tank indoors, with engine running or until the engine has been allowed to cool for at least two minutes after running.

The “Blade Control” is a safety device. Never attempt to bypass its operation.

Rotating cutting blade may throw objects causing personal injury.

Keep area clear of bystanders and do not operate without guards in place.

The operation of any edger can result in foreign objects being thrown into the

eyes, which can result in severe eye damage. Always wear safety glasses or

eye shields. We recommend wide vision safety mask for over spectacles or standard safety glasses.

WARNING: Do not lower blade if blade is over concrete, asphalt, rocks or the like. Blade can strike supporting surface, resulting in personal injury or property damage.

Adding Gasoline And Oil

Service the engine with gasoline and oil as instructed in the Engine Manual packed with your edger. Read instructions carefully.

WARNING: Never fill fuel tank indoors, with engine running or until the engine has been allowed to cool for at least two minutes after running.

Starting The Engine

NOTE: Refer to the Engine Manual packed with your edger for a detailed description of all engine-related controls and components.

To start the edger’s engine, proceed as follows:

1.Attach the spark plug wire to the spark plug. Make certain the metal cap on the end of the spark plug wire is fastened securely over the metal tip on the spark plug.

2.Move the blade depth control lever back to the START position in the adjacent (top) notch.

3.Depress the primer bulb three times, pausing two to three seconds between each push. In cold weather (below 50°F /19°C), it may be necessary to depress the primer bulb four or five times.

IMPORTANT: Using the primer to restart a warm engine after a short shutdown is usually not necessary. Doing so may result in a flooded engine.

4.Standing behind the unit, depress the blade control and hold it against the upper handle with your left hand.

WARNING: This control mechanism is a safety device. Never attempt to bypass its operation.

5.With your right hand, grasp the recoil starter handle and slowly pull the rope outward until engine reaches the start of its compression cycle (the rope will pull slightly harder at this point).

6.After slowly allowing the rope to recoil, pull the rope with a rapid, continuous, full arm stroke. Keep a firm

grip on starter handle throughout the entire stroke.

7. Allow the starter handle to slowly return to the eyebolt.

NOTE: If the engine fails to start after three pulls, depress the primer an additional two times before pulling the starter rope again.

Stopping The Engine

To stop the edger’s engine, release the blade control.

NOTE: See your engine manual packed with your unit for more detailed instructions.

WARNING: Rotating cutting blade may throw objects causing personal injury. Keep area clear of bystanders and do not operate without guards in place.

Edging

To begin edging, proceed as follows:

1.Move unit to area to be edged, making sure that the left rear wheel is on a hard surface and the blade is over the area to be cut. See Fig. 5–1.

2.With blade control lever in START position, make a pass along area to be edged before proceeding to the next notch. The further forward blade depth control lever is moved, the deeper or lower the blade will cut into the ground. Several passes may be necessary to obtain desired depth of cut. Do not lower blade more than one depth notch at a time without making a pass.

3.For best results, proceed slowly along path being edged, slowly moving edger back and forth through cutting area, again making sure to keep the left rear wheel on the hard surface and the blade in the cutting path, close to but not touching the edge of the hard surface.

4.Once you have finished edging selected area, raise the blade control lever back into the START position, move to the next area to be edged, and proceed again from step 1.the curb to be edged along.

Figure 5–1

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MTD Series 521 warranty Operation, Adding Gasoline And Oil, Starting The Engine, Stopping The Engine, Edging