Owner`s manual

TO STOP ENGINE
• To stop engine, release operator pres-
ence control bar. Wait until blade and
all moving parts have stopped and turn
fuel valve to OFF position if you do not
intend to restart the engine soon.
TO START ENGINE
NOTE: Due to protective coatings on the
engine, a small amount of smoke may be
present during the initial use of the product
and should be considered normal.
1. Be sure fuel valve is in the ON position.
2. Move choke lever to ON ( N ) position.
3. Hold operator presence control bar
down to the handle and pull starter
handle quickly. Do not allow starter
rope to snap back.
NOTE: The choke lever automatically
begins moving to the OFF position when
operator presence control bar is held
down to handle.
OFF
Fuel valve lever
• Pores in cloth grass catchers can be-
come filled with dirt and dust with use
and catchers will collect less grass. To
prevent this, regularly hose catcher off
with water and let dry before using.
• Keep top of engine around starter clear and
clean of grass clippings and chaff.This will
help engine airflow and extend engine life.
MULCHING MOWING TIPS
IMPORTANT: For best performance,
keep mower housing free of built-up
grass and trash. See "CLEANING" in the
Maintenance section of this manual.
• The special mulching blade will recut the
grass clippings many times and reduce
them in size so that as they fall onto the
lawn they will disperse into the grass and
notbe noticed. Also, the mulched grass will
biodegrade quickly to provide nutrients for
the lawn. Always mulch with your highest
engine (blade) speed as this will provide
the best recutting action of the blades.
• Avoid cutting your lawn when it is wet. Wet
grass tends to form clumps and interferes
with the mulching action. The best time to
mow your lawn isthe early afternoon. At this
time the grass has dried, yet the newly cut
area will not be exposed to direct sunlight.
• Forbest results, adjustthe lawn mowercut-
ting height so that the lawn mower cuts off
only the top one-third of the grass blades.
Ifthe lawn is overgrown itwill be necessary
to raise the height of cut to reduce pushing
effort and to keep from overloading the
engine and leaving clumps of mulched
grass. For extremely heavy grass, reduce
your width of cut by overlapping previously
cut path and mow slowly.
MOWING TIPS
CAUTION: Do not use de-thatcher
blade attachments on your mower. Such
attachments are hazardous, will damage
your mower and could void your warranty.
• Under certain conditions, such as very
tall grass, it may be necessary to raise
the height of cut to reduce pushing effort
and to keep from overloading the engine
and leaving clumps of grass clippings.
It may also be necessary to reduce
ground speed and/or run the lawn
mower over the area a second time.
• For extremely heavy cutting, reduce the
width of cut by overlapping previously
cut path and mow slowly.
• For better grass bagging and most cut-
ting conditions, the engine speed should
be set in the FAST position.
• Certain types of grass and grass conditions
may require that an area be mulched a sec-
ond time to completely hide the clippings.
When doing a second cut, mow across
(perpendicular) to the first cut path.
• Change your cutting pattern from week
to week. Mow north to south one week
then change to east to west the next
week. This will help prevent matting and
graining of the lawn.
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