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4
Operating
Your Lawn
Tractor
WARNING
Plan your mowing
pattern to avoid
discharge of materi-
als toward roads,
sidewalks, bystanders
and the like. Also,
avoid discharging
material against a
wall or obstruction
which may cause
discharged material to
ricochet back toward
the operator.
Figure 4-6
• Do not mow at high ground speed, especially if a
mulch kit or grass collector is installed.
• For best results it is recommended that the first two
laps be cut with the discharge thrown towards the
center. After the first two laps, reverse the direction to
throw the discharge to the outside for the balance of
cutting. This will give a better appearance to the lawn.
• Do not cut the grass too short. Short grass invites
weed growth and yellows quickly in dry weather.
• Mowing should always be done with the engine at full
throttle.
• Under heavier conditions it may be necessary to go
back over the cut area a second time to get a clean
cut.
• Do NOT attempt to mow heavy brush and weeds and
extremely tall grass. Your tractor is designed to mow
lawns, NOT clear brush.
• Keep the blades sharp and replace the blades when
worn. Refer to Cutting Blades in the Maintaining
Your Lawn Tractor section of this manual for proper
blade sharpening instructions.
Mulching (If Equipped)
Select models come equipped with a mulch kit which
incorporates special blades, already standard on the
tractor, in a process of recirculating grass clippings
repeatedly beneath the cutting deck. The ultra-fine
clippings are then forced back into the lawn where they
act as a natural fertilizer.
Observe the following points for the best results when
mulching:
• Never attempt to mulch if the lawn is damp. Wet grass
tends to stick to the underside of the cutting deck
preventing proper mulching of the clippings.
• Do NOT attempt to mulch more than 1/3 the total
height of the grass or approximately 1-1/2 inches.
Doing so will cause the clippings to clump up beneath
the deck and not be mulched effectively.
• Maintain a slow ground speed to allow the grass
clippings more time to effectively be mulched.
• Always position the throttle control lever in the FAST
(rabbit) position and allow it to remain there while
mowing. Failing to keep the engine at full throttle
places strain on the tractor’s engine and does not
allow the blades to properly mulch grass.
NOTE: It is not necessary to remove the discharge chute
to operate the mower with the mulch kit installed.
To operate the cutting deck without mulching, simply
remove the mulch plug by unthreading the plastic wing
nut which fastens it to the cutting deck. This will allow the
clippings to discharge out the side. See Figure 4-6.
Headlights
• The lamps are ON whenever the ignition key is moved
out of the STOP position.
• The lamps turn OFF when the ignition key is moved to
the STOP position.