squeezed a nditsneutral l atchleverpushed forward
andengaged i ntheneutral l ockposition, the
steering/brake lever i s heldina position where the
idlerpulley is notapplying pressure t othetraction
drivebeltandthebrakeis notengaged.
Figure 3
neutral lock
position
must be in the Neutral position in order to start the
engine. Never attempt to mow in Fifth Gear. Fifth
Gear should be used for transport only.
Figure 5
Transmission
Shift Lever
IMPORTANT: The neutral latch levers must be
I
engaged in the neutral lock position before starting
I
the engine. They should not be loose so that they will
stay n the un ocked post on un ess moved.
Operator Presence Levers:
Located above the outer ends of the right and left
handles, at least one of these operator presence
levers must be held down on the handles against
spring pressure in order to shift the transmission shift
lever into gear or engage the blade clutch. Releasing
the operator presence levers with either the
transmission shift lever in gear or the blade clutch
engaged will shut off the engine.
IMPORTANT: One or both operator presence levers
must be depressed when n gear or mow ng.
Fuel Shutoff
Valve:
Located on top of the fuel tank is the fuel shutoff
valve. The handle turns 90 degrees. When the
handle is in a horizontal position, it will shut off the
flow of fuel to the engine. When it is turned to a
vertical position, it will open and allow fuel to flow to
the engine. Anytime the mower is being trailered or, if
the mower will not be in use for 30 minutes or more,
close the fuel shutoff valve to prevent flooding the
engine.
Fuel Shutoff
Valve
Figure 4
Transmission
Shift Lever:
Located
under the control panel.
The lever has
seven positions moving from the left to the right:
Reverse Gear, Neutral, First Gear, Second Gear,
Third Gear, Fourth Gear and Fifth Gear. The lever
IMPORTANT: DO NOT shift the transmission from
one forward gear to another while unit is moving.
Stop forward travel, shift gear, then resume
movement.
GAS ANDOILFILL-UP
Oil
IMPORTANT: The mower is shipped with motor oil in
the engine; however, you MUST check the oil level
before operating. Oil should be changed once after
the first five hours of operation and every 40 hours of
operation thereafter. Use the grade of engine oil
specified in the Maintenance section.
•
Remove oil fill dipstick from the oil fill tube.
•
Check that the level of oil is up to the FULL mark
on the dipstick. If needed, pour oil slowly into the
oil fill tube until a FULL oil level is achieved.
•
Replace oil fill dipstick and tighten.
Gasoline
•
Remove fuel cap from the fuel tank.
•
Make sure the container from which you will pour
the gasoline is clean and free from rust or foreign
particles. Never use gasoline that may be stale
from long periods of storage in its container.
Gasoline that has been sitting for any period
longer than four weeks should be considered
stale.
•
Fill fuel tank with clean, fresh, unleaded regular
gasoline (87 ROM) only no more than one inch
below bottom of filler neck to provide space for
fuel expansion. Replace fuel cap.
•
To avoid engine problems, the fuel system should
be emptied before storage for 30 days or longer.
Drain the fuel by shutting off the fuel valve and
running the engine until it stops. Use fresh fuel
next season. See STORAGE section for
additional information.
_lb
DANGER:
Never refuel or drain the fuel I
I
system indoors, or operate or store near an
open flame, spark, or ignition source.
•
Check the fuel level periodically to avoid running
out of gasoline while operating the mower.
13