OPERATOR’S MANUAL Model Series 950-959 960-969 E960-E969 Model 969D Shown IMPORTANT: READ SAFETY RULES AND INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY Warning: This unit is equipped with an internal combustion engine and should not be used on or near any unimproved forestcovered, brush-covered or grass-covered land unless the engine’s exhaust system is equipped with a spark arrester meeting applicable local or state laws (if any). If a spark arrester is used, it should be maintained in effective working order by the operator.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Content Page Important Safe Operation Practices .................................................................. 3 Slope Gauge ..................................................................................................... 6 Unpacking Instructions ...................................................................................... 7 Assembling Your Lawn Mower .......................................................................... 8 Know Your Lawn Mower.......................
SECTION 1: IMPORTANT SAFE OPERATION 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 YOUR LAWN MOWER. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THESE INSTRUCTIONS MAY RESULT IN PERSONAL INJURY. WHEN YOU SEE THIS SYMBOL, HEED ITS WARNING.
• • • • • • • • • Never operate the mower in wet grass. Always be sure of your footing. A slip and fall can cause serious personal injury. Keep a firm hold on the handle and walk, never run. If you feel you are losing your footing, RELEASE THE BLADE CONTROL HANDLE IMMEDIATELY and the blade will stop rotating within three seconds. Mow only in daylight or good artificial light. Stop the blade when crossing gravel drives, walks or roads.
• • • Before cleaning, repairing, or inspecting, make certain the blade and all moving parts have stopped. Disconnect the spark plug wire, and keep the wire away from the spark plug to prevent accidental starting. We do not recommend the use of pressure washers or garden hose to clean your unit. They may cause damage to electric components, spindles, pulleys, bearings or the engine. The use of water will result in shortened life and reduce serviceability.
SECTION 2: SLOPE GAUGE ED LIN E , REP RE S E NTIN G A 15 ° SL OPE OR A FENCE POST A CORNER OF A BUILDING A POWER POLE SIGHT AND HOLD THIS LEVEL WITH A VERTICAL TREE USE THIS PAGE AS A GUIDE TO DETERMINE SLOPES WHERE YOU MAY NOT OPERATE SAFELY. FOL D O N D OTT 15° WARNING Do not mow on inclines with a slope in excess of 15 degrees (a rise of approximately 2-1/2 feet every 10 feet). A riding mower could overturn and cause serious injury.
SECTION 3: UNPACKING INSTRUCTIONS Remove Unit From Carton • • • • • • See Figure 3. 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, etc.). Cut corner’s and lay carton down flat. Remove packing material. Roll or slide unit out of carton. Check carton thoroughly for loose parts.
SECTION 4: ASSEMBLING YOUR LAWN MOWER This guide covers two model series. Models 950 thru 959 have fixed front wheels; models 960 thru 969 have caster front wheels. All models are six speed, self propelled mowers. Much of this owner’s manual pertains to both models. However, there are some model-specific information too. Use only the information appropriate for your mower model.
Step 6. Tighten the cable ties and insert pegs on ties in lower handle holes. Cut off excess. Here Step 7. Loosen the wing nut holding the rope guide to the upper handle. Step 8. Squeeze the blade control handle against the upper handle and pull out starter rope slowly. Step 9. Thread starter rope into rope guide. Step 10. Tighten wing nut.
Blade Control Handle The blade control handle is located on the upper handle of the mower. See Figure 5 . The blade control handle must be depressed in order to start and operate the unit. Release the blade control handle to stop the engine and the blade. WARNING: The blade control handle is a safety device. Never attempt to bypass its operations. The blade will be rotating whenever the engine is running. Throttle Control The throttle control is located on the engine.
Cutting Height Adjustment Lever (Model 960 Thru 969) The rear wheel cutting height adjustment lever is located above the left rear wheel. To adjust the cutting height, pull the lever out and away from the mower. Move it forward or backward to the desired cutting height. See Figure 5. The front wheel cutting height is determined by the selection of one of six positions in each caster assembly.To adjust, remove the wing nut from the axle bolt.
