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Safety • Set-Up • Adjustments • Operation • Maintenance • Troubleshooting • Warranty • Parts Lists
OPERATOR’S MANUAL
21” Rotary Mower — Model Series 54M
IMPORTANT:
READ SAFETY RULES AND INSTRUCTIONS
CAREFULLY BEFORE OPERATING EQUIPMENT.
769-02980
MTD Products Ltd., P. O. Box 1386, KITCHENER, ONTARIO N2G 4J1 4/2/07
PRINTED IN U.S.A.
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This Operator’s Manual is an important part of your new equipment. It will help you assemble, prepare and maintain the unit for best performance. Please read and understand what it says. Table of Contents Slope Gauge........................................................ 3 Engine Safe Operation Practices .................... 14 Safe Operation Practices ................................... 4 Engine Operation .............................................. 16 Set-Up & Adjustments ...............
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Use this page as a guide to determine slopes where you may not operate safely. Do not operate your lawn mower on such slopes. 1 Slope Gauge WARNING Do not mow on inclines with a slope in excess of 15 degrees (a rise of approximately 2-1/2 feet every 10 feet). A riding mower could overturn and cause serious injury. If operating a walk- behind mower on such a slope, it is extremely difficult to maintain your footing and you could slip, resulting in serious injury. Operate RIDI
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WARNING: Engine Exhaust, some of its constituents, and certain vehicle components contain or emit chemicals known to State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproduc- tive harm. DANGER: This machine was built to be operated according to the rules for safe operation in this manual. As with any type of power equipment, carelessness or error on the part of the operator can result in serious injury. This machine is capable of amputating hands and feet and throwing objects
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Do: 8. Never fuel machine indoors because flammable vapors will accumulate in the area. 1. Mow across the face of slopes; never up and down. Exercise extreme caution when changing direction on 9. Never remove gas cap or add fuel while the engine is slopes. hot or running. Allow engine to cool at least two minutes before refueling. 2. Watch for holes, ruts, rocks, hidden objects, or bumps which can cause you to slip or trip. Tall grass can hide obstacles. 10. Never over fill fuel tank. F
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NOTE: The units illustrated may vary slightly from b. Remove the hex flanged nut on the rear axle your unit. from each side and place the rear wheel on the axle. (On select models, these may be included 1. Attaching Rear Wheels (If Not Already Attached) separately in a plastic bag). a. Place rear of the mower deck on raised blocks. 3 c. On models with 2” wide rear wheels, make sure the spring washer is on the inside of the wheel between the wheel and the lawnmower, cupped On models with 2”
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5. Insert post on cable tie into hole provided on the lower handle. Pull 3 A cable tie tight and trim Setup and excess. See Figure 3-5. Adjustments C Figure 3-5 B 2 1 Figure 3-7 3 NOTE: Make certain bag is turned right side out before assembling (warning label will be on the outside). B NOTE: Make certain cables are routed to the A outside of the handle so they are not in the way Figure 3-6 when attaching the grass 6. Each wheel has a height adjustment lever to change catcher
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Know Your Lawn Mower Blade Control 4 Operating Your Lawn Recoil Starter Mower Cutting Height Adjustment Lever (for each wheel) Grass Catcher Chute Deflector WARNING (optional) Read, understand, and follow all instruc- tions and warnings Mulch Plug (optional) on the machine and in this manual before operating. Figure 4-1 This blade control Blade Control Handle Choke Knob mechanism is a The blade control handle is located on the upper handle Pull the choke knob to activate the choke on
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WARNING: The operation of any lawn mower can result in foreign objects being thrown into the eyes, which can damage your eyes severely. Always wear safety glasses while operating 4 the mower, or while performing any adjustments or repairs on it. Starting Engine Operating WARNING: Be sure no one other than the operator is standing near the lawn Your Lawn mower while starting engine or operat- ing mower. Never run engine indoors Mower or in enclosed, poorly ventilated areas. Engine exha
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Engine 1. Refer to the engine operation and maintenance sections in this manual for detailed instructions. 2. Maintain engine oil level. 5 3. Service air cleaner every 25 hours under normal conditions. Clean every few hours under extremely dusty conditions. Maintenance 4. Clean the engine regularly with a cloth or brush. Keep the cooling system (blower housing area) clean to permit proper air circulation which is essential to engi
