42" Briggs & Stratton 17.5 hp Gas Powered Riding Lawn Tractor Operator's Manual

IMPORTANT:Yourtractoris shippedwithmotoroil in theengine.
However,you MUSTcheckthe oil levelbeforeoperating.Referto the
Service& Maintenancesectionfor instructionson checkingtheoil
level.
Attaching the Battery Cables
CALIFORNIA PROPOSITION 65
Batteryposts,terminals,andrelatedaccessoriescontainleadand
leadcompounds,chemicalsknownto the Stateof Californiato
causecancerandreproductiveharm.Washhandsafterhandling.
Whenattachingbatterycables,alwaysconnectthePOSITIVE(Red)
wireto its terminalfirst,followedby the NEGATIVE(Black)wire.
Forshippingreasons,bothbatterycablesonyourequipmentmay
havebeenleftdisconnectedfromthe terminalsat the factory.To
connectthe batterycables,proceedasfollows:
NOTE:Thepositivebatteryterminalis markedPos.(+).Thenegative
batteryterminalis markedNeg.(-).
1. Removethe plasticcover,if present,fromthe positivebattery
terminaland attachthe redcableto the positivebatteryterminal
(+)withtheboltandhexnut.See Figure1.
2. Removethe plasticcover,if present,fromthe negativebattery
terminaland attachthe blackcableto the negativebattery
terminal(-) withthe bolt andhex nut.SeeFigure1.
f
J
Figure1
3. Positionthe redrubberboot over the positivebatteryterminalto
helpprotectit fromcorrosion.
NOTE:If thebatteryis put into serviceafterthe dateshownon topof
battery,chargethebatteryas instructedinthe Service& Maintenance
sectionof this manualpriorto operatingthe tractor.
Shipping Brace Removal
Makesurethe ridingmower'sengineisoff, removetheignitionkey,
andset the parkingbrakebeforeremovingthe shippingbrace.Refer
Itothe Operationsectionfor instructionsonhowto setthe parking
lbrake.
• Locatethe shippingbrace,if present,andaccompanyingwarning
tag foundonthe rightsideof the mower,betweenthe discharge
chutedeflectorandthe cuttingdeck. SeeFig.2.
//
Figure2
Placethe decklift leverinthe highestcuttingposition.Referto
SettingtheCuttingHeightin the Operationsectionof thismanual.
Whilepushingthedischargechuteddlectortowardsthemachinewith
yourlefthand,removetheshippingbracewithyourrighthandbygrasp-
ingitbetweenyourthumbandindexfingerandrotatingitclockwise.
The shippingbrace,usedfor packagingpurposesonly,mustbe
removedand discardedbeforeoperatingyour ridingmower.
The mowingdeck iscapableof throwingobjects.Failureto operate
the ridingmowerwithoutthedischargecoverin the properoperating
Ipositioncould resultin seriouspersonalinjuryand/orproperty
ldamage.
Attaching The Steering Wheel
Ifthe steeringwheelfor yourtractordid notcomeattached,the
hardwarefor attachingit has beenpackedwithinthe steeringwheel,
beneaththe steeringwheelcap.Carefullypry off the steeringwheel
cap andremovethe hardware.
1. Withthe wheelsof the tractorpointingstraightforward,placethe
steeringwheeloverthe steeringshaft.
2. Placethe washer(withthe cuppedsidedown)overthe steering
wheeland securewiththehex bolt.SeeFig.3-3.
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