Troy-Bilt N779Pony manual

PRINTED IN U.S .A. FORM NO . 769-01543 (11/22/200 4) IMPOR T ANT : READ SAFETY R ULES AND INSTR UCTIONS CAREFULL Y Warning: This unit is equipped with an internal combustion engine and should not be used on or near any unimproved forest-covered, brush-covered or gras s-covered land unless the engine’s exhaust system is equipped with a spark arres[...]

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS FINDING MODEL NUMBER This Operator’s Ma nual is an important part of your new lawn tractor. It will help you assemble, pr epare and maintain the unit for best performance . Please read and underst and what it says. Before you start assembling your new equipment , please locate the model plat e under the seat of the tractor and[...]

3 SECTION 1: IMPORTANT SAFE OPERATION PRACTICES WARNING: This symbol points out import ant safety instructions which , if not followed, could endanger the personal safe ty and/or property of yourself and o thers. Read and follo w all instructions in this manua l before attemptin g to operate this machine . Failure to comply with these instructions [...]

4 23. Muf fler and engine become hot and can cause a burn. Do not touch. 24. Check overhead cle arances carefully before driving under low hang ing tree branches, wire s, door openings etc ., where the opera tor may be struck or pulled from the unit, which could re sult in serious injury. 25. Disengage all at tachment clutches, depress t he brake p[...]

5 e. Use extreme car e when approaching blind corners, doorways, sh rubs, trees or other objects that may block your vision of a child who may run into the ma chine. f. To avoid back-over ac cidents, always disengage the cutting blad e(s) before shifting i nto reverse. The “Reverse Caution Mode” should not be used when children or others are ar[...]

6 8. Never tamper with the sa fety interlock system or other safety device s. Check their proper op eration regularly. 9. After striking a foreign object , stop the engine, disconnect the spark plug wire(s) and gro und against the engine. Tho roughly inspect the machine for any damage. Repair the damage before starti ng and operating. 10. Never att[...]

7 SECTION 2: SLOPE GAUGE 3IGHTANDHOLDTHISLEVELWITHAVERTICALTREE ORACORNEROFABUILDING ORAFENCEPOST &OLDALONGDOTTEDLINEREPRESENTSASLOPE [...]

8 SECTION 3: TRACTOR SET-UP Loose P arts Packaged with this Operat or’s Manual you’ll find: • One Small Clamp (72 6-0354) • One 1/4-20 x 1/2-inch Screw (710-0599) • One Oil Drain Sleeve (731-1682A) Store the clamp and screw in a co nvenient place. Both will be necessary to properly secure your tractor’s wire harness should you choose to[...]

9 Shipping Brace Remov al WARNING: Make sure the riding mower’s engine is off, remove the ig nition key, and set the parking br ake before removing the shipping brace . • Locate the shipping brace and accompanying warning tag foun d on the right side of th e mower, between the discharg e chute and the cutting deck. See Figure 3. Figure 3 • Wh[...]

10 SECTION 4: KNOW YOUR LAWN TRACTOR Figure 5 NOTE: Any reference in this manu al to the RIGHT or LEFT si de of the t ractor is observed from operat or’s position. A Speed Contro l Lever / Parking Brake E Ignition Switch Module B Clutch-brake Pedal F Deck Lift Lever C Shift Le ver G PTO (Blade Engag e) Lever D Throttle Control Lever 7 6 5 4 3 2 1[...]

11 Thro tt l e C on t rol The throttle co ntrol lever is located on the right side of the tractor ’s dash panel. This lever controls the sp eed of the engine an d, when pushed all t he way forw ard, the choke control also. When set in a given position, the throttle will maintain a uniform engine speed. IMPORT ANT: When operat ing the trac tor wit[...]

12 Deck Lift Lever Found on your tract or’s right fender, the deck lift lever is used to change the height of the cut ting deck. To use, move the leve r to the le ft, then pla ce in the notch best suited for yo ur application. PTO (Blade Engage) Lev er Found on the tra ctor’s right fender , the PTO (blade engag e) lever is used to engage powe r[...]

13 SECTION 5: OPERATING YOUR LAWN TRACTOR Safety Interlock Switches This tractor is equipped with a safety interlock system for the pr otection of the operator. If t he interlock system should ever malfunction, do not operate the tractor. Contact an authorized Troy-Bilt service dealer. • The safety interlock syste m prevents the engine from crank[...]

