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Thank you for purchasing a Honda mower. This manual covers operation and maintenance of Honda HR173 rotary mowers; type PDA (manually propelled, rear bag). Honda HR173 mowers meet CPSC blade safety requirements for walkbehind rotary power mowers. Honda Motor Co., Ltd. reserves the right to make’changes at any time without notice and without incurring any obligation. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission. This manual should be considered a permanent part
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l Honda rotary mowers are designed to give safe and dependable service ._ if operated according to instructions and intended use: mowing (cutting) grass, and bagging cut grass when equipped with the grass bag. Any other use could be dangerous. . Read and understand the Owner’s Manual before operating the mower. Failure to do so could result in personal injury or equipment damage. 2
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CONTENTS CONTENTS 1 CAUTION LABEL LOCATION .................................................... 4 6 2 GENERAL SAFETY .................................................................. 7 3 COMPONENT IDENTIFICATION ................................................ 4 CONTROLS ........................................................................... 8 ........................................................................... 5 OPERATION 9 ............................................ 1
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1. CAUTION LA.BEL LOCATIONS HOLD AGAINST HANDLE ‘BEFORE STARTING BLADE CONTROL ENGINE. RELEASE TO STOP ENGINE. WARNING WARNING n n READ READ OWNER’S OWNER’S MANUAL MANUAL BEFORE BEFORE OPERATING OPERATING n n D0 D0 NOT NOT ALLOW ALLOW ANYONE ANYONE TO TO STAND STAND IN IN FRONT FRONT OF OF MOWER MOWER n n T0 T0 PREVENT PREVENT INJURY INJURY FROM FROM THROWN THROWN ORJECTS: ORJECTS: CLEAR CLEAR AREA AREA OF OF DEBRIS DEBRIS KEEP KEEP OTHERS OTHERS AWAY AWAY ODO ODO NOT NOT REMOVE REMOV
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[[ DANGER:KEEP HANDS and FEET AWAY ]] WARNING ~___..... SERIOUS INIURV. DO NOT WHEN ENlINE IS fHlNNING. 1 5
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-I 2. GENERAL SAFETY _ l Know how to stop the engine quickly and understand operation of all the controls. Never permit anyone to operate the mower without proper in- struction. l The rear shield is for your protection; keep it in place at all times. l The blade is sharp and dangerous. Never put your hands or feet under the mower. Never tilt the mower to expose the blade while the engine is running. If you find it necessary to work on the blade or mower, stop the engine and remove the
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3. COMPONENT IDENTlFlCATlOiU I- FLYWHEEL BRAKE RECOIL STARTER GRIP I AIR CLEANER THROTTLE LEVER - GRASS BAG HANDLE CUTTING HEIGHT ADJUSTING OIL FILLER CAP DISCHARGE SPARK PLUG CAP A MUFFLER 7
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4. CONTROLS. Throttle Lever Throttle positions: START (CHOKE) HI LO Flywheel Brake Lever (Black-painted lever) The flywheel brake lever must be moved forward and held against the handlebar to allow the engine to &art and run. When the flywheel brake lever is released, the engine stops. m If the Brake System fails to stop the engine, turn off the fuel valve and allow the engine to stop completely. Take the mower to an authorized Honda dealer for service. FLYWHEEL BRAKE LEVER 8
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5. OPERATION This mower may be used either with the grass bag or without the grass bag. The following suggestions and rules are intended to help you operate your HR173 under the safest conditions possible. Be alert and exercise the same care using the mower as you would using any other power tool. l Be especially careful when mowing uneven or rough ground. The mower may tilt, exposing the blade, and hidden objects could be thrown by the blade. Keep all four wheels on the ground. 0 Mow a
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6. BEFORE YOU START THE IMOWER 1. Check the engine oil level. CAUTION: l Engine oil is a major factor affecting engine performance and service life. Non-detergent oil and 2-stroke engine oil are not recommended. l Running ,the engine with insufficient oil can cause serious engine damage. Use Honda-4-stroke, or an equivalent high detergent, premium quality motor oil certified to meet or exceed U.S. automobile manufacturers’ re- quirements for service classification SE or SF (Motor oils c