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5 Maintenance Figure 5-2 Figure 5-3 NOTE: Improper blade balance will result in excessive Rear Flap Replacement vibration causing eventual damage to the engine and WARNING The rear flap is attached to the back of the mower deck, mower. Be sure to carefully balance blade after sharpen- and is designed to minimize the possibility that objects ing. Possible damage resulting from blade unbalance When removing will be thrown from the rear of
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Problem Cause Remedy 1. Engage blade control handle. Engine fails to start 1. Blade control handle disengaged. 6 2. Spark plug wire disconnected. 2. Connect wire to spark plug. 3. Fuel tank empty or stale fuel. 3. Fill tank with clean, fresh gasoline. Trouble 4. Refer to engine manual. 4. Engine not primed. 5. Faulty spark plug. 5. Clean, adjust gap, or replace. Shooting 6. Clean fuel line. 6. Blocked fuel line. 7. Engine flooding. 7. Wait a few minutes to restart, but do not prime. Engine run
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Safety Labels CS00074 MADE IN CANADA FABRIQUÉ AU CANADA WARNING This symbol points out important safety instructions which, if not followed, could Pb endanger the personal safety and/or property of yourself and others. Read and follow all instructions in this manual before at- tempting to operate this machine. Failure to comply with these instructions may result in personal injury. When you see this symbol. HEED ITS WARNING! Your Responsibility Restrict the use of this pow
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WARNING: Gasoline and its vapors are extremely flammable and explosive. Fire or explosion can cause severe burns or death. If gasoline is spilled on yourself or your clothes, wash your skin and change clothes immediately. 8 • When operating equipment, do not tip engine or Gasoline and its vapors are equipment at angle which causes gasoline to spill. extremely flammable and Engine • Do not choke carburetor to stop engine. explosive. Fire or explosion can • When transporting equipment, tran
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• Tie up long hair and remove jewelry. Running engine produces heat. Engine parts, especially muffler, • Do not wear loose-fitting clothing, dangling draw- strings or items that could become caught. become extremely hot. Severe thermal burns can occur on 8 contact. Combustible debris, Rapid retraction of starter cord such as leaves, grass, brush, etc., (kickback) will pull hand and can catch fire. arm toward engine faster than Engine you can let go. Broken bones, • Allow muffler, engin
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Know Your Engine Fuel Cap Air Cleaner Starter Operating Grip Your Engine Oil Fill Cap Oil Drain Muffler Spark Plug Figure -1 - The major components of the engine. The shroud on your engine may differ. IMPORTANT Read this section before starting your lawn mower engine. Compare the illustrations in Figure 2 with your lawn mower This engine is shipped engine to familiarize yourself with the location of various controls and adjustments. without gasoline or oil Pre-Operation Check 10w in th
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2. Insert the dipstick into the oil filler neck, but do not screw it in. 3. If the level is low, slowly add oil to the upper limit on the dipstick. See Figure 9-3 inset. 4. Tighten dipstick firmly before starting engine. IMPORTANT: Do not overfill. Overfilling with oil may cause smoking, hard starting, spark plug fouling, or oil Operating saturation of air cleaner. Your Fuel Recommendations Use automotive gasoline (Unleaded or lowleaded to Engine minimize combustion chamber deposits).
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WARNING: Shut off the engine before Periodic inspection and adjustment of the engine is performing any maintenance. To essential if high level performance is to be maintained. prevent accidental start-up, disconnect Regular maintenance will also ensure a long service life. the spark plug boot. The required service intervals and the kind of mainte- 10 nance to be performed are described in the table below. IMPORTANT: If engine must be tipped to transport Follow the hourly or calendar interva
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IMPORTANT: Used motor oil may cause skin cancer if repeatedly left in contact with the skin for prolonged periods. Although this is unlikely unless you handle used oil on a daily basis, it is still advisable to thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water as soon as possible 10 after handling used oil. NOTE: Please dispose of used motor oil in a manner that Maintaining is compatible with the environment. We suggest you take it in a sealed container to your local service station for Yo
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Storage Engines stored over 30 days need to be drained of fuel to prevent deterioration and gum from forming in fuel system or on essential carburetor parts. If the gasoline in 10 your engine deteriorates during storage, you may need to have the carburetor, and other fuel system components, serviced or replaced. Maintaining 1. Remove all fuel from tank by running engine until it stops from lack of fuel. Your 2. Change oil. See Oil Change on page 18. Engine 3. Remove spark plug and pour
