BEFORE STARTING ENGINE
OIL
Your lawn mower isshipped without oil in the
engine.
• Be sure mower is level and area around oil
fill is clean.
• Remove engine oilcap w/dipstickand till to
the full line on the dipstick.
• Use 20 ozs. of oil. For type and grade of oil
to use, see "ENGINE" in Customer
Responsibilitiessection of this manual.
• Pour oil slowly.Do not over fill.
• Check oil level before each use. Add oil if
needed. Fillto full line on dipstick
• To read proper level,tighten engine oil cap
each time.
• Reinstall engine oil cap and tighten.
• Change the oil after every 25 hours of
operation or each season. You may need
to change the oil more often under dusty,
dirtyconditions.
GAS
• Fillfuel tank Use fresh, clean, regular
unleaded gasoline with a minimum of 87
octane. Do not mix oil with gasoline.
Purchase fuel in quantitiesthat can be used
within 30 days to assure fuel freshness.
WARNING:
Experience indicatesthat
alcohol blended fuels (called gasohol or using
ethanol or methanol) can attract moisture
which leads to separation and formation of
acids during storage. Acidic gas can damage
the fuel system of an engine while in storage.
To avoid engine problems, the fuel system
should be emptied before storage of 30 days
or longer. Drain the fuel tank, start the engine
and let itrun untilfuel lines and carburetor are
empty. Use fresh fuel next season. See
Storage Instructions for additional information.
Never use engine or carburetorcleaner
products in fuel tank or permanent damage
may occur
TO START ENGINE
• To starta coldengine,pushprimarfive(5)
timesbeforetryingto start. Use a firmpush,
Thisstep isnotusuallynecessary whan
starting an enginewhichhas alreadyrunfor
a few minutes
• Pushenginespeed control l everto fast
position.
• Holdoperator presencecontrol b ardownto
the handleand pullstarterhandlequicldy.
Do notallowstarter ropeto snapback
• To stopengine,1releaseoperatorpresence
control b ar.
NOTE:
In cooler weather it may be neces-
sary to repeat primingsteps. In warmer
weather over primingmay cause floodingand
engine will not start. If you doflood engine,
wait a few minutes before attemptingto start
and do not repeat primingsteps.
MOWING TIPS
• Under certain conditions,such as very tall
grass, it may be necessary to raisethe
height of cut to reduce pushing effort and to
keep from overloadingthe engine and
leaving clumps of grass clippings.
• For extremely heavy cutting,reduce the
width of cut and raise the rear of the lawn
mower housing one (1) wheel adjuster
setting higherthan the front for better
discharge of grass.
• For better grass bagging and most cutting
conditions,the engine speed should be set
in the fast position.
• When using a rear discharge lawn mower in
moist, heavy grass, clumps of cut grass
may not enter the grass catcher. Reduce
ground speed (pushing speed) and/or run
the lawn mower over the area a second
time
• If a trail of grass clippings is left on the right
side of a rear discharge lawn mower, mow
in a clockwise directionwith a smell overlap
to collectthe clippings on the next pass.
• Keep top of engine around starterclear and
clean of grass clippingsand chaff This will
help engine airflow and extend engine life.
• Pores in cloth grass catchers can become
filled with dirtand dust with use and
catchers willcollect less grass. To prevent
this, regularlyhose catchers off withwater
and let dry before using
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