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Safety • Assembly • Operation • Tips & Techniques • Maintenance • Troubleshooting • Parts Lists • Warranty
OPERATOR’S MANUAL
21” Rotary Mower — Model 44M
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 unimproved forest-covered, brush-
covered or grass-covered land unless the engine’s exhaust system is equipped with a spark arrester meeting applicable local or state law
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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 .............................................. 14 Safe Operation Practices ................................... 4 Engine Safe Operation Practices ................. 14 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). A riding mower could overturn and cause serious injury. If operating a walk- behind mower on such a slope, it is extremely difficult to maintain your footing and you could slip, resulting in serious injury. Operate RID
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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. 2 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 2 the blade area u
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1. Follow the steps below to position the handle. a. Lift the upper handle up from the folded position and pull it back to the extended position. See A Figure 3-1. Do not crimp cables. The handle 3 should click into this position. b. Make sure the carriage bolt is seated properly in the handle. Tighten star knobs to secure upper Setup and handle to the lower handle. 2. Follow these steps to secure the handle: Adjustment a. Remove the hairpin clip from the pivot rod. Using a pair of pliers
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5. Follow steps below to assemble the grass catcher: a. Place bag over frame so that its black plastic side is at the bottom. Check that the bag is turned right side out before assembling (warning label will be 3 on the outside). See Figure 3-5. b. Slip plastic channel of grass bag over hooks on the A frame. All the plastic channels except center top of Setup and bag attach from outside of bag. c. Attach center top of bag from inside of bag. Adjustment 6. To attach the grass catcher: C a.
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Know Your Lawn Mower Blade Control 4 Drive Operating Control Choke Control Your Lawn Recoil Starter Mower Cutting Gasoline Fill Height Adjustment Lever (one at each wheel) WARNING The blade control is a safety device. Never Oil Fill attempt to bypass its operations. Figure 4-1: The main components on the mower. Use extreme care Now that you have set up your lawn mower, it’s important to become acquainted with its controls and features. when handling gasoline. Gasoline is Blade Contr
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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. 2 Always wear safety glasses while operating the mower, or while performing any adjustments or 4 repairs on it. 1 Operating Starting Engine Your Lawn WARNING: Be sure no one other than the op- Mower erator is standing near the lawn mower while 4 starting engine or operating mower. Never run engine indoors or in enclosed, poorly ventilated 3 areas. Engin
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Lubrication • Lubricate pivot points on the blade and drive control at least once a season with light oil. The controls must operate freely in both directions. See Figure 5-1. • 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. • Lubricate the torsion spring and pivot point on the rear Your Lawn discharge door periodically with lig
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Blade Care WARNING: When removing cutting blade for sharpening or replacement, protect your hands with a pair of heavy gloves or use a heavy rag to hold blade. 1. Disconnect spark plug wire from spark plug. Turn mower on its side making sure that the air filter and Maintaining the carburetor are up. 2. Remove bolt, bell blade support, blade, and blade Your Lawn adapter from the engine crankshaft. See Figure 5-3. 3. The blade can be sharpened with a file or on a Mower grinding wheel. D
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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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4. Coat mower’s cutting blade with chassis grease to Off-Season Storage prevent rusting. The following steps should be taken to prepare your lawn mower for storage. 5. Store mower in a dry, clean area. Do not store next 1. Clean and lubricate mower thoroughly as described in to corrosive materials, such as fertilizer. the lubrication instructions. When storing any type of power equipment in a poorly 2. We do not recommend the use of a pressure washer ventilated or metal storage shed, car
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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
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IMPORTANT: Used motor oil may cause skin cancer if repeatedly left in contact with the skin for prolonged periods. Although this is unlikely unless you handle used Paper Element oil on a daily basis, it is still advisable to thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water as soon as possible 10 after handling used oil. NOTE: Please dispose of used motor oil in a manner that Maintaining is compatible with the environment. We suggest you take it in a sealed container to your local service sta
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Storage Engines stored over 30 days need to be drained of fuel to prevent deterioration and gum from forming in fuel system or on essential carburetor parts. If the gasoline in Electrode 10 your engine deteriorates during storage, you may need to have the carburetor, and other fuel system components, serviced or replaced. 1. Remove all fuel from tank by running engine until it Maintaining stops from lack of fuel. Your 2. Change oil. See Oil Change section. 3. Remove spark plug and pour ab
