MTD 588Q Lawn Mower User Manual


 
11
Mulching
For effective mulching, do not cut wet grass. New or
thick grass may require a narrower cut. If the grass has
grown in excess of 4”, mulching is not recommended.
Mow using the side discharge to reduce the grass
height to 3.25” maximum before mulching.
Bagging Grass Clippings
You can use the grass catcher bag to collect clippings
while you are operating the mower.
Attach grass catcher following instructions on page
8 of this manual. Grass clippings will automatically
collect in the bag as you run the mower.
Operate the mower till the grass bag is full.
Stop engine completely by releasing the blade
control handle. Make sure that the unit has come to
a complete stop.
Lift discharge door and pull grass bag up and away
from the mower to dispose of the grass clippings.
SECTION 6: SERVICE & ADJUSTMENTS
WARNING: Do not at any time make any
adjustments without first stopping engine and
disconnecting spark plug wire.
Handle Height Adjustment
Your mower is shipped with the handle in the higher
height position. To lower the height proceed as follows:
Remove the starter rope from the rope guide.
Remove the upper handle by removing the hand
knobs and carriage bolts. Lay the upper handle out
of the way, being careful not to bend or kink the
cables.
Remove the hairpin clips from the weld pins on the
handle brackets and remove the wing nuts and
carriage bolts from the upper hole on the handle
mounting bracket. Press out on the legs of the
lower handle and remove lower handle from the
mower.
Turn lower handle around so the notch on the
bottom of the lower handle is facing forward.
See Figure 12.
Figure 12
Reassemble, placing the bottom holes in the
handle over the weld pins in the handle mounting
bracket.
Place the hairpin clips in the inner holes in the weld
pins and insert the carriage bolts the upper hole on
the handle mounting bracket and secure with
plastic wing nuts. Repeat on the other side.
Reassemble the upper handle to the lower handle.
Attach the starter rope as instructed in the
Assembly Section.
Cutting Height Adjustment
IMPORTANT:
All wheels must be placed in the same
relative position.
For rough or uneven lawns, move the height
adjustment lever to a higher position. This will help
stop scalping of the grass.
An adjusting plate and thumb lever at each wheel
position provides cutting height adjustment. Each
adjusting plate has nine height positions. Height of cut
will change when you move the thumb lever from one
position to another.
Simply depress the lever towards the wheel and
move the lever assembly to desired position. See
Figure 13.
Figure 13
Engine Adjustments
Refer to the engine manual for these adjustments.
Replacing Rear Flap
To remove rear flap, cut off the flat end of the wire
rod which secures it to the deck. See Figure 14.
WARNING: If the mower strikes a foreign
object, stop the engine. Remove spark plug
wire from the spark plug and thoroughly inspect
for any damage. Repair the damage promptly
before restarting and operating the mower.
Notch
Lower Handle
Height Adjustment
Lever