STORAGE
Immediately prepare your lawn mower for storage at the end of the season or if the unit will not be used for 30 days or more.
CAUTION: Never store the lawn mower with gasoline in the tank inside a building where fumes may reach an open flame or spark. Allow the engine to cool before storing in any enclosure.
LAWN MOWER
When lawn mower is to be stored for a pe- riod of time, clean it thoroughly, remove all dirt, grease, leaves, etc. Store in a clean, dry area.
•Clean entire lawn mower (See“CLEANING” in the Maintenance section of this manual).
•Lubricate as shown in the Maintenance section of this manual.
•Be sure that all nuts, bolts, screws, and pins are securely fastened. Inspect moving parts for damage, breakage and wear. Replace if necessary.
•Touch up all rusted or chipped paint surfaces; sand lightly before painting.
HANDLE STORAGE
(HANDLE BRACKET MODELS ONLY)
Your handle may be folded for storage as shown.
•Squeeze the bottom ends of lower handle towards each other until handle clears the handle brackets and swing handles forward over mower.
•Loosen upper handle mounting hard-
ware enough to allow upper handle to be folded back.
IMPORTANT: When folding handles for storage or transportation, be sure to fold handles as shown or you may damage the control cables.
When setting you handles up from the storage position, the lower handle will au- tomatically lock into mowing position.
ENGINE
FUEL SYSTEM
IMPORTANT: It is important to prevent gum deposits from forming in essential fuel system parts such as carburetor, fuel filter, fuel hose, or tank during storage. Also, 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 systme of an engine while in storage.
•Drain the fuel tank.
•Start the engine and let it run until the fuel lines and carburetor are empty.
•Never use engine or carburetor cleaner products in the fuel tank or permanent damage may occur.
•Use fresh fuel next season.
NOTE: Fuel stabilizer is an acceptable alternative in minimizing the formation of fuel gum deposits during storage. Add stabilizer to gasoline in fuel tank or storage container. Always follow the mix ratio found on stabilizer container. Run engine at least 10 minutes after adding stabilizer to allow the stabilizer to reach the carburetor. Do not drain the gas tank and carburetor if using fuel stabilizer.
ENGINE OIL
Drain oil (with engine warm) and replace with clean oil. (See “ENGINE” in the Maintenance section of this manual).
CYLINDER
•Remove spark plug.
•Pour one ounce (29 ml) of oil through spark plug hole into cylinder.
•Pull starter handle slowly to distribute oil.
•Replace with new spark plug.
OTHER
•Do not store gasoline from one season to another.
•Replace your gasoline can if your can starts to rust. Rust and/or dirt in your gasoline will cause problems.
•If possible, store your unit indoors and cover it to protect it from dust and dirt.
•Cover your unit with a suitable protective cover that does not retain moisture. Do not use plastic. Plastic cannot breathe,
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