Yard-Man 549 manual

21” Mulching Mo wer Model 549 Oper ator’ s Man ual PRINTED IN U .S.A. 76 9 - 0 09 6 4A (4/5/2004) Form No. Warning: This unit is equipped with an internal co mbustion engine and should not be used on or nea r any unimproved forest-covered, brush - covered or grass-covered land unless the engine’s exhaust system is e quipped with a s park arre[...]

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS FINDING MODEL NUMBER This Operator’s Manu al is an important part of your new lawn mower. It will help y o u assemble, prepar e and maintain the unit for best performance. Please read and understand what it says. Before you start as sembling your new equipment , please locate the mod el plate on the equipment and copy the info[...]

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 ma chine [...]

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 flaps, or cut tape at carton end an d 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, and remove all packing materia l. • Roll or slide unit ou t o[...]

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. Se e 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 Rear [...]

9 hardtop cover so that t he holes in the cover line up with the ho les in the bracket. In sert the self tapping screws down through the ha rdtop cover and mounting bracke t. Attaching Grass Catcher & Chute IMPORT ANT : Make sure cable is rout ed to the outside of the handle so that it is not in the way when attaching the grass cat cher. • Li[...]

10 Cutting Height Adjustment Levers These levers are locate d on each wheel and are used to adjust the cutting he ight. These levers have to be at the same relative positi on to ensure uniform cut. Recoil Starter The recoil star ter is attached to the right upp er handle. Stand behind the unit and pull the recoil starter rope to start the unit. Gra[...]

11 • For a healthy lawn , always cut off one-third or less of the tota l length of the grass. 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 reco mmended. Mow using the side discharge to redu ce the grass height to 3.25” maximu m b[...]

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 engin e. The u[...]

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 549 1 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 18 19 2 49 50 55 56 57 58 59 61 62 40 47 54 53 51 52 65 37 42 40 39 36 15 35 22 31 32 16 25 29 26 49 30 49 23 49 21 20 34 43 45 64 29 24 49 33 17 36 5 14 3 60 4 28 66 46[...]

15 Model 549 Ref. No. P art No. P art Description 1. 749 -1092A Upper Handle 2. 747 -1161A Control Handle 3. 731 -04302 Hardtop Cover 4. 731 -1506 Front End Cover 5. 787 -01113 Grass Bag Mounting Bracket 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. 720-0[...]

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 [...]