Yard-Man 503 manual

22” Rotary Mowers Model 503 Oper ator’ s Man ual IMPOR T ANT : READ SAFETY R ULE S AND INSTR UCTIONS CAREFULL Y MTD LLC, P .O . BO X 361131 CLEVELAND , OH IO 44136-0019 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 grass-covered land unless th[...]

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 WARNING: This symbol points out import ant safety instructions whic h, if not followed, could endanger the person al safety and/or property of your self and others. Read and follow all instructions in this manual before atte mpting to operate this machine. Failur e to comply with these instructions ma[...]

4 18. If the equipment sh ould start to vibrate abnormally, stop the engine an d check immediately for th e cause. Vibration is genera lly a warning of trouble. 19. Shut the engine off and wait until th e blade comes to a complete stop before removing the grass catcher or unclogging the chute. The cu tting b lade continues to rotate for a few secon[...]

5 General Service: 1. Never run an engine indoors or in a poorly ventilated area. Engine exhaust contains carbon monoxide, an odorless and deadly gas. 2. Before cleaning, repa iring, or inspecting, ma ke certain the blade and all mo ving parts have stopped. Disconn ect the spark plug wire an d ground against the eng ine to prevent unintended sta rt[...]

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 IMPORT ANT: This unit is shipped without gaso line or oil in the engine. Be cer tain to service engine with gasoline and oil as instructed in the separate engine manual before op erating y our mower. NOTE: Reference t o right or left hand side of the mower is observed from the opera ting position. Removing Un[...]

8 Installing Front Wheels • Place the front of the mo wer deck on raised blocks. • Remove lock nut fr om pivot arm assembly, slide wheel onto pivot ar m assembly and secure with lock nut. See Figure 6. • Assemble the othe r side in the same manner. • If your mower is equipped with hub caps, place hub caps in position against the inner hub o[...]

9 IMPORT ANT: This unit is shipped without gasoline or oil in the engine. Be cer tain to service engine with gasoline and oil as instructed in the separate engine manual before operatin g your mower. SECTION 4: KNOW YOUR LAWN MOWER Read this operat or’s manual and safety rules before operating your lawn mower. Compare the illu stration in Figure [...]

10 • Your lawn mowe r may be equ ipped with a con stant speed thrott le, which is se t at full thro ttle for best performance. • Stand behind the mower and squeeze the blade control handle against t he upper handle. • Grasp recoil starter handle and pull rope out slowly until engine reaches the sta rt of compression cycle (rope will pull slig[...]

11 SECTION 7: MAINTAINING YOUR LAWN MOWER General Recommendations • Always observe safety rule s when performing any maintenance. • The warranty on this lawn mower do es not cover items that have been subjected to operator abuse or negligence . To rec e ive full value from the warranty, oper ator must maintain the lawn mowe r as instructed in t[...]

12 Maintenance NOTE: When tipping the unit or emp tying the fuel tank keep the air cleaner side of engine up. Never tip the mower more than 90 degrees and do not lea ve the mower tipped for any length of time. Oi l can drain into the upper part of the engine causing a starting pr oblem. Engine Care A list of key maintena nce jobs, required for good[...]

13 SECTION 8: TROUBLESHOOTING Prob lem Cause Remedy Engine fails to st art 1. Blade control handle disengaged. 2. Spark plug wire disconnected. 3. Fuel tank emp ty or stale fuel. 4. Blocked fuel line. 5. Faulty spar k plug. 6. Engine flood ed 1. Engage blade cont rol handle. 2. Connect wire to spa rk plug. 3. Fill tank with clea n, fresh gasoline. [...]

14 SECTION 9: PARTS LIST FOR MODEL 503 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 9 6 13 14 16 17 19 20 43 23 24 25 26 29 33 34 35 36 38 39 31 40 42 44 46 18 12 10 15 41 21 27 32 31 22 28 17 48 47 47 48 48 11† 49 †If Equipped 7 8[...]

15 Model 503 Ref. No. P art No. P art Description 1. 747-1161A Blade Control Handle 2. 749-1092A Upper Handle 3. 746-0946 Blade Control Cable - 48.25” 4. 710-1205 Eye Bolt 5. 720-0279 Wing Nut 6. 720-0284 Wing Nut 7. 736-0451 Shoulder Washer.320 ID x.93 OD 8. 710-1174 Carriage Bolt 5/1 6-18 x 2.0 9. 725-0157 Cable Tie 10. 749-04037 Lower Handle 1[...]

MANUF A CTURER’S LIMITED W ARRANTY FOR: The limited warranty set forth below is given by MTD LLC with respect to new merchandise purchased and used in the United States, its poss essions and territo ries. “MTD” warrants this product agai nst defects in material and workmanship for a period of two (2) years commen cing on the date of original [...]