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2. Check the fuel level. Your engine is designed to use any gasoline that has a pump octane ’ ‘2 M ) of 86 or higher, or ,that has a research oc- number ( tane number of 91 or higher. Gasoline pumps at service station normally display the pump octane number. We recommend that you use unleaded fuel because it produces fewer engine and spark plug deposits and extends the life of exhaust system components. Never use stale or contaminated gasoline or an oil/gasoline mixture. Avoid getting
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GASOLINES CONTAINING ALCOHOL If you decide to use a gasoline containing alcohol (gasohol), be sure it’s oc- tane rating is at least as high as that recommended by Honda. There are two types of “gasohol”: one containing ethanol, and the other containing methanol. Do not use gasohol that contains more than 10% ethanol. Do not use gasoline containing methanol (methyl or wood alcohol) that does not also contain cosolvents and corrosion inhibitors for methanol. Never use gasoline containing mo
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3. Check the grass. bag for fraying, tears and clogged mesh. Wash the bag with water if necessary, and let it dry thoroughly. Grass will not chute properly without adequate ventilation through the bag. Make’Esure.the ‘. bag is properly installed. 4. Check the blade bolt for tightness. Torque: 3.0-3.5 kg-m (21.7-25.3 ft-lb) m’ To be certain that the engine will not start accidentally, remove the spark plug cap before performing this inspection. 5. Check the air cleaner element and clean
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7. STARTING AND STOPPING THE ENGINE Starting the Engine Exhaust gas contains poisonous carbon, monoxide. Never run Bmm the mower in an enclosed area. Be sure to provide adequate ventilation. 1. Turn the fuel valve ON. 2. Move the throttle lever to START(CHOKE); NOTE: If the engine is warm or the air temperature is high, move the throttle to LO as soon as the engine starts. FUEL VALVE START (CHOKE) 3. Move the flywheel brake lever forward and hold it against the handlebar. FLYWHEEL BR
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4. Pull the starter rope lightly until you feel resistance, then pull briskly. NOTE: l The engine will start more easily if the cutting blade is not in contact with long, uncut grass. l Do not allow the rope to snap back; return it by hand. 5. After the engine .warms up, move the throttle lever to HI. STAkTER NOTE: The throttle lever may be moved anywhere between HI and LO to adjust engine speed during operation. However, the engine may stall if the lever is at LO when mowing starts. 1
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Flooded Engine If the engine won’t start after several pulls on the starter rope, the engine may be flooded. To clear a.flooded engine: 1. Turn off the fuel valve. 2. Remove the spark plug and dry it. When reinstalling the plug, thread it in by hand until it seats. Then tighten it an additional l/8-1 /4 turn with the spark plug wrench to compress the washer. 3. Move the throttle to HI, turn on the fuel valve and repeat steps 3-5 under “Starting the Engine”. Stopping the Engine 1. Rele
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l High altitude operation At high altitude, the standard carburetor air-fuel mixture will be excessively rich. Performance will decrease, and fuel consumption will increase. High altitude performance can be improved by installing a smaller diameter main fuel jet in the carburetor and readjusting the pilot screw. If you always operate the rotary mower at altitudes higher than 6,000 feet above sea level, have your authorized Honda Rotary Mower dealer perform these car- buretor modifications
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- Grass Bag The bag is subject to wear under normal usage; check frequently for fray- ing and tears. Replace deteriorated bag only, with Honda replacement bag or their equivalent. When the bag needs cleaning, wash it with water -’ and make sure it is dry before using it. Clogged mesh will result in poor grass chuting and a wet bag will clog quickly. Removal 1. Stop the engine. 2. Raise the discharge guard. Grasp the bag handle. Remove and raise the front end of the grass bag. 3. Remo
