Bolens 546 manual

21” Mulching Mo wer Model 546 Oper ator’ s Man ual PRINTED IN U .S.A. 769-00987.f m (11/2003) Form No. Warning: This unit is equipped with an internal combustion engine and should not be used on or n ear any unimproved forest-cov- ered, brush-covered or grass-covered land unl ess the engine’s exhaust system is equipped with a spark arrest er [...]

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS FINDING MODEL NUMBER This Operator’s Manual is an import ant part of your new lawn mower. It will help you asse mble, prepare and maintain the unit fo r best performance. Please read and understand what it says. Before you star t assembling your new equipment , p lease locate the model plate on th e equipment and copy th e inf[...]

3 SECTION 1: IMPORTANT SAFE OPERATION PRACTICES General Oper ation 1. Read this operator’s man ual carefully in its entirety before atte mpting to assemble this machine. Read, understand, and follow all instructions on the machine and in the manua l(s) before operation. Be completely familiar with th e controls an d the proper use of this machine[...]

4 immediately and th e blade will stop rotating within three seconds. 9. Mow in daylight or good artificial ligh t; walk, not run. 10. Stop th e blade when cr ossing gravel drives, walkways or roads. 11. If the eq uipment should start to vibrate abnormally, stop the engine and check immedi ately for the cause. Vibration is g enerally a warning of t[...]

5 10. Never over fill fuel tank. Fill tank to no more than ½ inch below bottom of filler nec k to provide space for fuel expansion. 11. Replace gasolin e cap and tighten securely. 12. If gasoline is spilled, wi pe it off the engine and equipment. Move unit t o another area. Wait 5 minutes before star ting the engine. 13. Never st ore the mach ine [...]

6 SECTION 2: SLOPE GAUGE Use this page as a guide to dete rmine slopes where you may not operate safely. Do not operate your lawn mower on such sl opes. 15° SIGHT AND HOLD THIS LEVEL WITH A VERTI CAL TREE A POWER POLE A CORNER OF A BUILDING OR A FENCE POST F O L D O N D O T T E D L I N E , R E P R E S E N T I N G A 1 5 ° S L O P E WARNING Do not [...]

7 SECTION 3: ASSEMBLING YOUR LAWN MOWER Removing Unit From Carton • Remove staple s, break glue on top flap s, or cut tape at carton en d and open carton. • Remove loose parts if included with unit (i.e., operator’s manu al, etc.) • Cut along corner s, lay the carton down flat, an d remove all packing materia l. • Roll or slide unit ou t [...]

8 • Fasten the cable to the lower handle with the two cable ties fou nd on the lower handle. Pull the cable ties tight an d trim off t he excess. See Figure 5. Figure 5 NOTE: Your mower is shipp ed with the handle in the higher position. If yo u wish to lower the height of the handle, refer to the Adjustment Section at this time. Attaching Starte[...]

9 Attaching Side-Discharge Chute • Remove the grass catcher and let the discharge door clos e. • On the right side of the mower, lift the mulching plug and slide t he two hooks of the side-discharge chute under the hinge pin on the mulchi ng plug assembly. Lower the mulching plug. See Figure 9. IMPORT ANT : Do not remove the mulching plug at an[...]

10 Mulching Plug Instead of collec ting grass clippings in a grass catcher, this mower has the option of recircu lating the clippings back to the lawn. This is called mulching. Remove the grass catcher and th e side-discharge chute from the mower, and oper ate with the mulching plug only for this purpose. SECTION 5: OPERATING YOUR LAWN MOWER NOTE: [...]

11 Mulching For effective mulching , do not cut wet grass. New or thick grass may require a narrower cut. If the grass has grown in excess of 4” , mulching is not recom mended. Mow using the side discharge to redu ce the grass height to 3.25” maximu m before mulching. Bagging Grass Clippings You can use the grass catcher bag to collect clipping[...]

12 SECTION 7: MAINTAINING YOUR LAWN MOWER Cleaning Mower The underside of the mowe r deck should be cleaned after each use to preven t any build-up of grass clippings, leaves, dirt , or other debris. NOTE: We do not recomme nd the use of pre ssure washers or garden ho se to clean your unit. Th ese may cause damag e to bearings or the engine. The us[...]

13 • Follow the original angle of grind as a guide. Make sure that each cutting ed ge receives an equal amount of grindi ng to prevent an unbalanced blade. Balancing the Blade • The blade can be te sted by balancing it on a round shaft screwdrive r. Remove metal from the heavy side until it balances eve nly. It is recommended that the blade alw[...]

14 SECTION 10: PARTS LIST FOR MODEL 546 1 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 18 19 4 49 50 55 56 57 58 59 61 62 40 47 54 53 51 52 65 37 42 40 39 36 15 35 22 46 31 32 16 25 29 26 49 30 49 23 49 21 20 34 43 45 64 29 24 49 33 17 14 60 28 2[...]

15 Model 546 Ref. No. P art No. P art Description 1. 749 -1092A Upper Handle 2. 747 -1161A Control Handle 4. 731 -04204 Deluxe Bail Cover 6. 720 -0279 Handle Knob 7. 710 -1205 Rope Guide 8. 710 -1174 Carriage Bolt 5/16-1 8 x 2” 9. 736 -0451 Shoulder Washer.320 ID x.930 OD 10. 720-0284 Wing Nut 11. 749-0928A Lower Handle 12. 746-1130 Control Cable[...]

MANUF A CTURER’S LIMITED W ARRANTY FOR: The limited warranty set forth be low is given by Troy-Bilt LLC with respect to new merchandise purchased and used in the United States, its possessions an d territories. “Troy-Bilt” warrants this produc t against defects in material and workmanship for a pe riod of two (2) years commencing on the date [...]