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Safety • Assembly • Operation • Tips & Techniques • Maintenance • Troubleshooting • Parts Lists • Warranty
OPERATOR’S MANUAL
19-inch Self Propelled Rotary Lawn Mower — Model 18M
IMPORTANT
READ SAFETY RULES AND INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY BEFORE OPERATION
Warning: This unit is equipped with an internal combustion engine and should not be used on or near any uniiproved forest-covered, brush-
covered or grass-covered land unless the engine’s exhaust system is equipped with a spark arrester meeting appli
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This Operator’s Manual is an important part of your new lawn mower. It will help you assemble, prepare and maintain the unit for best performance. Please read and understand what it says. Table of Contents Slope Gauge........................................................ 3 Engine Appendix .............................................. 16 Safe Operation Practices ................................... 4 Engine Safe Operation Practices ................. 16 Setup and Adjustment ................
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Use this page as a guide to determine slopes where you may not operate safely. Do not operate your lawn mower on such slopes. 1 Slope Gauge 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). Operate WALK-BEHIND mowers across the face of slopes, never up and down slopes. 3
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WARNING: Engine Exhaust, some of its constituents, and certain vehicle compo- nents contain or emit chemicals known to State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. DANGER: This machine was built to be operated according to the rules for safe operation in this manual. As with any type of power equipment, carelessness or error on the part of the operator can result in serious injury. This machine is capable of amputating hands and feet and throwing Safe
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19. Shut the engine off and wait until the blade comes to a 6. Extinguish all cigarettes, cigars, pipes and other sources complete stop before removing the grass catcher or unclog- of ignition. ging the chute. 7. Never fuel machine indoor because flammable vapors will The cutting blade continues to rotate for a few seconds after accumulate in the area. the engine is shut off. Never place any part of the body in 8. Never remove gas cap or add fuel while engine is hot or the blade area u
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IMPORTANT: This unit is shipped without gasoline or oil in the engine. Fill up gasoline and oil as instructed in the accompanying engine manual BEFORE operat- ing your mower. 3 1. Remove any packing material which may be between upper and lower handles. A Setup and B a. Pull up and back on upper handle as shown in Figure 3-1. Make certain the lower handle is seated Adjustment securely into the handle mounting brackets. Do not crimp cable while lifting the handle up. b. Tighten star knobs
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c. Attach center top of bag from inside of bag. 6. Before attaching the grass catcher, the mulching baffle must be removed. See Figure 3-5. a. Lift rear discharge door. 3 b. Remove mulching baffle. 7. Follow steps below to attach grass catcher: A Setup and a. Lift rear discharge door. b. Place grass catcher on the pivot rod. Let go Adjustment of discharge door so that it rests on the grass catcher. See Figure 3-6. To remove grass catcher, lift rear discharge door on the B mower. Lift grass
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Know Your Lawn Mower Drive Control 4 Blade Control Choke Knob Operating Recoil Starter Your Lawn Mower Cutting Height Adjustment Lever Gas Fill Oil FIll WARNING Mulching Plug This blade control mechanism is a safety device. Do not bypass Figure 4-1: The major components on the mower. its operations. Now that you have setup your lawn mower for operation, Choke Knob Use extreme care it’s important to become familiar with its controls. Pull the choke knob to activate the choke on the engine
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WARNING: The operation of any lawn mower can result in foreign objects being thrown into the eyes, which can damage your eyes severely. Always wear safety glasses while operating the mower, or while perform- 4 ing any adjustments or repairs on it. 2 Starting Engine Operating WARNING: Be sure no one other than Your Lawn the operator is standing near the lawn mower while starting engine or operating 4 Mower mower. Never run engine indoors or in enclosed, 1 poorly ventilated areas. Engine
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Lubrication 1. Lubricate pivot points on the blade control at least once a season with light oil. The blade control must operate freely in both directions. See Figure 5-1. 5 2. Lubricate the wheels at least once a season with light oil (or motor oil). If wheels are removed for any reason, lubricate surface of the pivot arm and inner Maintaining surface of the wheel with light oil. See Figure 5-1. 3. Lubricate the torsion spring and pivot point on the rear Your Lawn discharge door and sid
