Maintenance – Poulan Pro 961240002 LAWN MOWER User Manual

Page 13

➀

Spray lubricant

➁

See “ENGINE” in Maintenance section.

MAINTENANCE

Check for Loose Fasteners

Clean / Inspect Grass Catcher *

Check Tires

Check Drive Wheels ***

Clean Lawn Mower ****

Clean under Drive Cover ***

Check Drive Belt / Pulleys ***

Check / Sharpen / Replace Blade

Lubrication

Clean and Recharge Battery **

Check Engine Oil level

Change Engine Oil

Clean Air Filter

Inspect Muffler

Replace Spark Plug

Replace Air Filter Paper Cartridge

Empty fuel system or add Stabilizer

BEFORE

EACH

USE

AFTER

EACH

USE

EVERY

HOURS

EVERY

25 HOURS

OR SEASON

EVERY

100

HOURS

BEFORE

STORAGE

1 - Change more often if operating under a heavy load or in high outdoor temperatures.
2 - Service more often if operating in dirty or dusty conditions.
3 - Replace blades more often when mowing in sandy soil.
4 - Charge 48 hours at end of season.
5 - And after each 5 hours of use.

(if so equipped)

Electric-Start mowers
Power-Propelled mowers
Use a scraper
to clean under deck

***

****

GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS

The warranty on this lawn mower does not
cover items that have been subjected to op-
erator abuse or negligence. To receive full
value from the war ranty, operator must main-
tain mower as instructed in this manual.
Some adjustments will need to be made
periodically to properly maintain your unit.
All adjustments in the Service and Adjust-
ments section of this manual should be
checked at least once each season.
• Once a year, replace the spark plug,

clean or replace air fi lter element, and
check blade for wear. A new spark plug
and clean/new air fi lter element assures
proper air-fuel mixture and helps your
en gine run better and last longer.

• Follow the Maintenance Sched ule in this

manual.

BEFORE EACH USE
• Check engine oil level.
• Check for loose fasteners.

LUBRICATION
Keep unit well lubricated
(See “LUBRICATION CHART”).

IMPORTANT: Do not oil or grease plastic
wheel bearings. Viscous lu bri cants will

LUBRICATION CHART

attract dust and dirt that will short en the life
of the self-lu bri cat ing bearings. If you feel
they must be lu bri cated, use only a dry,
pow dered graphite type lubricant sparingly.

➀

Wheel

adjuster (on

each wheel)

➁

Engine oil

➀

Rear dis-

charge mower

rear door

hinge rod

➀

Handle bracket mounting pins

➀

Side dis-

charge mower

guard hinge rod

“VARI-SPEED” DRIVE CONTROL
• Self-propelling is controlled by hold-

ing the operator presence control bar
down to the handle and pulling the drive
control bar up to the handle. The closer
to the handle the bar is pulled, the faster
the unit will travel.

• Forward motion will stop when either the

operator presence control bar or drive
control bar are released. To stop forward
motion without stop ping engine, re lease
the drive control bar only. Hold op er a tor
presence control bar down against
handle to con tin ue mowing without self-
propelling.

NOTE: If after releasing the drive control the
mower will not roll backwards, push the mower
forward slightly to disengage drive wheels.
FRONT WHEEL DRIVE MODELS ONLY:
• To keep drive control engaged when

turning corners, push down on the
handle to lift the front wheels off the
ground while turning lawn mower.

• Rotate thumbscrew counter-clockwise to

tighten the drive cable.

• Operate mower to test drive speed.
• If condition fails to improve after the

above steps (forward speed remains
the same), your drive belt is worn and
should be re placed.

NOTE: If mower begins to "creep" forward,
the drive cable is too tight. Rotate thumb-
screw clockwise to loosen drive cable.

Thumb-
screw

TO ENGAGE DRIVE CONTROL

Drive
control bar

DRIVE CONTROL DISENGAGED

Operator
presence
control bar

VARI-SPEED “THUMBSCREW”
ADJUSTMENT
Over time, the drive control system may
become “loose”, resulting in decreased
speed. There is a thumbscrew on the
un der side of the drive control housing to
increase tension on the drive cable. Pro-
ceed as follows:
• Turn unit off and disconnect spark plug

wire from spark plug.

VARI-SPEED “BLOCK” ADJUSTMENT
Over time, the drive control system may
become “loose”, resulting in decreased
speed. There are holes in the drive control
housing to increase tension on the drive
cable. Pro ceed as follows:
• Turn unit off and disconnect spark plug

wire from spark plug.

• Loosen nut, move drive control hous-

ing down handle to the next hole and
retighten nut.

• Operate mower to test drive speed.
• If condition fails to improve after the

above steps (forward speed remains
the same), your drive belt is worn and
should be re placed.

DRIVE
CONTROL
ENGAGED

Drive
control bar

DRIVE

CONTROL

DISENGAGED

Operator presence control bar

TO ADJUST,

MOVE DOWN

TO NEXT HOLE