Operator's Manual 21" Rear-Discharge Lawn Mower Model Series 440 Thru E459 IMPORTANT: "Warning: Read safety rules and instructions carefully This unit is equipped with an intemaI combustion before operating engine and should not be used on or near any unimproved covered, brush-covered or grass-covered land unless the engine's exhaust system is equipped with applicable local or state laws (if any).
TABLEOFCONTENTS Content Page Important Safe Operation Practices ................................................................... 3 Slope Gauge ...................................................................................................... 6 Assembling Your Lawn Mower ........................................................................... 7 Know Your Lawn Mower .................................................................................... 11 Operating Your Lawn Mower ...........
SECTION1: IMPORTANTSAFEOPERATION PRACTICES WARNING: This symbol points out important safety instructions which, if not followed, could endanger the personal safety and/or property of yourself and others. Read and follow all instructions in this manual before attempting to operate this machine. Failure to comply with these instructions may result in personal injury. When you see this symbol--HEED ITS WARNING.
other safety protective devices in place and working. Never operate mower with damaged safety devices. Failure to do so, can result in personal injury. 21. Muffler and engine become hot and can cause a burn. Do not touch. 22. Only use parts and accessories made for this machine by the original equipment manufacturer (O.EM). Failure to do so can result in personal injury. 23. If situations occur which are not covered in this manual, use care and good judgment. Contact your dealer for assistance.
meettheoriginal equipment specifications mayleadto improper performance andcompromise safety!" 4. Mower blades aresharpandcancut.Wrapthebladeor weargloves, anduseextra caution when servicing them. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9, Keep al! nuts, bolts, and screws tight to be sure the equipment is in safe working condition; Never tamper with safety devices. Checktheir proper operation regularly. After striking a foreign object, stop the engine, disconnect the spark plug wire and ground against the engine.
SIGHT AND HOLD THIS LEVEL WITH A VERTICAL TREE .II A POWER POLE A CORNER OF A BUILDING I OR A FENCE POST I {.o =, Do not mow on inclines with a slope in excess of 15 degrees (a rise could overturn and cause serious injury, if operating a walk-behind your footing and you could slip, resulting in serious injury. Operate RIDING mowers up and down slopes, never across the face Operate WALK-BEHIND mowers across the face of slopes, never up == of approximately 2-1/2 feet every 10 feet).
SECTION3: ASSEMBLING YOURLAWNMOWER RemovingUnitFromCarton AssemblingHandle • Remove staples, break glue on top flaps or cut tape at carton end and peel along top flap to open carton. • • Remove loose parts if included with unit (i.e., operator's manual, hardware pack etc.). Cut corners and lay carton down flat. Remove packing matedaL Roll or slide unit out of carton. Check carton thoroughly for loose parts. • • For shipping purposes, the grass bag was placed on top of the unit.
Assembling soft grass bag: Insert post of cable ties that are on lower handle into the holes provided on the lower handle. The holes may be on the inside or outside. Pull cable ties tight and cut off the extra, See Figure 5 below, • • Cable Tie \ Post on • Join the rear frame and front frame assembly as shown in Figure 7A. Place the bag over the frame (black plastic side is the bottom of bag). Slip the openings in the side of the plastic channels on the bag over the hooks on the grass catcher frame.
• Slide the ends of the front frame assembly into the ends of the rear frame as shown in Figure 9A. The handle of the front frame assembly should be away from the black plastic bottom of the bag. Push the two frames together until the cross piece on the front frame contacts the rear frame. • Phillips Heed Screw Slip the openings in the side of the plastic channel on the bag over hooks on the grass catcher frame. See Figure 9B.
Removing Grass Catcher • Liftthe rear discharge • ,, door on the mower. Lift the grass catcher up, out of the slots in the handle bracket assemblies. • • Reinstall the plastic rear mulching baffle. Release the rear discharge door. AttachingChuteDeflector • Lift the rear discharge door on the mower. • Place the ends of the rod into the slots in the handle • Slide the push nut onto the right side of the rod to secure. bracket assemblies. See Figure 15. Release the rear discharge door.
SECTION4: KNOWYOURLAWNMOWER Read this owner's manual and safety rules before operating your lawn mower. Compare the illustrations in Figure 16 with your lawn mower to familiarize yourself with the location of various controls and adjustments. Blade Control Handle Drive Control Lever Upper Handle (If equipped) Recoil Star ter---I_ Lower Handle Cutting Height Adjustment Rear Discharge DOOr \ I_itiqn itcn (Optional', Figure 16 RecoilStarter The recoil starter is attached to the handle.
SECTION5: OPERATING YOURLAWNMOWER All Units: GasandOilFill-Up when engine is Never runningfill orfuel hot. Do indoors, not smoke WARNING: tank or when filling up the fuel tank. ,_ • Attach spark plug wire to spark plug. Make certain the metal cap on the end of the spark plug wire (inside the rubber boot) is fastened securely over the metal tip on the spark plug. Check the drive clutch control for proper adjustment.
StoppingEngine Bagging GrassClippings • You can use the grass catcher bag to collect clippings while you are operating the mower. Attach the grass catcher following instructions on page 10 of this manual. The grass clippings will automatically collect in the bag as you run the mower. Operate the mower till the grass bag is full. Do NOT allow the bag to overfill with grass clippings. Release blade control handle to stop the engine and the blade.
