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

STOPPING THE ENGINE
If youstrikea foreignobject,stopthe engine,disconnectthe spark
plugwire(s)andgroundagainstthe engine.Thoroughlyinspectthe
machineforanydamage.Repairthe damagebeforerestartingand
operating
1. Ifthe bladesareengaged,placethe PTO(BladeEngage)leverin
thedisengaged(OFF)position.
2. Turnthe ignitionkeycounterclockwiseto the STOPposition.
3. Removethe keyfromthe ignitionswitchto preventunintended
starting.
DRIVING THE TRACTOR
Avoidsuddenstarts,excessivespeedandsuddenstops.
Do notleavethe seatof thetractorwithoutfirstplacingthe PTO
(BladeEngage)leverinthe disengaged(OFF)position,depressing
I the brakepedalandengagingthe parkingbrake.Ifleavingthe tractor
[ unattended,alsoturn the ignitionkeyoffand removethe key.
Alwayslookdownandbehindbeforeandwhilebackingupto avoida
back-overaccident.
1. Depressthe clutch-brakepedalto releasethe parkingbrakeand
thenlet the pedalup.
2. Movethe throttleleverintothe FAST(rabbit)position.
3. Placethe shiftleverineitherthe FORWARDor REVERSE
position.
IMPORTANT: Do NOTusethe shift leverto changethe directionof
travelwhenthe tractorisin motion.Alwaysusethe clutch-brakepedal
to bringthetractorto a completestopbeforeshifting.
4. Releasethe parkingbrakeby depressingtheclutch-brakepedal
andpositioningthespeedcontrolleverinthe desiredposition.
IMPORTANT: First-timeoperatorsshouldusespeedpositions1or
2. Becomecompletelyfamiliarwiththe tractor'soperationandcontrols
beforeoperatingthe tractorinhigherspeedpositions.
5. Releaseclutch-brakepedalslowlyto put unit intomotion.
6. The lawntractoris broughtto a stopbydepressingthe clutch-
brakepedal.
NOTE: Whenoperatingthe unit initially,therewill be littledifference
betweenthehighesttwospeedsuntil afterthe beltshaveseated
themselvesintothe pulleysduringthe break-inperiod.
WARNING!Beforeleavingthe operator'spositionfor any reason,
disengagethe blades,placethe shift leverinneutral,engagethe
parkingbrake,shutengineoff andremovethe key.
IMPORTANT: Whenstoppingthe tractorfor any reasonwhileona
grasssurface,always:
1. Placethe shift leverinneutral,
2. Engagethe parkingbrake,
3. Shutengineoffand removethe key.Doingso will minimizethe
possibilityof havingyour lawn"browned"byhot exhaustfrom
yourtractor'srunningengine.
Ifunit stallswithspeedcontrolinhighspeed,orif unitwill not operate
withspeedcontrolleverin a lowspeedposition,proceedas follows:
1. Placeshift leverinNEUTRAL.
2. Restartengine.
3. Placespeedcontrolleverinhighestspeedposition.
4. Releaseclutch-brakepedalfully.
5. Depressclutch-brakepedal.
6. Placespeedcontrolleverindesiredposition.
7. Placeshift leverineither FORWARDor REVERSE,andfollow
normaloperatingprocedures.
DRIVING ON SLOPES
Referto the SLOPEGAUGEinthe SafetyInstructionssectionof the
manualto helpdetermineslopeswhereyoumayoperatethistractor
safely.
Donot mowon inclineswitha slopeinexcessof 15degrees(a rise
of approximately2-1/2feetevery10feet).The tractorcouldoverturn
andcauseseriousinjury.
• Mowupanddown slopes,NEVERacross.
• Exerciseextremecautionwhenchangingdirectionon slopes.
• Watchfor holes,ruts,bumps,rocks,orother hiddenobjects.
Uneventerraincouldoverturnthemachine.Tallgrasscanhide
obstacles.
• Avoidturnswhendrivingon a slope.If a turnmustbe made,turn
downthe slope.Turningupa slopegreatlyincreasesthe chance
of a rollover.
• Avoidstoppingwhendrivingup a slope.If itis necessaryto stop
whiledrivingupa slope,start upsmoothlyandcarefullyto reduce
the possibilityof flippingthe tractoroverbackward.
ENGAGING THE BLADES
Engagingthe PTO(BladeEngage)transferspowerto the cuttingdeck
or other(separatelyavailable)attachments.To engagetheblades,
proceedasfollows:
1. Movethethrottle/chokecontrolleverto the FAST(rabbit)position.
2. Graspthe PTO(BladeEngage)leverandpivotitall theway
forwardinto theengaged(ON) position.
3. Keepthethrottleleverinthe FAST(rabbit)positionforthe most
efficientuseof the cuttingdeckorother(separatelyavailable)
attachments.
NOTE: The enginewill automaticallyshutoff if the PTOisengaged
withthe shift leverinpositionfor reversetravelwiththe ignitionkeyin
the NORMALMOWINGposition.
MULCHING
A mulch kit isavailableasan attachment.Mulching isa processof
recirculating grass clippings repeatedly beneath the cutting deck.
The ultra-fineclippings are then forcedbackinto the lawnwhere
they act asa naturalfertilizer.
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