Protective cap Battery pack lead Figure 7 To charge the battery, remove the protective cap from the end of the battery pack lead. Plug charger lead into battery pack lead and then insert battery charger plug into 120 volt standard household outlet. See Figure 7. Follow this order of action every time you charge the battery. After charging, disconnect battery charger plug from household outlet first, then disconnect charger lead from battery pack lead.
To Stop Engine And Blade • Release the blade control handle to stop the engine and the blade. WARN IN G: The blade continues to rotate for a few seconds after the engine is shut off. Using Your Rotary Mower Be sure that the lawn is clear of stones, sticks, wire, or other objects which could damage the lawn mower or engine. Such objects could be accidently thrown by the mower in any direction and cause serious personal injury to the operator and others.
SECTION 7: MAKING ADJUSTMENTS Wa rnin g: Do not at any time make any adjustment to lawn mower without first stopping engine and disconnecting spark plug wire. Handle Height Adjustment Lower Handle Notch Figure 8 Your mower is shipped with the handle in the higher height position. To lower the handle height, proceed as follows. • • • • • • Remove the starter rope from the rope guide. Remove the upper handle by removing the hand knobs and carriage bolts.
Shift Lever Cable Adjustment Periodic adjustment of the six-speed shift cable may be required due to normal wear on the cable. Adjustment is needed if all six speeds do not work. The adjustable cable bracket is located beside the engine on the left side of the mower. Follow steps 1 through 7 to adjust the shift lever . Bottom View Adjustable Cable Bracket Hex Nut (A) Speed Control Lever PUSH Step 1. Start engine. Step 2. Place speed control in the sixth speed position. Step 3. Stop engine. Step 5.
Deck The underside of the mower deck should be cleaned after each use to prevent a build-up of grass clippings, leaves, dirt or other matter. If this debris is allowed to accumulate, it will invite rust and corrosion, and may prevent proper mulching, discharge or bagging. The deck may be cleaned by tilting the mower and scraping clean with a suitable tool (make certain the spark plug wire is disconnected before starting to clean).
When sharpening the blade, follow the original angle of grind as a guide. It is extremely important that each cutting edge receives an equal amount of grinding to prevent an unbalanced blade. An unbalanced blade will cause excessive vibration when rotating at high speeds. It may cause damage to the mower, and it could break causing personal injury. The blade can be tested by balancing it on a round shaft screwdriver. Remove metal from the heavy side until it balances evenly.
Step 8. Using a 3/8” socket, remove three hex screws holding the baffle to the deck. Hex Screw Hex Screw Step 9. Tilt the transmission forward and loosen the idler pulley bolt and locknut 1/2 turn using two 7/16” wrenches. Step 10. Using a pair of pliers, pull back and rotate belt keeper bracket from the slot on idler pulley. Step 11. Slide the belt out from between the Belt Keeper Bracket and the idler pulley. Transmission Pulley Hex Screw Belt Belt Keeper Bracket Step 12.
Step 13. Squeeze the belt together and push belt forward. Press the control arm inward towards the deck and remove the six speed cable from the slot. Six-Speed Cable Slot Belt Control Arm Step 14. Place the new belt over the transmission pulley. Start the belt in pulley groove and rotate pulley until belt is seated in transmission pulley. Step 15. Place belt between idler pulley and the belt keeper bracket. Step 16.
Step 23. Pinch belt together so that it is not in the pulley groove, and the lower pulley can be pushed towards the engine. Step 24. Pivot the control arm back to its original position and reinstall the six-speed cable into the slot. Step 25. Check and make sure the belt is routed inside the pulley halves and the belt guard pin. Lower Pulley Half Belt Belt Guard Pin Step 26. Reinstall the bolt securing transmission to rear mower housing. Step 27.
SECTION 9: SERVICE WARNING: Always stop engine and disconnect spark plug wire before cleaning, lubricating or doing any kind of work on the lawn mower. LUBRICATE Wheels Blade Control Handle SEE ENGINE MANUAL Caster Assembly Figure 11 Blade Control Lubricate the pivot points on the blade control handle and the brake cable at least once a season with light oil. See Figure 11. The blade control must operate freely in both directions.