14 Setting the Cutting Height Select the height posit ion of the cutting deck by placing the deck lift lever in any of the five different cutting height notche s on the right side of the fe nder. Then adjust the deck whee ls, if so equipped, so that they are between ¼- inch and ½-inch ab ove the ground when the tractor is on a smooth, flat surf a[...]

15 • Release the parking brake by dep ressing the clutch-brake pedal and posit ioning the speed control lever in desired position. IMPORT ANT: First-tim e operators should use sp eed positions 1 or 2. Become completely familiar with the tractor’s opera tion and controls before operating t he tractor in higher speed positions. • Release clu tc[...]

16 Mowing WARNING: To help avoid blade contact or a thrown object injury, keep bystanders, helpers, childre n and pets at le ast 75 feet from the machine while it is in operation. Stop machine if anyone enters th e area. The following information will be helpful when using the cutting deck with your trac tor. WARNING: Plan your mowing pat tern to a[...]

17 SECTION 6: MAKING ADJUSTMENTS WARNING: Ne v er attempt to mak e any adjustments while the engine is running, e xcept where specified in th e operator’ s manual . Leveling the Deck NOTE: Check the tractor ’s tire pressure before performing any de ck leveling adjustments. Refer to Tires on page 21 for informat ion regarding tire pressure. Fron[...]

18 P arking Brake Adjustment WARNING: Never attempt to a djust the brakes while the engin e is running. Always disengage PTO, mov e shift le v er into neutr al position, stop engine and remove key to prevent unint ended starti ng. If the tractor does no t come to a complet e stop when the brake ped al is completely depr essed, or if the tractor’s[...]

19 SECTION 7: MAINTAINING YOUR LAWN TRACTOR WARNING: Before perfor ming any maintenance or repair s, disengage PTO, move shift leve r into neutra l position, set parking brake, st op engine and remove key to prevent unint ended starti ng. Engine Refer to the Briggs & Stratton Operator/Owner Manual for engine maintenan ce instructions. Check eng[...]

20 Cleaning the Engine And Deck Any fuel or oil spilled on the machin e should be wiped off promptly. Do NOT allo w debris to accumulate around the cooling fins of the engine or on any ot her part of the machine. IMPORT ANT: The use of a pressure washer to clean your tractor is NOT recommended. I t may cause damage to electrical component s, spindl[...]

21 SECTION 8: SERVICE Cutting Deck Removal To remove t he cutting d eck, procee d as follow s: • Place the PTO (Blade Engage) lever in the disengage d (OFF) position. • Engage the pa rking brake. • Lower the deck by movin g the deck lift lever into the bottom notch on the right fender. • Remove the belt f rom around the tractor ’s engine [...]

22 Battery The battery is sealed and is maintenance-free. Acid levels cannot be checked. • Always keep the battery cables and terminals clean and free of corrosive build-up. • After cleaning the batt ery and terminals, apply a light coat of petroleum jelly or grease to both terminals. • Always keep the rubber boot posit ioned over the positiv[...]

23 Figure 17 • To properly sha rpen the cutting bla des, remove equal amounts o f metal from both ends of the blades alo ng the cutting edges, parall el to the trailing edge, at a 25° to 30° angle. See Figure 18. Figure 18 IMPORT ANT: If the cutting e dge of the blade has al ready been sharpened to within 5/8" o f the wind wing radius, or [...]

24 Changing the Deck Belt WARNING: Be sure to shut the engine off, remove ignit ion key, discon nect the spark plug wire(s) and ground against the engine to prevent unintended sta rting before removing the belt(s). WARNING: Avoid the possibility of a pinching injury. Do not pla ce your fingers on the idler spring o r between the belt and a pulley w[...]

25 SECTION 9: OFF-SEASON STORAGE Clean and lubricate the tr actor as instructed in Section 7: MAINTAINING YOUR LAWN TRACTOR on page 19 of this manual before sto ring for an extended per iod. WARNING: Drain fuel only into an approved contai ner outdoors, away from an open flame. Allo w engine to cool. Extinguish cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and other [...]

26 SECTION 11: TROUBLESHOOTING T r ouble P ossib le Cause(s) Corrective Action Engine fails to start PT O engaged. P arki ng brake not engaged. Spark plug wire(s) disco nnected. Throttle control le ver not in correct star ting posi tion. Choke not activ ated Fuel tank empty , or stale fuel. Block ed fuel line. F aulty spark plug. Engine flooded. Pl[...]

27 NOTES[...]

28 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 purch ased and used in the United States and/or its territories and possessions, and by MTD Products Limited with re spect to new me rchandise purchased and used i n Canada and/or its territories and possessio[...]