MTD 440 Thru E459 manual

IMPOR T ANT : Read saf ety rules and instructions ca refull y befo re operati ng equipment. MTD PR ODUCTS INC . P . O . BO X 36 8022 CLEVELAN D , OHIO 4413 6-9722 Model Series 440 Thru E459 PRINTED IN U .S.A. Warning: T h is unit is equipped with an internal combust ion engine and shoul d not be used on or near any unimproved forest- covered, brus [...]

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Cont ent Page Important Safe Operatio n Practices ................. ............. ............. ................... ..... 3 Thru 5 Slope G auge .................... ............. ................... ............. ................... ............. ..... 6 Unpacking ........... ................... ............. ...................[...]

3 SECTION 1: IMPORTANT SAFE OPERATION PRACTICES WARNING: This symbol points out important safety instr uctions which, if not followed, could endanger the perso na l safety and/or pr operty of yourself and ot hers. Read and follow all instructions in th is manual before a ttempting to operate your lawn mower. Failure to comply w ith these instructio[...]

4 • The bla de control handle i s a safety de vice. Nev er attempt to bypass its op eration. Doi ng so makes the safety de vice ino perativ e and may res ult in persona l injury through co ntact with the r otating blade. Th e blade control handle must operate easily in bot h directi ons and autom atica lly return to the dis engaged position when [...]

5 • To redu ce f ire hazar d, keep mowe r free o f grass , leaves, or other debr is build- up. Clean up oil or fuel spilla ge. Allow mowe r to cool at le ast 5 minutes before sto ring. • Before cleaning, repairi ng, or insp ecting, mak e certain the blade and all movi ng parts hav e stopp ed. Disconn ect the spark plug wire, an d keep the wire [...]

6 SECTION 2: SLOPE GAUGE 15° SIGHT AND HOLD THIS L EVEL WITH A VERTICAL TRE E A POWER PO LE A CORNER OF A BUILDING OR A FENCE POS T 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 Do not mo w on i nclines with a sl ope in e xcess of 15 degr ees (a r ise of approximate ly 2-1/2 feet ev ery 10 fe et). A riding mo wer cou[...]

7 SECTION 3: UNPACKING Removing Unit From Carton • Remove s taples, br eak glue on top flaps or cut tap e at car ton end and p eel along top fl ap to o pen carton. • Remove lo ose parts if include d with unit (i.e., operator 's manua l, et c.). • Cut corne rs and lay carton dow n flat. Remo ve packing m aterial . • Roll or slide unit o[...]

8 • For sh ippin g purpose s, the hai rpin cli p is place d in the outer hol e of the weld pin on the lower handle. Remove the ha irpin cl ip from the ou ter hole of the weld pin. • Using a pai r of pliers, insert the ha irpin cl ip into the inner hol e in the weld pin . Repeat on ot her side. See Figu re 4. Figure 4 • Insert post of cab le t[...]

9 HARDTOP GRASS BAG Part s for Ha rdtop Grass B ag: • Rear Fram e (packe d inside ha rdtop cover ) • F r o nt F r a m e • Bag • H a r d t o p C o v e r • Moun ting Br acket • H e x Lo c k N u t • Philli ps Screw Assemble har dtop gr ass bag as follows: • Insert one end of the rear frame into the slit in the cloth c hannel on the edg[...]

10 Attaching Grass Catcher • If your mower is equi pped with a m ulching p lug, and it is in pl ace on the mowe r, lift the rear discharg e door and rem ove the rear mu lching baffle from the mowe r. See Figure 12. Fig ure 12 NOTE: Make sure that t he cab les are rou ted to the outside of th e handle when attachin g the grass catcher. • Lift th[...]

11 SECTION 5: KNOW YOUR LAWN MOWER Read this o wner ’ s manual and sa fety rule s before operatin g yo ur lawn mower. Compare the illustrati ons in Figure 16 wi th your lawn mower to familia rize yourse lf with the loc ation of var ious cont rols and adjustme nts. The operati on of any la wn mower can result in fore ign objects b eing thrown into[...]

12 Electric Start Igniti on Switch (If Equipped ) If your mowe r is equip ped with an elec tric star ter, the ignit ion swi tch is located on the left s ide of the ha ndle panel. It is used only for the el ectric sta rter. See Figure 17. Figu re 17 SECTION 6: OPERATING YOUR LAWN MOWER Gas And Oil Fill-Up WARNING: Never fill fuel tank indoors, or wh[...]

13 Starting E ngine WARNING: Be sure no one other than the operator is standing ne ar the lawn mowe r while starting engine or operating mowe r. Never run engine indoor s or in enclosed, po orly ventilated areas. E ngine exhaust cont a ins carbon monoxide, an odorless and de adly gas. Keep hands, fe et, hair and lo ose clothing away from any movi n[...]

14 SECTION 7: MAINTAINING YOUR LAWN MOWER WARNING: Always stop the engine and discon nect the sp ark plug wire b ef ore performi ng any mainten ance work or adjustm ents on y our lawn mower. Cleaning M o we r The unders ide of the mower deck shou ld be clean ed after each use to preve nt any bui ld-up of gras s clippi ngs, leave s, dirt, or other d[...]

15 SECTION 8: SERVICE AND MAKING ADJUSTMENTS Blade Care Periodi cally ins pect the blad e adapter and pulley for cracks, espe cially i f you strike a forei gn ob ject. Rep lace when neces sary. WARNING: When removing the cutting blade for sharpening or replacement, protect hands by using he avy gloves or a thick rag to grasp the cut ting blade. •[...]

