Troy-Bilt 31/2 HP - Manual (Page 16)

Engine Throttle Lever
The Engine Throttle Lever is attached to the right-
hand side of the handlebar control panel. This lever
controls the speed of the engine (which in turn con­
trols the speed of both the cutter bar and the wheels
when you have those handlebar levers engaged).
Moving the Engine Throttle Lever forward increases
the engine speed. Moving the Engine Throttle Lever
rearward decreases the engine speed. Moving it all
the way to the rear (to its STOP position) will shut the
engine off.
ENGINE CONTROLS
Photo 3-4: The Engine Throttle Lever.
Engine Choke
The engine on your mower does not have a sepa­
rate manually operated choke lever. The START posi­
tion of the Engine Throttle Lever automatically sets
the choke on the engine’s carburetor.
Recoil Starter
The recoil starter rope is located on top of the
engine. It is used to “pull-start” the engine. To use the
recoil starter rope, stand in back of the mower and
place your left hand on the left handlebar (to stabilize
the mower while you pull the recoil starter rope).
Grasp the black plastic starter rope handle with your
right hand, and slowly pull the rope until you feel
some resistance. Then rapidly pull the rope to start
the engine.
If you have an electric start mower, you can also
use the recoil starter rope to start the engine if the
electric starting system should malfunction. You can
start the electric start mower with the recoil starter
rope regardless of whether or not the Engine Ignition
key is in the keyswitch. [Please refer to “Engine Igni­
tion Switch (Electric Start Models)” in this Section for
additional information.]
Photo 3-5: Starting the engine with the recoil starter rope.
Engine Ignition Switch (Electric Start Models
Only)
The Engine Ignition Switch is located on the left
hand side of the rear lip of the handlebar control
panel. This switch enables you to easily start your
mower’s engine by simply turning the key to the
START position. When the engine starts, release the
key and it will automatically return to the RUN positon.
The Engine Ignition key will not shut the mower
engine off. Use the Engine Throttle Lever to stop the
engine.
NOTE
You can use the recoil starter rope to start the
engine on your electric start mower. It doesn’t
matter if the Engine Ignition key is in the
keyswitch or not.
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