MTD 390 Series manual

Safety • Assembl y • Operation • Tips & T echniques • Maintenance • T roubleshooting • P ar ts Lists • Warranty Warning : This un it is equi pped wi th an internal c ombu stion en gine and s hould not be u sed on or near any unim proved forest-c overed, brush- covered or grass -c overed land unles s the eng ine’ s exhaus t syste[...]

2 Finding and Recor ding Model Number Please do NO T return the unit to the retailer from whic h it was purc hased, without fir st contacting Customer Suppor t. T ab le of Contents This Operator’ s Manual is an important part of your new tiller . It will help you assemb le, prepare and maintain the unit for best perf ormance . Please read and un[...]

3 Safety Labels Found On Y our Tiller 1 Safety Labels W ARNING DO NOT remov e safet y (or any) labels from tiller for an y re ason.[...]

4 2 Safe Operation Practices W ARNI NG : Engine Exha ust, some of its constituents, and certain vehicle components contain or emi t chemicals known t o State of Calif ornia to ca use cancer and birth defe cts or other reproductive harm. W ARNING This symbo l point s out impo rt ant saf et y in- struc tion s which, if n ot followed , could e ndang e[...]

5 2 Safe Operation Practices W ARNING This symbo l point s out impo rt ant saf et y in- struc tion s which, if n ot followed , could e ndang er the p ers onal sa fet y and / or prop er t y of yourse lf and othe rs. R ead an d follow all instru ctio ns in this m anual befo re at tem pting to op er- ate thi s machin e. Failure to compl y with th ese [...]

6 3 Assembl y NOTE : Stand behind the tille r as if you w ere going to ope rate i t. Y our right han d corresponds to right s ide of tiller; y our left hand correspo nds to left side of tille r . IMPORT ANT This unit i s shipped without gas oline or oil in the en gine. F ill up gasoline a nd oil as instruct ed in the accompan ying engi ne manua l B[...]

7 Figure 3–4: Remov e hardware from lo wer handle. 3 Assembl y NOTE : Stand behind the tille r as if yo u were going to ope rate i t. Y our right han d corresponds to right s ide of tiller; y our left hand correspo nds to left side of tille r . IMPORT ANT This unit i s shipped without gas oline or oil in the en gine. F ill up gasoline a nd oil as[...]

8 4 Operating Y our Tiller W ARNING The t ine clutch c ontro l is a safe ty d evice. N ever at tempt to bypa ss its ope rati on. Use ext rem e car e when handli ng gasoli ne. Gaso line is ex tre mely flamm abl e and th e vapors are expl osive. N ever fuel tille r indoo rs or whil e engin e is hot or runn ing. Ex tingu ish ciga ret tes , ciga rs, pi[...]

9 4 Operating Y our Tiller W ARNING Be sure no one other than the operator is standing near the tiller while starting engine or operating the unit. Never r un engine indoors or i n enclosed, poorly v entilated areas. Engine e xhaust contains carbon mono xide, an odorless and deadly gas. Keep hands, feet , hair and loose cloth ing awa y from an y mo[...]

10 4 Operating Y our Tiller W ARNING Be sure no one other than the operator is standing near the tiller while starting engine or operating the unit. Never r un engine indoors or i n enclosed, poorly v entilated areas. Engine e xhaust contains carbon mono xide, an odorless and deadly gas. Keep hands, feet , hair and loose cloth ing awa y from an y m[...]

11 Tilling Pr ocedure When til ling, leave approximately ei ght inc hes of untill ed soil bet ween the fir st and se cond t illing pat hs, then make the thir d path bet ween the fir st and sec ond, Fig ure 4 – 7 . In some soi ls, the de sired dept h is obta ined the fir st time over the gard en. In other soi ls, the de sired dept h is obtai ned b[...]

12 W ARN I NG : D isco nnec t the s park plug wire an d ground i t agains t the e ngine befo re p er forming any re pair s. Engine Refer to the separate en gine manua l for engine maintenanc e instr ucti ons. Maintai n engin e oil as inst ructe d in the sep arate engine m anual packed wi th your unit. Read an d follow instru cti ons carefull y . Se[...]

13 5 Maintaining Y our Tiller W ARNING Do not mo ve the gear selection handle with the wheels or tines engaged. Make cer tain the unit i s stopped completely before changing the gear selec tion. A partial engagem ent may be necessary when engaging ti nes. Do not push do wn on handles so that wheels are lifted of f the ground whi le using the ti ne [...]

14 5 Maintaining Y our Tiller W ARNING Disconnect the spark plug wi re and ground it against the eng ine before per formi ng any repairs or maintenance. Cable Adjustment F rom time to t ime y ou ma y need to adjus t the te nsion on the forwar d and re verse tine engage ment cables . 1 . Disc onnec t and grou nd the spar k plug wire aga inst the eng[...]

15 6 T r ouble Shooting Guide W ARNING Do not mo ve gear selection handle with the wheels or tines engaged. Make cer tain the unit i s stopped completely before changing the gear selec tion. A partial engagem ent may be necessary when engaging ti nes. Do not push do wn on handles so that wheels are lifted of f the ground whi le using ti ne driv e, [...]

16 1 2 3 4 5 6 2 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 50 54 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 30 37 30 43 27 23 46 47 48 49 50 51†† 52†† 53†† 54 55 ††Standard Briggs & Stratton Tecumseh Engines 55 56 56[...]

17 9 Illustrated P ar ts List Model 390 Series Ref . P ar t No. P ar t Description 1 712-0442 Acorn Lock Nut 1/4-20 2 736-3020 Flat Washer .271” I.D . x.630” O.D . 3 720-0270A Re verse Handle Grip 4 731-1600 Handle Cov er w/o throttle 5 710-0779A T r uss Mach. Scr . #10 x 1/2” Lg. 6 720-0274 Handle Grip 7 712-3006 He x Nut 1/4-20 Gr .2 8 726-[...]

18 3 17 18 21 19 16 43 44 46 47 4 5 7 11 2 1 6 8 9 10 5 14 45 38 7 22 6 42 36 10 33 3 13 30 29 32 31 34 35 28 27 49 48 25 26 24 24 23 20 50 51 10 †††Honda Engine 52 54 53[...]

19 9 Illustrated P ar ts List Model 390 Series Ref . P ar t No . P ar t Description 1 712-0392 He x L-Stop nut 1/4-28 2 736-3020 Flat Wash.266” I.D . x.625” O .D . 3 710-0599 He x Washer TT -T ap Scr . 1/4-20 x.5” 4 711-0920 Belt Cov er Bolt 5 712-04063 He x Flange T op L-Nut 5/16-18 6 710-0723 He x Hd. Scr . 3/8-16 x 1.25” Lg. 7 756-0313 F[...]

The limi ted warranty s et fort h below is gi ven by MTD LLC with respec t to new merchan dise purc hased an d used in t he United St ates, its posse ssion s and territor ies. “ MTD” warrant s this pro duc t against d efects in m aterial and work man- ship for a per iod of t wo ( 2) years c ommen cing on t he date of orig inal purcha se and wil[...]