SECTION III
OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
3-1 General Safety
3-2 Operation And Tips On Mowing
Only qualified people familiar with this operator’s manual
and the mower’s operator’s manual should operate this
machine.
A. Perform BEFORE EACH USE the maintenance list in
paragraph 4-1.
B. Start mower.
C. With the mower at high idle speed, engage the mower
deck.
D.
NOTE:
To obtain the maximum effectiveness from your
collection system, the tips listed below should be
followed:
* Watch your speed- Normal conditions will allow a
speed of up to approximately 4 mph, but thick, heavy
damp conditions will require reduced ground speed.
* Mow with sharp blades- A sharp blade cuts cleaner.
* Wet grass and leaves will decrease effectiveness and
will increase horsepower requirements.
* Mow at higher cutting heights- Remove and mulch no
more than 2” of grass length with each mowing.
(Experts recommend not cutting off more than 1/3 of
the grass blade length at any given time.)
* Mow twice, at different height settings, (high, then low),
if grass is extra tall.
* Remember that horsepower requirements will vary with
the mowing conditions such as type and height of turf
grass, moisture content, amount of leaves, whether the
terrain is flat or hilly, etc.
While seated in the operator’s seat, pull the
engagement handle of the PTO assembly towards
the operator’s seat until the handle slides into
position in the retaining slot. With the PTO assembly
engaged, you can proceed to operate the control
levers of the mower.
If the collection system does not appear to be
collecting the grass clippings, disengage the deck
and PTO assembly (Section 3-3), then, engage the
parking brake and turn the mower off. Check upper and
lower hoses for any clogs.
3-3 Disengagement Of The PTO
Assembly
A. To disengage the PTO assembly, slide the
engagement handle out of the retaining slot and push
the engagement handle away from the operator’s seat.
The PTO assembly blades will continue to
spin. DO NOT TOUCH the PTO assembly, pulleys, or
the belt until the tractor is turned off. DO NOT adjust the
belt tension until the mower is turned off. Refer to
section 2-4 of the manual.
A. Stop the forward movement of the mower.
B. Disengage the mower deck.
C. Disengage the PTO assembly.
D. Engage the parking brake.
E. Once the parking brake has been engaged, then and
only then, walk behind the mower and check the
collection bags by first unhooking the rubber strap
with S hook that secures the plastic top, then lift the
plastic hood. Load in bags should not exceed the
height of the installed bag.
F. To remove the bags from the frame slide bags out and
turn bags over to deposit clippings.
G. Slide empty bags back onto the frame and secure
plastic top with the rubber strap with ‘S’ hook.
WARNING:
3-4 Unloading The Collection System
4-1 Maintenance Checklist
NOTE:
NOTE:
To determine when the collection bags are full,
follow the following steps:
Do not allow collection bags to become over-
filled as potential damage may occur to your
equipment. Also, be sure to clean the hood screen as
needed.
Before each use:
1. Check blades and spindles to be sure that no foreign
objects, such as wire or steel strapping bands, are
wrapped around them.
2. Inspect blades for wear. Replace if necessary. If it is
necessary to sharpen the blades, remove the blades
from the spindles before sharpening. DO NOT
sharpen blades while still attached to the mower.
SECTION IV
MAINTENANCE
13