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Safety • Assembly • Operation • Tips & Techniques • Maintenance • Troubleshooting • Parts Lists • Warranty
OPERATOR’S MANUAL
21” Hi-Wheel Mower — Model Series 540
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 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 Troubleshooting ................................................ 12 Safe Operation Practices ................................... 4 Safety Labels .................................................... 13 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. Remove any packing material which may be between upper and lower handles. a. Pull up and back on upper handle as shown in A Figure 3-1. Make certain the lower handle is seated 3 securely into the handle mounting brackets. Do not crimp cable while lifting the handle up. b. Tighten star knobs to secure upper handle to Setup and lower handle. Make sure that each carriage bolt is seated properly in the handle. Adjustment 2. Locate the hairpin clip on the weld pin on each side of lower ha
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5. Follow steps below to assemble the grass catcher. 7. Your mower is shipped as a mulcher. To convert to Make certain bag is turned right side out before side discharge, make sure grass catcher is off of the assembling (warning label will be on the outside) unit and rear discharge door is closed. a. Place bag over frame so that its black plastic side a. On the side of the mower, lift the mulching plug. 3 is at the bottom. See Figure 3-7. b. Slip plastic channel of grass bag over hooks on b.
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Know Your Lawn Mower Blade Control 4 Operating Your Lawn Recoil Starter Mower Cutting Height Adjustment Levers (front WARNING and rear) The blade control is a safety device. Never Mulch Plug attempt to bypass its operations. Side Discharge Chute Use extreme care when handling gasoline. Figure 4-1: The major parts on the lawn mower. Gasoline is extremely flammable and the Now that you have set up your lawn mower for opera- Mulch Plug tion, read this section to become acquainted with it
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Starting Engine WARNING: Be sure no one other than the op- erator is standing near the lawn mower while 2 starting engine or operating mower. Never 4 run engine indoors or in enclosed, poorly ventilated areas. Engine exhaust contains carbon monoxide, an odorless and deadly gas. Keep hands, feet, hair and 3 loose clothing away from any moving parts on engine Operating and lawn mower. Your Lawn 1 Follow the set of instructions pertaining to your unit. Refer to engine manual for help with
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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. Your Lawn WARNING: Never tip the mower more Mower than 90º in any direction and do not leave the mower tipped
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Blade Care WARNING: When removing the cutting blade for sharpening or replacement, protect your hands with a pair of heavy 5 gloves or use a heavy rag to hold the blade. Maintaining Periodically inspect the blade adapter for cracks, especially if you strike a foreign object. Replace when 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 carburetor are facing
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Remedy Cause Problem Engine fails to start 1. Blade control disengaged. 1. Engage blade control. 6 2. Spark plug wire disconnected. 2. Connect wire to spark plug. 3. Fuel tank empty or stale fuel. 3. Fill tank with clean, fresh gasoline. 4. Engine not choked. 4. Choke engine as instructed in the “Operating Your Lawn Mower” section. Trouble 5. Clean, adjust gap, or replace. 5. Faulty spark plug. 6. Clean fuel line. 6. Blocked fuel line. Shooting 7. Wait a few minutes to restart, but do 7. Engi
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Safety Labels Found On Your Lawn Mower Safety TO REDUCE THE RISK OF INJURY, DO NOT OPERATE UNLESS DISCHARGE COVER OR Labels GRASS CATCHER IS IN ITS PROPER PLACE. IF DAMAGED, REPLACE IMMEDIATELY. WARNING DO NOT remove safety TO REDUCE THE RISK OF INJURY, DO NOT (or any) labels from OPERATE UNLESS DISCHARGE COVER OR GRASS CATCHER IS IN ITS PROPER PLACE. mower for any reason. IF DAMAGED, REPLACE IMMEDIATELY. MAX 15 ˚ KEEP HANDS and FEET AWAY • DO NOT MOW WHEN CHILDREN OR OTHERS ARE AROUND. A
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Model Series 540 51 5 3 6 1 2 7 38 4 42 47 8 49 9 10 48 46 45 44 11 43 12 24 33 41 13 40 32 24 39 37 31 34 35 30 14 28 36 24 29 25 28 26 24 15 23 24 17 16 27 18 22 21 Wheel Treads 20 19 50 S-Wave K2 Bar Bar 14
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Ref. Part No. Description Ref. Part No. Description 8 1 747-1161A Blade Control 687-02076A Front Pivot Arm Assembly - LH 2 749-1092A Upper Handle 27 734-04014B Front Wheel, 8 x 2.125, S-Wave 3 746-1130 Control Cable, 40” 28 738-0507B Shoulder Screw, .5D x .434 Parts List 4 726-0240 Cable Tie 29 732-0404 Front Spring Lever 5 664-04011 Grass Bag Assembly 30 720-0426 Height Adjust Knob 6 747-04080 Grass Bag Frame 31 710-0599 TT Screw, 1/4-20 x .500 7 720-0279 Handle Knob 32 736-0270 Bell Washer 8 7
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MANUFACTURER’S LIMITED WARRANTY FOR The limited warranty set forth below is given by Troy-Bilt LLC with respect e. Troy-Bilt does not extend any warranty for products sold or to new merchandise purchased and used in the United States, its posses- exported outside of the United States, its possessions and sions and territories. territories, except those sold through Troy-Bilt’s authorized channels of export distribution. “Troy-Bilt” warrants this product against defects in material and work
