MTD 112-310 - Manual (Page 4)

ASSEMBLY
Your new mower is shipped completely assembled with the excep­
tion of the handle and throttle control assembly.
1. Remove lawn mower and aU parts from carton. Make certain
that all loose parts and literature are removed from carton before
carton is discarded.
2. Extend throttle control assembly, which is attached to engine, to
rear of mower and place on floor. CAUTION; Do not bend or
kink control wire.
3. Assemble upper handle to lower handle using four each screws
and lock nuts provided in parts bag.
4. Assemble complete handle assembly to mower so that throttle
control mounting hole in upper handle will be on right side. Holes
at bottom of lower handle are to be fitted over studs located in
front of each rear wheel mounting position.
5. Position throttle control assembly on right hand side of upper
handle so that holes in control assembly and handle are in line.
Secure in place with screw and lock nut found in parts bag. Se­
cure throttle wire to lower right handle tube with clips in parts
bag.
6. Place the plastic control cover over the throttle control and
secure with two self-tapping screws.
OPERATION
1. Service engine with gas and oil. See engine manual packed with
lawn mower for complete instructions for the care and mainte­
nance of engine. READ DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY.
2. When ready to start engine, place throttle control lever, on han­
dle, in “START” position and start engine in accordance with
instructions in engine manual. After engine starts, move throttle
control lever, on handle, to desired engine speed. The engine is
stopped by placing control lever on handle in “STOP” position.
3. Be sure that lawn is clear of stones, sticks, wire or other objects
which could damage lawn mower or engine. For best results and
to insure more even grass distribution, do not mow when lawn
is excessively wet.
ADJUSTMENTS
CAUTION; Do not at any time make any adjustment to lawn mower
without first stopping engine and disconnecting spark plug wire.
EASY CUTTING HEIGHT - An adjusting plate and thumb lever at
each wheel position provides cutting height adjustment. Each adjust­
ing plate has five holes. Height of cut will be changed when the
thumb lever is moved from one hole to another. Simply depress
thumb lever towards wheel and move wheel and lever assembly to
desired position. Cutting height will be raised as lever is moved to­
ward front and lowered as lever is moved toward rear. All wheels
must be positioned in relative height of cut positions.
CUTTING HEIGHT — Adjustment may be made by removing and
moving wheel studs to desired position. Cut ting heights will be raised
as wheel studs are moved to a lower hole and lowered as wheel studs
are moved to a higher hole in the deck. All wheel studs must be
mounted in a relative position to the deck.
THROTTLE — If adjustment becomes necessary, the throttle con­
trol wire assembly can be reset as follows;
1. Loosen, but do not remove, screw securing throttle control wire
assembly at engine.
2. Move throttle control lever on handle to “FAST” position.
3. Move lever, to which control wire is fastened at engine, to full
open position and retighten screw to seciure throttle control wire
assembly.
LUBRICATION
IMPORTANT; Always stop engine and disconnect spark plug wire
before cleaning, lubricating or doing any kind of work on lawn
mower.
WHEELS — Wheel bearings are fortiflex. They require no lubrication.
THROTTLE — Periodically lubricate throttle control lever and
throttle wire assembly with a few drops of light oil (S.A.E. No. 10
or 20) for ease of operation.
ENGINE — Follow Engine Manual for lubrication instructions.
PROTECTIVE SHIELD - The pivot points on the protective shield
should be lubricated periodically with light oil to prevent any rust or
binding.
CHUTE DEFLECTOR - The torsion spring and pivot point should
be lubricated periodically with light oil to prevent any rust or binding.
Deflector must work freely.
MAINTENANCE
CUTTING BLADE - The blade may easily be removed for grind­
ing or replacement as follows;
1. Remove bolt and lockwasher holding blade and blade adapter to
engine crankshaft.
2. Remove blade and blade adapter from engine crankdiaft.
3. Remove two bolts, lockwashers and nuts holding blade to blade
adapter. (If necessary.)
When sharpening blade, follow the original angle of grind as a guide.
It is extremely important that each cutting edge receives an equal
amount of grinding to prevent an unbalanced blade. An unbalanced
blade win cause excessive vibration when rotating at high speeds
and may cause damage to the mower.
Upon reassembly, make certain all parts are assembled properly and
tightened secmely.
DECK - The underside of mower deck should be cleaned after
each period of use as grass clippings, leaves, dirt and other matter
will accumulate. This accumulation of grass clippings, etc., is un­
desirable as it will invite rust and corrosion and may cause an un­
even discharge of grass clippings at the next cutting.
The deck may be cleaned by tilting the mower forward or on its
left side and scraping clean with a suitable tool or by washing with a
stream of water from a garden hose.
CAUTION; Do not direct the stream of water at a hot engine as
damage to the engine may result.
STORAGE - The following steps should be taken to prepare
lawn mower for storage.
1. Clean and lubricate mower thoroughly as described in the pro­
ceeding instructions.
2. Refer to Engine Manual for correct engine storage instructions.
3. Coat mower’s cutting blade with chassis grease to prevent rust­
ing.
4. Place blocks under deck to raise tires clear of floor.
5. Store mower in a dry, clean area.
USING YOUR ROTARY MOWER
For best results do not cut wet grass because it tends to stick to
underside of the mower thus preventing proper discharge of grass
clippings. If wet grass must be cut reduce engine speed and walking
speed to help distribute the clippings more effectively.
New grass should be treated as wet grass, otherwise a normal walk­
ing speed is about the right pace for efficient mowing.
The best mowing pattern is one that allows the clippings to dis­
charge towards the uncut part of the lawn. This permits recutting of
the clippings to further pulverize them. When cutting high weeds,
discharge towards cut portion then recut at right angles to first di­
rection.
Lawn should be cut in the faU as long as there is growth.