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Safety • Assembly • Operation • Adjustment • Maintenance • Troubleshooting • Parts Lists • Warranty
OF A O AL
Automatic Lawn Tractor- Model Series 601
iMPORTANT
READ SAFETY RULES AND iNSTRUCTiONS CAREFULLY BEFORE OPERATION
Warning: Thisunit is equippedwithaninternal combustionengineandshouldnot beusedon or nearany unimprovedforest-covered, brush-
coveredor grass-coveredlandunlesstheengine'sexhaustsystemis equippedwitha sparkarrestermeetingapplicablelocalor statelaws(if any).
If a sparkarresteris
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This Operator's Manual is an important part of your new lawn tractor, 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 Maintaining Your Lawn Tractor ........................ 24 Safe Operation Practices ................................... 4 Off-Season Storage / Attachments ................. 30 Setting UpYour Lawn Tractor ...................
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O Sight and hold this levelwith a vertical tree... o 1= o >:. (13 O3 (13 (13 O- O O (-- O5 E O also (13 (13 o3 I (13 O- O o3 (13 E o5 (]3 (13 (13 O- O O3 o (13 -5 C5 O3 15° ('5 O O3 O5 (13 O E t"b (13 O9
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WARNING: Engine Exhaust,some of its constituents, andcertain vehicle compo- nents contain or emit chemicals knownto State of Californiato cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductiveharm. DANGER: This machinewas built to be operated according to the rulesfor safe operationin 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 andfeet andthrowing objects. Failureto obse
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........................................................................................ 14.Watchfor trafficwhenoperatingnearor crossing General Operation: roadways.Thismachineis not intendedfor useon 1. Read,understand,andfollowall instructionsonthe anypublic roadway. machineandin the manual(s)beforeattemptingto 15.Do notoperatethe machinewhileunderthe influ- assembleandoperate.Keepthismanualina safe enceof alcoholordrugs. placefor futureandregularreferenceandfor ordering 16.Mowonly in daylight
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Do Not: Slope Operation: Slopesare a majorfactor relatedto lossof controland 1. Do notturn on slopesunlessnecessary;then,turn slowlyandgraduallydownhill,if possible. tip-overaccidentswhichcan resultin severeinjuryor 2. Do not mowneardrop-offs,ditchesor embankments. death.All slopesrequireextracaution.If youcannot Themowercouldsuddenlyturnoverif awheel is over backupthe slopeor if youfeel uneasyonit, do notmow the edgeof a cliff,ditch,or if an edgecavesin. it. 3. Do nottry to stabilizethe machine
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10.Neverattemptto makeadjustmentsor repairsto the Service machinewhilethe engineisrunning. 1. Neverrunanengineindoors orina poorlyventilated 11.Grasscatchercomponentsandthe discharge area. Engineexhaustcontainscarbonmonoxide,an coveraresubjectto wearanddamagewhichcould odorless,anddeadlygas. exposemovingpartsor allowobjectsto bethrown. 2. Beforecleaning,repairing,or inspecting,makecertain Forsafetyprotection,frequentlycheckcomponents the blade(s)andall movingpartshavestopped. andreplaceimmediate
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NOTE:ThisOperatorsManualcoversa rangeof product specificationsfor variousmodels.Characteristics andfea- RubberBoot turesdiscussedand/orillustratedinthis manualmaynot beapplicableto all models.MTDLLCreservesthe right to changeproductspecifications, designsandequipment withoutnoticeandwithoutincurringobligation. Attaching the Battery Cables NOTE:Thepositivebatteryterminalis markedPos.(+). Thenegativebatteryterminalis markedNeg.(-). Tractor • Thepositivecable(heavyredwire) is securedto the positive
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Shipping Brace Removal f WARNING: Make sure the riding mower's engine is off, remove the ignition key, and set the parking brake before removing the ship- ping brace. TractOr • Locatethe shippingbrace,ifpresent,andaccompany- ingwarningtag foundon the rightside of the mower, betweenthe dischargechuteand thecuttingdeck. See Figure2. • Whileholdingthe dischargechutewithyourleft hand, removethe shippingbracewithyour righthandby graspingitbetweenyour thumbandindexfingerand rotatingitclockwise. WARNIN
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Attaching The Seat Seatstylesvarybytractormodelandtherearethree differentstylesavailable: • StandardAdjustment • QuickAdjustment& • KnobAdjustment If the seatfor yourtractordid notcomeattached,referto Figure4, Figure5, and Figure6 to identifyyourtractor's seatstyleandfollowthe applicableinstructionsbelowto attachit. NOTE:Forshippingreasons,seatsareeitherfastened to the tractorseat'spivotbracketwitha plastictie,or mountedbackwardto the pivotbracket.Ineithercase, freethe seatformitsshippingpositio
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NOTE: Referto Mulching on page19for moredetailed information. LaWn Tractor Ifyou'dpreferto operatethe cuttingdeckwithoutmulch- ing, simplyremovethe mulchplugby unthreadingthe plasticwing nutwhichfastensit to the cuttingdeck.This will allowthe clippingsto dischargeout of the discharge openingduringoperation.SeeFigure7. Figure 7 WARNING i i i i i i ii ii i _iI_ ii 11