Engine EngineMaintenance • A list of key maintenance jobs required for good performance by the mower is given below. Follow the accompanying engine manual for detailed list and instructions. • Change engine oil after the first two operating hours and every 25 operating hours thereafter. Check the oil level before starting the engine every time. • Service foam filter in the air cleaner every 25 hours of use and replace the paper filter component every 100 hours.
• • Remove the two bolts and lock nuts from the blade assembly, Remove the blade from blade adapter and pulley. To Sharpen Blade: • The blade can be sharpened with a file or on a grinding wheel. Do not attempt to sharpen the blade while it is still on the mower. • Follow the origir_al angle of grind as a guide. Make sure that each cutting edge receives an equal amount of grinding to prevent an unbalanced blade.
ReplacingBatteryPack Reassemble new belt (part # 754-0465). Begin idler reassembly by inserting bolt up through the idler bracket hole. Adjust the drive clutch following the instructions below. (Electric Start Units Only) Remove the battery pack from the handle panel for replacement only, Do not separate the batteries for any reason. Dispose of batteries properly. NOTE" Torque center hex bolt to between 450 and 600 in. Ibs, Right Front Left Front Wheel Wheel \ which may cause burns.
\ _-- Notch _ Lower Handle Adjustment // Figure 24 Figure 25 AdjustingCarburetor AdjustingCuttingHeight IMPORTANT:All wheels must be placed in the same relative position. For rough or uneven lawns, move the height adjustment lever to a higher position. This will help stop scalping of the grass. WARNING: If any adjustments are made to the engine (e.g. carburetor) while the engine is running, keep clear of all moving parts. Be careful of heated surfaces like the muffler.
• Engine • Clean engine and remove any grass clippings, dirt, and debris from the cooling fins, air intake screen, levers, linkage and the exterior of the engine. • Follow recommendations in the accompanying engine manual for off-season storage of the engine. Change oil as stated in the engine manual. SECTION10: TROUBLE-SHOOTING GUIDE PROBLEM Engine fails to start CORRECTIVE POSSIBLE CAUSE 1. Blade control handle disengaged 2. Spark plug wire disconnected 3.
SECTION11: PARTSLISTFORMODELSERIES440 THROUGHE459 jl 2 7 27 '\ 26 25 NOTE: For engine parts lis:t, please refer to accompanying engine manual. 20_ 40 65 38 59 67_ 36 62 .42 IMPORTANT: For a proper working machine, use Factory Approved Parts, V-BELTS are specially designed to engage and disengage safely. A substitute (non OEM) V-Belt can be dangerous by not disengaging completely.
ModelSeries440 ThroughE459 Ref. No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 PaN No.
ModelSeries440 ThroughE459 57 40 37\ 44 \ 46 50_--_< 25 J J J 2O J 7 IMPORTANT: For a proper working machine, use Factory Approved Parts, V-BELTS are specially designed to engage and disengage safely. A substitute (non OEM) V-Belt can be dangerous by not disengaging completely. 52 .
ModelSeries440 ThroughE459 Rs_ No PaR No. Ref. No Description 1. 712-3025 Hex Jam Nut 5/16-24 2. 736-O425 Bell Washer .325 x .930 x .045 Part No. Description 31. !741-0604 Bearing Sleeve .50 I.D. 32. i748-0355 Bearing Support Wave Washer 1.5 x 1.0 x .029 782-0512B RH Height Adj. Plate 3. 756-1042 Pulley, 3.82 x .313 x .68 4. 736-0425 Bell Washer .325 x .930 x .045 33. 34. 736-0447 5. 712-0896 Lock Nut 1/4-28 35. 782-0511A LH Height Adj. Plate 6. 736-0406 Flat Washer .
ModelSeries440 ThroughE459 \ \ j5 \ \ \ \ "6 \ \ \ \ Electric Start (Optional) \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \\ \ \ 21_ X \ \ \ \, \ \ \ \ \\ "\\\ \\ \ \ \ \ \ 23
ModelSeries440 ThroughE459 REF. NO. i PART NO. t 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 725-0201 725-0873 731-0891A 725-0727 725-0298 725-1428 725-1276 710-0501 736-0270 712-0329 725-1208 712-0267 736-0242 712-0287 15 16 17 710-1250 710-0111 782-9012 _710-0969 REF, NO, 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 DESCRIPTION gnton KeYt Key Switch 1Battery Tray t Battery Charger 1" Fuse 7.5 Amp t Fuse Holder t IBattery 12V t Hex Screw:l/4-20:2.0 t Bell Washer ,265 x #5 x .
ShroudChart Part No. Color 751B281439 Dark Red i 751 B281440 Black 751B261443 Bright Red Hardware: 710-1256 (Screw) iPart No, Color i73!-1395A Red i731-1396A Black _3111397A Gray Hardware:710-1256 Part No, 731-1402A 731-1694 731-1695 731-1934A Color Yellow Black Silver Charcoal q E J Hardware: 710-1256 (Screw) Part No. Color 731-1585B Black Hardware: 710-1274 (Screw) Part No. 7511681311 7511681911 7511682011 iColor iBlack iRed iGray Part No.
YOURNOTES Comments Date 26
Your Notes (Contd.
MANUFACTURER'S LIMITED WARRANTY The limited warranty set forth below is given by MTD PRODUCTS INC ("MTD") with respect to new merchandise purchased and used in the United States, its possessions and territories. MTD warrants this product against defects in material and workmanship for a period of two (2) years commencing on the date of original purchase and will, at its option, repair or replace, free of charge, any part found to be defective in material or workmanship.