SECTION 11: TROUBLE SHOOTING GUIDE Trouble Possible Cause(s) Corrective Action Engine fails to start Blade control handle disengaged. Spark plug wire disconnected. Throttle control lever not in correct starting position. Fuel tank empty, or stale fuel. Blocked fuel line. Faulty spark plug. Engine flooded. Engine runs erratic Unit running in START position. Spark plug wire loose. Blocked fuel line or stale fuel. Engage blade control handle. Connect wire to spark plug.
Models 950 thru E969 Ref. No. 23 Part 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 32 712-3025 736-0425 756-0656 736-3084 712-0896 782-7598 741-0600 750-1050 682-0027A 710-0299 732-0849A 741-0682A 736-0570 721-0329 618-0253 736-0616 717-1487 736-0314 736-0569 618-0252 710-0642 782-7601A 741-0674 611-0066 721-0325 717-1469 711-1168 741-0673 721-0329 782-7595 741-0324 736-0369 33 - 741-0690 618-0263A Description Hx. Jam Nut 5/16-24 Bell Wash. .325 x .930 x .
Models 950 thru 959 Transmission and pulley for reference only 8 72 Pulley Assembly for reference only 15 24
Models 950 thru 959 Ref. No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 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 Part No. 710-0134 710-0654A 710-0703 712-0397 726-0233 736-0204 782-0046A-0662 710-0653 731-1828 638-0012 682-0531 682-7526 682-7528 710-0969 710-0751 710-0896 710-1315 711-0835 713-0453 714-0474 720-0223 732-0803A 732-0832 736-0270 736-0369 738-0529 741-0324 741-0522 741-0978 748-0318 750-0151 750-0515 750-0807 750-1056 782-0568 682-3052-0662 682-3053-0662 Ref. No.
Models 960 thru E969 Transmission and pulley for reference only 8 Pulley Assembly for reference only 84 26
Models 960 thru E969 Ref. No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 Part No.
Model E969 16 27 24 55 28 29 A 47 21 18 20 23 46 9 13 10 A 19 12 37 17 22 11 42 41 40 45 43 26 44 3 7 39 51 5 38 50 54 47 25 1 4 51 3 5 52 15 14 30 2 2 28
Model E969 Ref. No. Part No. 1 2 3 4 5 7 9 10 11 12 13 710-1174 714-0104 720-0241 726-0240 736-0451 710-1205 746-0876 736-0501 712-0324 646-0875 811-00303 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 746-0557 746-0841 731-0904 731-0924 713-0397 710-0841 732-0627 16864 731-0905 731-0906 731-0620 746-0939 Ref. No. Description Bolt Cur. Carr. 5/16-18 x 2.0 Cotter Pin .072 x 1.12 Lg. Knob Assembly Strap 4.3 Lg. Wash. Sad. .320 ID x.830 OD Eyebolt Throttle Lever Spring Wash.
Models 950 thru 969 27 28 16 29 24 A 13 8 6 21 18 20 23 11 A 7 5 3 19 1 17 22 4 1 5 26 15 3 14 30 25 2 2 Ref. No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 11 13 14 16 17 18 Part No. 710-1174 714-0104 720-0241 726-0240 736-0451 720-0279 710-1205 710-1270 712-0324 746-0883 746-0912 731-0904A 731-0924 713-0397 Description Bolt Curv. Carr. 5/16-18 x 2.0 Cotter Pin .072 x 1.12 Lg. Knob Assembly Strap Wash. Sad. .320 ID x.
Models 950 thru E969 8 6 1 15 3 19 13 2 9 16 14 12 11 10 4 18 17 7 5 Ref. No. Part No. 1 2 3 4 746-0939 656-0613 710-0167 710-0896 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 711-1114 712-0287 732-0807 736-0270 736-0329 736-0526 738-0924 750-1070 750-1071 756-0625 782-75740662 782-75750662 782-7596 782-7597 712-0138 16 17 18 19 Description 6 Spd. Cable Pulley Ass’y Mult - Spd. Scr. 1/4-20 x .50 Carr. Scr. AB 1/4-14 x .625 Hex hd. Wsh. Pivot Shaft Nut 1/4-20 Torsion Spring LH Bell Wash. .265 X .75 X .
MANUFACTURER’S LIMITED WARRANTY FOR: The limited warranty set forth below is given by White Outdoor Products Co. with respect to new merchandise purchased and used in the United States, its possessions and territories. White Outdoor Products Co. 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.