Troy-Bilt 31/2 HP - Manual (Page 19)

OPERATION
Mowing
1. Stand behind the mower in the operator’s position
and place both hands on the handlebar grips.
2. To engage the cutter bar drive, squeeze the right-
hand handlebar lever (the Blade Drive Lever). The
cutter bar blade should begin to oscillate (move from
side to side) rapidly.
3. To make sure that the cutter bar drive mechanism
is working correctly, release the right-hand handlebar
lever. The cutter bar blade should stop oscillating.
ADANGER
If the cutter bar does not stop oscillating when
you release the Blade Drive Lever, or if it oscillates
before you squeeze this lever, shut the mower’s
engine off, wait until it cools, disconnect the spark
plug wire and prevent it from touching the spark
plug. Do not use the mower until the cutter bar
drive mechanism is repaired so that the cutter
bar stops oscillating when the Blade Drive Lever
is released. See “Cutter Bar Drive Adjustment
(General)’’ in Section 5 of this Manual.
Failure to follow this instruction could result in
personal injury or property damage.
4. To engage the wheel drive, squeeze the left-hand
handlebar lever (the Wheel Drive Lever). The wheels
should begin turning.
5. To make sure that the wheel drive mechanism is
working correctly, release the left-hand handlebar
lever. The wheels should stop turning.
A warning
If the wheels do not stop turning when you release
the Wheel Drive Lever, shut the mower’s engine
off, wait until the engine cools, disconnect the
spark plug wire and prevent it from touching the
spark plug. Do not use the mower until the wheel
drive mechanism is repaired so that the wheels
stop turning when the Wheel Drive Lever is re­
leased. See “Wheel Drive Adjustment (General)’’.
Failure to do so could result in personal injury or
property damage.
6 . If both the cutter bar drive mechanism and the
wheel drive mechanism are operating correctly, re­
engage the lever(s).
NOTE
If you only want to move the mower (and not
mow), don’t engage the Blade Drive Lever, just
engage the Wheel Drive Lever.
Stopping
To stop the mower:
1. Release both handlebar levers (this will stop the
wheels and cutter bar).
2. Move the engine throttle lever to STOP (to stop
the engine).
3. After the engine cools, disconnect the spark plug
wire from the spark plug. Prevent it from touching the
spark plug by placing the boot on the end of the
spark plug wire onto the V-shaped holder on the
back of the engine (see Page 5).
4. Reinstall the plastic blade protector on the cutter
bar.
General Mowing Tips
1. Before mowing, be sure to inspect the area
thoroughly. Remove all metal debris and other haz­
ards. Remember that tall grass or vegetation can hide
these hazards. Also note the location of any hidden
obstacles, such as gullies or brush-covered posts,
holes, bumps, etc.
2. If the area to be mowed has small trees, it is best
to saw down any that are over V
2
-inch in diameter.
Make sure that the trees are sawed off low enough so
that the mower’s blade won’t catch on them. This will
prevent excessive cutter bar wear or blade breakage.
3. If the blade should clog, release the handlebar
levers, pull the mower rearward for a few feet, push
down on the handlebars so that the blade is raised
slightly off the ground, and re-engage the Blade Drive
Lever. This should “shake” any excess material off the
cutter bar. Then you can go forward and resume
mowing. Never unclog any part of the mower with
your hands or feet when the engine is running.
4. If you should accidentally hit an object that stops
the forward motion of the mower, immediately disen­
gage (release) the Wheel Drive Lever to help prevent
any damage to the wheel drive mechanism.
5. If taller vegetation tends to wrap around the mower
between the wheels and the side frame, shut the
engine off and remove the vegetation by referring to
“Removing and Reinstalling the Wheels”. After remov­
ing this excess vegetation, check to make sure that
both weed guards are in place between the rear
inner surface of the tires and the engine deck.
17