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TO START ENGINE
NOTE:Dueto protectivecoatingson the
engine, a smallamountof smoke maybe
presentduringthe initialuse of the product
andshouldbe considerednormal.
1. Besure fuelvalve is in the ON po-
sition.
2. Holdoperatorpresencecontrolbar
downto the handleand pullstarter
handlequickly.Do notallowstarter
rope to snap back.
NOTE:The choke leverautomatically
beginsmovingto the OFFpositionwhen
operatorpresencecontrolbar is held
downto handle.
OFF
Fuel valve lever
MOWING TIPS
A CAUTION: Do not use de-thatcher
blade attachments on your mower. Such
attachments are hazardous, will damage
your mower and could void your warranty.
• Under certain conditions, such as very
tall grass, it may be necessary to raise
the height of cut to reduce pushing
effort and to keep from overloading the
engine and leaving clumps of grass clip-
pings. It may also be necessary to re-
duce ground speed and/or run the lawn
mower over the area a second time.
• For extremely heavy cutting, reduce the
width of cut by overlapping previously
cut path and mow slowly.
• For better grass bagging and most cut-
ting conditions, the engine speed should
be set in the FAST position.
• Pores in cloth grass catchers can be-
come filled with dirt and dust with use
and catchers will collect less grass. To
prevent this, regularly hose catcher off
with water and let dry before using.
Keep top of engine around starter clear
and clean of grass clippings and chaff.
This will help engine air flow and extend
engine life.
MULCHING MOWING TIPS
IMPORTANT: For best performance,
keep mower housing free of built-up
grass and trash. See "CLEANING" in the
Maintenance section of this manual.
• The special mulching blade will recut
the grass clippings many times and
reduce them in size so that as they fall
onto the lawn they will disperse into
the grass and not be noticed. Also, the
mulched grass will biodegrade quickly
to provide nutrients for the lawn. Always
mulch with your highest engine (blade)
speed as this will provide the best recut-
ting action of the blades.
• Avoid cutting your lawn when it is wet.
Wet grass tends to form clumps and
interferes with the mulching action. The
best time to mow your lawn is the early
afternoon. At this time the grass has
dried, yet the newly cut area will not be
exposed to direct sunlight.
• For best results, adjust the lawn mower
cutting height so that the lawn mower
cuts off only the top one-third of the
grass blades. If the lawn is overgrown it
will be necessary to raise the height of cut
to reduce pushing effort and to keep from
overloading the engine and leaving clumps
of mulched grass. For extremely heavy
grass, reduce your width of cut by overlap-
ping previously cut path and mow slowly.
1/3
• Certain types ofg rass and grass conditions
may require that an area be mulched a sec-
ond time to completely hide the clippings.
When doing a second cut, mow across
(perpendicular) to the first cut path.
• Change your cutting pattern from week
to week. Mow north to south one week
then change to east to west the next
week. This will help prevent matting and
graining of the lawn.
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