Gas Powered Riding Lawn Tractor Operator's Manual

DRiViNG ON SLOPES
Referto the SLOPEGAUGEinthe SafetyInstructionssectionof the
manualto helpdetermineslopeswhereyou mayoperatethis tractor
safely.
Do notmowon inclineswitha slopein excessof 15degrees(a rise
of approximately2-1/2feetevery10feet). Thetractorcouldoverturn
andcauseseriousinjury.
• Mowupanddownslopes,NEVERacross.
Exerciseextremecautionwhenchangingdirectionon slopes.
Watchfor holes,ruts,bumps,rocks,or otherhiddenobjects.
Uneventerraincouldoverturnthemachine.Tallgrasscan hide
obstacles.
Avoidturnswhendrivingona slope.Ifa turn mustbemade,turn
downthe slope.Turningupa slopegreatlyincreasesthechance
of a rollover.
Avoidstoppingwhendrivingupa slope.Ifit is necessaryto stop
whiledrivingupa slope,start up smoothlyandcarefullyto reduce
the possibilityof flippingthe tractoroverbackward.
ENGAGING THE BLADES
Engagingthe PTO(BladeEngage)transferspowerto the cuttingdeck
orother(separatelyavailable)attachments.Toengagethe blades,
proceedas follows:
1. Movethe throttle/chokecontrolleverto the FAST(rabbit)position.
2. Graspthe PTO(BladeEngage)leverandpivotit all the way
forwardintothe engaged(ON)position.
3. Keepthe throttleleverinthe FAST(rabbit)positionforthe most
efficientuseof thecuttingdeckor other(separatelyavailable)
attachments.
NOTE: The enginewill automaticallyshutoff if the PTOis engaged
withtheshiftleverin positionfor reversetravelwiththe ignitionkeyin
the NORMALMOWINGposition.
MULCHING
A mulchkit is availableasan attachment.Mulchingis a processof
recirculatinggrassclippingsrepeatedlybeneaththe cuttingdeck.The
ultra-fineclippingsarethenforcedbackintothe lawnwheretheyact as
a naturalfertilizer.
A mulchkit canbe purchasedthroughthe retaillocationinwhichyou
purchasedthistractor.For more information, simply contact Sears
at 1-800-4-MY-HOME®.
USING THE DECK LIFT LEVER
Toraisethe cuttingdeck,movethe decklift levertothe left,then place
it in the notchbestsuitedfor yourapplication.Referto SettingThe
CuttingHeightearlierinthis section.
MOWING
Tohelpavoidbladecontactora thrownobjectinjury,keepbystand-
ers,helpers,childrenandpetsat least75feetfromthe machine
while it is in operation.Stopmachineif anyoneentersthe area.
The followinginformationwill be helpfulwhenusingthe cuttingdeck
withyourtractor:
Planyourmowingpatternto avoiddischargeof materialstoward
roads,sidewalks,bystandersandthelike.Also,avoiddischarging
materialagainstawall or obstructionwhichmaycausedischarged
materialto ricochetbacktowardthe operator.
Donot mowat highgroundspeed,especiallyif a mulchkit or
grasscollectoris installed.
• Forbestresultsit is recommendedthatthe first twolaps becut
withthedischargethrowntowardsthe center.Afterthe firsttwo
laps,reversethedirectionto throwthe dischargeto theoutside
for the balanceof cutting.Thiswill givea betterappearanceto the
lawn.
• Donot cutthe grasstoo short. Shortgrassinvitesweedgrowth
andyellowsquicklyin dry weather.
• Mowingshouldalwaysbedonewiththe engineat full throttle.
• Underheavierconditionsit maybe necessaryto go backoverthe
cut areaa secondtimeto get a cleancut.
• Do NOTattemptto mowheavybrushandweedsandextremely
tall grass.Yourtractoris designedto mowlawns,NOTclear
brush.
• Keepthe bladessharpand replacethe bladeswhenworn.Refer
to CuttingBladesinthe Servicesectionof thismanualfor proper
bladesharpeninginstructions.
HEADLIGHTS
• The lampsare ONwheneverthe tractor'sengineis running.
• The lampsturn OFFwhenthe ignitionkeyis movedto the STOP
position.
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