Full Product Manual

15Section 5 — operation
Mowing
The following information will be helpful when operating your
mower.
WARNING! Plan your mowing pattern to avoid
discharge of materials toward roads, sidewalks,
bystanders and the like. Also, avoid discharging
material against a wall or obstruction which may
cause discharged material to ricochet back toward
the operator.
• Do not mow at fast ground speeds, especially if a mulch kit
or grass collector is installed.
• Do not cut the grass too short. Short grass is prone to weed
growth and yellows quickly in dry weather.
• Always operate the mower with the throttle/choke control
in the FAST (rabbit) position while mowing.
• For best results, it is recommended that the first two laps
be cut with the discharge thrown towards the center.
After the first two laps, reverse the direction to throw the
discharge to the outside for the balance of cutting. This will
give a better appearance to the lawn.
• Do NOT attempt to mow heavy brush and weeds or
extremely tall grass. Your mower is designed to mow lawns,
NOT clear brush.
• Keep the blades sharp and replace the blades when worn.
WARNING! After striking a foreign object, stop the
engine, disconnect the spark plug wire and ground
against the engine. Thoroughly inspect the mower
for any damage. Always inspect the blade timing
belt as instructed on page 21 in the Service
section of this manual. Repair the damage before
starting and operating the mower.
Mulching
The Wide Cut mower is equipped with a mulch kit which
incorporates special blades, already standard on your mower,
in a process of recirculating grass clippings repeatedly beneath
the cutting deck. The ultra-fine clippings are then forced back
into the lawn where they act as a natural fertilizer. Observe the
following points for the best results when mulching.
• Never attempt to mulch if the lawn is damp. Wet grass
tends to stick to the underside of the cutting deck
preventing proper mulching of the clippings.
• Do NOT attempt to mulch more than ⁄ the total height of
the grass. Doing so will cause the clippings to clump up
beneath the deck and not be mulched effectively.
• Maintain a slow ground speed to allow the grass clippings
more time to effectively be mulched.
• Always keep the throttle control lever in the FAST (rabbit)
position while mowing. Failing to keep the engine at full
throttle places strain on the mower’s engine and does not
allow the blades to properly mulch the grass clippings.
Installing / Removing Mulch Baffle
WARNING! Before installing or removing the
mulch plug, disengage blades, stop the engine and
remove key (if equipped) to prevent unintended
starting.
Stop the engine and wait for all parts to stop moving.
Installing the Mulch Baffle
1. Insert the right-side tab (A) of the baffle into the bracket on
the deck. See Figure 5-1.
B
C
A
Figure 5-1
2. Insert the mulch baffle into the discharge opening (B).
See Figure 5-1.
3. Once it’s positioned in the deck opening, push the baffle
towards the rear of the mower (C) to secure it in place.
See Figure 5-1S.
Removing the Mulch Baffle
Slide the baffle to the right (toward the front of the mower) to
disengage the slot from the mower deck and then pry the left-
side of the baffle outward.