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Know Your Lawn Tractor G H NOTE: Any reference in this manualto the RIGHTor LEFT side of J B the tractor is observed from operator's position. K C @ @ D /" "_ L E F NOTE:Steeringwheelnot shownfor clarity Figure 8 A PTO(BladeEngage)Lever G ThrottleLever PTO(BladeEngage)Knobt H CruiseControlButton B Ammeter/SystemsIndicatorMonitort I IgnitionSwitchModule C ChokeKnobt J BrakePedal D ParkingBrakeButton K DrivePedal E ShiftLever L DeckLiftLever F CupHolder M SeatAdjustmentLevert If soequipped NOTE:An
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Throttle Control Lever f Thethrottlecontrolleveris locatedon the rightside of Choke Fast thetractor'sdash panel.Thislevercontrolsthe speed Position Position of the engineand,on somemodels,when pushedall Fast thewayforward,the chokecontrolalso.Whenset ina Position givenposition,the throttlewill maintaina uniformengine speed.SeeFigure9. IMPORTANT: Whenoperatingthetractorwiththe cutting deckengaged,becertainthatthe throttleleveris always Your LaWn inthe FAST(rabbit)position. i Choke Control Slow Sl
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systemis not generatingsufficientamperage.Referto the MAINTENANCEsectionof this manualfor the proper batterychargingprocedureor havethechargingsystem AMPS checkedby yourservicedealer. PTO (Blade Engage) Lever ON 1z ! PTO TractOr PTO /BLADE ENGAGE Figure 11 Onmodelsequippedwitha manualPTO(BladeEngage), Ammeter the PTO(BladeEngage)leveris locatedonthe left sideof Theammetermeasuresthe electricaloutputof the the dashboardnextto the steeringwheel.Movethe PTO engine'schargingsystem.Undernormaloperati
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Parking Brake Button Safety Interlock Switches Tosetthe parkingbrake,fully Thistractorisequippedwitha safetyinterlock system depressthe brakepedaland for the protectionof the operator.Ifthe interlocksystem pushthe parkingbrakebuttonin. shouldevermalfunction,do notoperatethe tractor. Contactan authorizedMTDservicedealer. Holdthe buttoninwhiletaking yourfootoffthe brakepedal.Both • The safetyinterlocksystempreventsthe engine the parkingbuttonandthe brake fromcrankingorstartingunlessthe parkingbrak
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f G Reverse .Push Button indicator AVOID SERIOUS iNJURY OR DEATH Light Reverse • GO UP AND DOWNSLOPES,NOT ACROSS. Caution Mode Stop • AVOID SUDDENTURNS. Position Position • DO NOT OPERATETHE UNITWHEREIT COULDSLIPOR TIP. Start • IF MACHINESTOPSGOINGUPHILL,STOPBLADE(S)AND Position BACKDOWNHILLSLOWLY. © • DO NOT MOWWHEN CHILDRENOR OTHERSARE AROUND. • NEVERCARRYCHILDREN,EVENWITH BLADESOFF. • LOOK DOWNAND BEHINDBEFOREAND WHILEBACKING. • KEEP SAFETYDEVICES(GUARDS,SHIELDS,AND SWITCHES)IN PLACE ANDWORKI
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away from the discharge opening ,_ WARNING: Keep hands and feet Stopping the Engine of the cutting deck. ,_ WARNING: If you strike a foreign the discon- object, engine, stop NOTE:Thedeckwheelsarean anti-scalpfeatureof the A deckandarenot designedto supportthe weightof the _ nect the spark plug wire(s) and cuttingdeck. ground against the engine. Operating Referto Leveling the Deck onpage20of this manual Thoroughly inspectthe machine for moredetailedinstructions regardingvariousdeck for any damage
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4. Tomovein reverse,placethe shiftleverinthe Disengagethecruisecontrolusingoneof the following methods: REVERSEposition,checkthat theareabehindis clearthen slowlydepressthe drivepedal. 1. Depressthe brakepedalto disengagethecruise controlandstopthe tractor. Driving On Slopes 2. Lightlydepressthe drivepedal. Referto the SLOPEGAUGEon page3 to helpdeter- Tochangeto the reversedirectionwhenoperatingwith mineslopeswhereyou mayoperatethe tractorsafely. cruisecontrol,depressthe brakepedalto disengageth
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Thefollowinginformationwill behelpfulwhenusingthe cuttingdeckwithyourtractor: pattern to avoid discharge of _ ARNING: Plan your mowing materials toward roads, side- walks, bystanders and the like. 0 perat ing Also, avoid discharging material against a wall or obstruction which may cause discharged material to ricochet back toward the operator. • Do not mowat highgroundspeed,especiallyif a mulchkit orgrasscollectoris installed. Figure 13 • Forbest resultsit is recommended thatthe firsttwo laps be
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Front To Rear Thefrontof the cuttingdeckissupportedbya stabilizer barthatcanadjustedto levelthe deckfromfrontto rear. Thefrontof the deckshouldbebetween1/4-inchand 3/8-inchlowerthanthe rearof the deck.Adjustif neces- saryas follows: 1. Withthe tractorparkedona firm,levelsurface,place the deckliftleverinthe top notch(highestposition) androtatethe bladenearestthe dischargechuteso thatitis paraIMwiththe tractor. Tract 2. Measurethe distancefromthe frontofthe bladetip to the groundandthe rearof the
