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Safety • Assembly • Operation • Tips & Techniques • Maintenance • Troubleshooting • Parts Lists • Warranty
OPERATOR’S MANUAL
21-inch Rotary Lawn Mower — Model 54M
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
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This Operator’s Manual is an important part of your new mower. It will help you assemble, prepare, and maintain the unit for best performance. Please read and understand what it says. Table of Contents Safety ................................................................... 4 Engine Appendix Setup and Adjustments ..................................... 6 Engine Safety ................................................ 14 Operation ............................................................. 8
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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- behi
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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 objects
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19. Shut the engine off and wait until the blade comes to a 7. Extinguish all cigarettes, cigars, pipes and other sources complete stop before removing the grass catcher or unclog- of ignition. ging the chute. 8. 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 9. Never remove gas cap or add fuel while engine is hot or 2 the blade area u
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1. Remove any packing material. The first step in assembly is to attach the rear wheels. a. Place rear of the mower deck on raised blocks. b. Remove lock nut and washer from pivot arm 3 assembly, Figure 3-1. (On select models, these may be included separately in a plastic bag). c. Slide washer followed by the wheel (both with hollow side in) onto pivot arm, Figure 3-1. Setup and d. Secure with lock nut removed earlier. Adjustment e. Assemble the other side in the same manner. Remove blocks
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5. To secure cables to the handle, insert posts on cable 8. Your mower is shipped as a mulcher. To convert to ties into holes provided on the lower handle. Pull cable side discharge, make sure grass catcher is off of the ties tight and trim excess. unit and rear discharge door is closed. 6. Follow steps below to assemble the grass catcher. a. On the side of the mower, lift the mulching plug, 3 Make certain bag is turned right side out before Figure 3-7. assembling (warning label will be on th
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Know Your Lawn Mower Blade Control 4 Choke Knob Operating Your Lawn Recoil Starter Mower Gas Fill Grass Bag Oil FIll Cutting Height Adjustment Levers (one at each wheel) WARNING Mulching Plug This blade control Chute Deflector mechanism is a safety device. Do not bypass its operations. Figure 4-1: The major components on the mower. Use extreme care when Now that you have setup your lawn mower for operation, Mulching Plug handling gasoline. it’s important to become familiar with its con
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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 performing any adjustments or 4 repairs on it. 2 Operating Starting Engine Your Lawn WARNING: Be sure no one other than the operator is standing near the lawn mower Mower while starting engine or operating mower. Never run engine indoors or in enclosed, poorly 1 ventilated areas. Engine exh
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Deck Care Clean underside of the mower deck after each use to prevent build-up of grass clippings or other debris. Follow steps below for this job. 5 1. Disconnect spark plug wire. Drain gasoline from lawn mower or place a piece of plastic under the gas cap. 2. Tip mower so that it rests on the housing. Keep the Maintaining side with the air cleaner facing up. Hold mower firmly. WARNING: Never tip the mower more than 90º Your Lawn in any direction and do not leave the mower tipped for an
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Blade Care WARNING: When removing the cutting blade for sharpening or replacement, protect your hands with a pair of heavy gloves or use a heavy rag 5 to hold the blade. Periodically inspect the blade adapter for cracks, Blade Adapter especially if you strike a foreign object. Replace when necessary. Follow the steps below for blade service. Maintaining Blade 1. Disconnect spark plug wire from spark plug. Turn mower on its side making sure that the air filter and Your Lawn the carburetor
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Problem Cause Remedy Engine fails to start 1. Blade control disengaged. 1. Engage blade control. 6 2. Spark plug boot disconnected. 2. Connect boot to spark plug. 3. Fuel tank empty or stale fuel. 3. Fill tank with clean, fresh gasoline. 4. CHOKE not activated. 4. Choke engine as instructed in Trouble “Operating Your Lawn Mower”. 5. Faulty spark plug. 5. Clean, adjust gap, or replace. Shooting 6. Clean fuel line. 6. Blocked fuel line. 7. Engine flooded. 7. Wait a few minutes to restart. 1. Con
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7 Safety Labels WARNING � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � DO NOT remove safety � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � (or any) labels from mower for any reason. � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �
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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 �������� 9 ����������� Operating �������� ���� Your Engine ������������ ��������� ���������� ������� ������������������� Figure 9-1: The major components of the engine. The shroud on your engine may differ. IMPORTANT: This engine is shipped without gaso- line or oil in the engine. Read this section before starting your lawn mower engine. Compare the illustrations in Figure 9-1 with your lawn Running the engine with mower engine to familiarize yourself with the location of
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Check Oil Level IMPORTANT: Be sure to check the engine on a level surface with the engine stopped. 9 1. Remove the oil filler cap and wipe the dipstick clean, Figure 9-2. 2. Insert the dipstick into the oil filler neck, but do not Operating �������������� screw it in. �������� 3. If the level is low, slowly add oil to the upper limit on Your the dipstick. 4. Tighten dipstick firmly before starting engine. ����������� Engine IMPORTANT: Do not overfill. Overfilling with oil may cause smokin
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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 ������������� 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 10 your engine deteriorates during storage, you may need to have the carburetor, and other fuel system components, serviced or replaced. Maintaining 1. Remove all fuel from tank by running engine until it stops from lack of fuel. Your 2. Change oil. See Oil Change section. Engine 3. Remove spark plug and