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Blade Care WARNING: When removing the cutting blade for sharpening or replacement, 5 protect your hands with a pair of heavy gloves or use a heavy rag to hold the blade. Maintaining Periodically inspect the blade adapter for cracks, Blade Adapter especially if you strike a foreign object. Replace when Blade Your Lawn necessary. Follow the steps below for blade service. 1. Disconnect spark plug wire from spark plug. Turn Mower mower on its side making sure that the air filter and the car
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5. a. Remove the self-tapping screws that secures the engine baffle to the deck . See Figure 5-4. Remove engine baffle. b. Loosen self-tapping screw that secures deck baffle B 5 to the deck. See Figure 5-4. 6. a. Working from the rear of the mower, carefully remove belt from transmission pulley. b. Once belt is off transmission pulley, push down on Maintaining deck baffle to access engine pulley and slide belt off this pulley and out from under the deck. See Your Lawn Figure 5-5. 7. R
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NOTES 13
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Problem Cause Remedy 1. Blade control disengaged. 1. Engage blade control. Engine fails to start 2. Spark plug boot disconnected. 2. Connect wire to spark plug. 6 3. Fuel tank empty or stale fuel. 3. Fill tank with clean, fresh gasoline. 4. CHOKE not activated. 4. Choke engine as instructed in “Operating Your Lawn Mower”. Trouble 5. Faulty spark plug. 5. Clean, adjust gap, or replace. Shooting 6. Blocked fuel line. 6. Clean fuel line. 7. Engine flooded. 7. Wait a few minutes to restart. 1. Spa
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7 Safety Labels TO REDUCE THE RISK OF INJURY, DO NOT OPERATE UNLESS DISCHARGE COVER OR GRASS CATCHER IS IN ITS PROPER PLACE. IF DAMAGED, REPLACE IMMEDIATELY. WARNING DO NOT remove safety (or any) labels from mower for any reason. AVOID SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH • KEEP HANDS AND FEET AWAY FROM ROTATING PARTS. • REMOVE OBJECTS THAT CAN BE THROWN BY THE BLADE IN ANY DIRECTION. WEAR SAFETY GLASSES. • DO NOT MOW WHEN CHILDREN OR OTHERS ARE AROUND. • USE EXTRA CAUTION ON SLOPES. DO NOT MOW SLOPES GR
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WARNING: Gasoline and its vapors are extremely flammable and explosive. Fire or explosion can cause severe burns or death. If gasoline is spilled on yourself or your clothes, wash your skin and change clothes immediately. 8 • When operating equipment, do not tip engine or Gasoline and its vapors are equipment at angle which causes gasoline to spill. extremely flammable and Engine • Do not choke carburetor to stop engine. explosive. Fire or explosion can • When transporting equipment, tran
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• Tie up long hair and remove jewelry. Running engine produces heat. Engine parts, especially muffler, • Do not wear loose-fitting clothing, dangling draw- strings or items that could become caught. become extremely hot. Severe thermal burns can occur on 8 contact. Combustible debris, Rapid retraction of starter cord such as leaves, grass, brush, etc., (kickback) will pull hand and can catch fire. arm toward engine faster than Engine you can let go. Broken bones, • Allow muffler, engine
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Know Your Engine Fuel Cap 9 Air Cleaner Operating Starter Grip Your Engine Oil Fill Cap Oil Drain Spark Plug Muffler Figure 9-1: The major components of the engine. Read this section before starting your lawn mower engine. Compare the illustration in Figure 9-1 with your lawn mower IMPORTANT: This engine to familiarize yourself with the location of various controls and adjustments. engine is shipped without gasoline or oil Pre-Operation Check 10w in the engine. Running Oil Recommendations
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Check Oil Level IMPORTANT: Be sure to check the engine on a level surface with the engine stopped. 1. Remove the oil filler cap and wipe the dipstick clean. See Figure 9-2. 9 2. Insert the dipstick into the oil filler neck, but do not screw it in. Oil Fill Cap/ Operating 3. If the level is low, slowly add oil to the upper limit on Dipstick the dipstick. See Figure 9-2 inset. Your 4. Tighten dipstick firmly before starting engine. Upper Level IMPORTANT: Do not overfill. Overfilling with oi
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WARNING: Shut off the engine before Periodic inspection and adjustment of the engine is performing any maintenance. To essential if high level performance is to be maintained. prevent accidental start-up, disconnect Regular maintenance will also ensure a long service life. the spark plug boot. The required service intervals and the kind of mainte- 10 nance to be performed are described in the table below. IMPORTANT: If engine must be tipped to transport Follow the hourly or calendar interva