16 When repl acing batt ery pack in handle pan el, battery pack mus t be positio ned with the pos itive term inal to the right ha nd side and the nega tive termi nal to the left hand side of panel. Rep lacing the battery pack inco rrectly wi ll cause ser ious dama ge. The positive lead on th e wire harnes s has the smaller con nector. Connect the p[...]

17 a. The mowe r does not prop el itself wi th the drive contr ol lever eng aged. b. T he mower ’ s drive wheels hesitate wit h the drive contr ol lever eng aged. • To resolve the above proble ms, rotate the adjustme nt wheel with yo ur finger s: clockw ise to tighten t he cable, and cou nter-cloc kwise to loos en the cable. S ee Figure 23 . Fi[...]

18 SECTION 9: OFF-SEASON STORAGE Prepar e your lawn m ower for stor age at t he end of the season or if the unit will not be used for 30 days or more. Store th e mower in a clean , dry area . Mower • Clean unde rside of the mowe r followin g instruc tions in th e Maintenanc e sectio n of this manual. • We do not re commend the use of pres sure [...]

19 SECTION 10: TROUBL E-SHOOTING GUIDE PR OBLEM POSSIBLE CA USE CORRECTIVE A CTION Engine fail s to s tart 1. Blade contro l handl e disen gaged 2. Spark plug wire dis connecte d 3. Throttle co ntrol l ever n ot in s tarting positi on 4. Fuel tank e mpty, or st ale fu el 5. Blocked fuel line 6. Faulty spark plug 7. Engine flooded 1. Engage b lade c[...]

20 SECTION 11: PARTS LIST FOR MODEL 440 THRU E450 SERIES SEE EN GINE MANU AL 1 2 3 4 5 7 6 8 15 13 11 14 10 17 16 20 19 12 18 27 26 55 69 68 31 57 40 29 35 32 33 62 58 61 60 50 63 64 65 66 67 59 43 36 37 38 41 42 44 45 46 47 48 49 39 34 28 30 22 9 20 21 23 24 25 51 52 53 54 56 70 71[...]

21 Models 440 T hru E450 Series Ref. No Part No. Description 1 731-1057 Upper Driv e Cov er 2 7 31- 0620 Dr ive Lever 3 7 31- 1058 Lower Dr ive Cover 4 7 31- 1059 Mou ntin g Cap 5 710-1667A Scre w #10- 12:75 6 7 46- 0960 Dr ive Cable 7 747-0824 Control Le ver 647-0004 Delu xe Con trol Le ve r 8 7 49- 1230 Upp er Ha ndle 9 7 12- 0324 Hex Lock Nut 1/[...]

22 Models 440 Th ru E450 Series 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 13 12 15 16 30 31 32 33 35 36 38 41 40 39 42 43 45 51 55 14 30 31 32 33 39 34 37 36 40 41 42 43 44 51 46 52 53 47 17 21 19 20 20 19 22 23 24 25 26 27 50 54 28 28 46 52 53 47 49 48 29 1[...]

23 Models 440 Th ru E450 Series Ref. No P art No. Description 1. 712-3025 Hex Jam Nut 5/16 -24 2. 736-0425 Bel l Washer .325 x .930 x .0 45 3. 756-1042 Pul ley, 3.82 x .313 x .68 4. 736-0425 Bel l Washer .325 x .930 x .0 45 5. 712-0896 Loc k Nut 1/4 -28 6. 736-0406 Fla t Wash er .442 x 1.38 x .060 7. 782-7598 Bel t Keeper 8. 741-0124 Ball Be aring [...]

24 Models 440 Th ru E450 Series 1 2 3 4 7 8 5 6 9 20 17 16 13 12 10 11 18 27 22 23 26 25 21 15 9 14 19 24 28 30 29 31 Electric Start (Optio nal) 32[...]

25 Models 440 Th ru E450 Series REF . NO . P ART NO . DESCRIPTION 1 725- 0201 Ignition K ey 2 725- 0873 K ey Switch 3 731- 0891A Battery T ra y 4 725- 0727 Battery Charger 5 725- 0298 Fuse 7.5 Amp 6 725- 1428 Fuse Ho lder 7 725- 1276 Battery 12V 8 710-050 1 He x Scre w:1/4-20:2.0 9 736- 0270 Bell W asher .2 65 x .75 x .0 62 10 712-0329 Specia l Hex[...]

26 SECTION 12: ENGINE SHROUDS Hardw are: 710-1256 (Scr ew) Pa r t N o. 751B281439 751B281440 751B281443 Colo r Dark R ed Black Bright Red Hardw are: 710-1256 (Scre w) Pa r t N o. 731- 1395A 731- 1396A 731- 1397A Color Red Bla ck Gra y Hardw are: 710-12 56 (Screw) Pa r t N o. 731- 1402A 731-1 694 731-1 695 731-1 934 Color Ye l l o w Blac k Silv er C[...]

MANUF A CTUR ER ’ S LIMITED W ARRAN TY FOR: The l imit ed warr anty se t for th be low is given by MTD PRODUCTS INC ( “ MTD ” ) with respe ct to new m erchandi se purchase d and used in the United Stat es, its possessions and ter ritories. MTD war rants this prod uct agai nst def ects in material and workman ship f or a period of two (2) y ea[...]