Poulan CO18542STA manual

F or P ar ts and Ser vice, contact our authorized distributor: call 1-800-849-1297 F or T echnical Assistance: call 1-800-829-5886 MODEL NO . CO18542ST A 18.5 HP 42 INCH LA WN TRA CT OR 191616 Re v . 3 8.11.04 TR/MH PRINTED IN U .S.A. • Assembly • Operation • Maintenance • Service and Adjustments • Storage • T roubleshooting • Repair [...]

2 T ABLE OF CONTENTS W arranty ................................................ 2 Saf ety Rules .......................................... 3 Product Specifi cations ........................... 6 Assembly/Pre-Oper ation ....................... 8 Operation ............................................. 11 Maintenance Schedule ........................[...]

3 SAFETY R ULES I. GENERAL OPERA TION • Read, understand, and f ollow all instruc- tions in the manual and on the machine bef ore star ting. • Only allow responsib le adults, who are f amiliar with the in str uc tions, to oper ate the machine. • Clear the area of objects such as rocks , to ys, wire , etc., which could be picked up and thrown [...]

4 • W atch for holes , ruts, or bumps . Un- e v en terrain could o v er tur n the machine. T all grass can hide ob sta cles. • Use slow speed. Choose a low gear so that you will not ha ve to stop or shift while on the slope. • F ollow the manuf acturer’ s rec om men d- a tions for wheel weights or coun ter - weights to impro v e stability .[...]

5 SAFETY R ULES • Be sure the area is clear of other people bef ore mowing. Stop machine if any one enters the area. • Ne ver carry passengers or children e v en with the blades off . • Do not mow in re verse unless ab so - lute ly necessar y . Al wa ys look down and behind bef ore and while bac king. • Ne ver carry children. They ma y fall[...]

6 CONGRA TULA TIONS on your pur chase of a new tr actor . It has been designed, en gi neered and man u fac tured to give you the best pos si ble de pend abil i ty and per fo r mance. Should you e xperience any problem y ou cannot easily remedy , please con tact your nearest authorized service center/ depar tment W e ha ve competent, w ell- trained [...]

7 UNASSEMBLED P ARTS Steering Wheel Steering Wheel Insert Seat (1) Large Flat Washer Steering Wheel Adapter (2) Keys Slope Sheet Keys (1) Oil Drain Tube For Future Use (1) Hex Bolt 1/4-28 x 1-1/4 (1) Hex nut 1/2-20 (1) Knob (1) Washer 17/32 x 1-3/16 x 12 Gauge Steering Sleeve Steering Sleeve Extension[...]

8 Y our ne w tractor has been assembled at the f actor y with the exception of those par ts left unassembled f or shipping pur poses. T o ensure saf e and proper operation of y our tractor all par ts and hardware you as sem ble must be tightened securely . Use the correct tools as nec es sar y to in sure proper tightness. Re view the video cassette[...]

9 02114 T O ROLL TRA CT OR OFF SKID (See Op er a tion section for location and function of con trols) 1. Press lift le v er plunger and raise at tach ment lift lev er to its highest po- si tion. 2. Release parking brake b y depressing clutch/brak e ped al. 3. Place gearshift le v er in neutral (N) po si tion. 4. Roll tractor f orward off skid. 5. R[...]

10 CHECK TIRE PRESSURE The tires on your tr actor were o v er in - fl ated at the f actor y f or shipping pur pos es. Correct tire pressure is impor tant for best cutting perf ormance. • Reduce tire pressure to PSI shown in “PRODUCT SPEC I FI CA TIONS” section of this manual. CHECK FOR PR OPER POSITION OF ALL BEL TS See the fi gures that ar[...]

11 OPERA TION These symbols ma y appear on y our tractor or in literature supplied with the product. Lear n and understand their meaning. DANGER, KEEP HANDS AND FEET AWAY FREE WHEEL (Automatic Models only) OVER TEMP LIGHT KEEP AREA CLEAR SLOPE HAZARDS 15 15 (SEE SAFETY RULES SECTION) BATTERY REVERSE FORWARD FAST SLOW ENGINE ON ENGINE OFF OIL PRESSU[...]

12 02802 KNO W Y OUR TRA CT OR READ THIS O WNER'S MANU AL AND SAFETY R ULES BEFORE OPERA TING Y OUR TRA CT OR Compare the illustrations with y our tractor to f amiliar ize y ourself with the locations of v arious controls and ad just ments. Sa ve this manual f or future reference . Our tractors conf or m to the safety standards of the American[...]

13 T O ADJUST MO WER CUTTING HEIGHT The position of the attachment lift le v er deter mines the cutting height. • Grasp lift le ver . • Press plunger with thumb and mov e le v er to desired position. The cutting height range is ap prox i- mate ly 1-1/2 to 4". The heights are measured from the ground to the b lade tip with the engine not ru[...]

14 02 66 1 Attachemnt Lift Le v er High P osition Attachment Clutch Switch “Engaged” P osition “Disengaged” P osition Low P osition Defl ector Shield T O TRANSPORT • Raise attachment lift to highest position with at tach ment lift control. • When pushing or towing y our trac tor , be sure gearshift le v er is in neutral (N) position. ?[...]

15 T O WING CARTS AND O THER A T T A CH - MENTS T ow only the attachments that are rec om - mend ed by and comply with spec i fi ca tions of the manuf acturer of your tractor . Use common sense when tow ing. T oo hea vy of a load, while on a slope, is dangerous . Tires can lose traction with the ground and cause you to lose control of y our tracto[...]

16 MO WING TIPS • Mower should be properly le veled f or best mowing perf or mance. See “T O LEVEL MO WER HOUSING” in the Ser vice and Adjustments sec tion of this manual. • The left hand side of mower should be used f or trim ming. • Drive so that clippings are dis charged onto the area that has already been cut. Ha v e the cut area to t[...]

17 MAINTENANCE BEFORE EACH USE T R A C T 0 R Inspect Muffler/Spark Arrester Lubrication Chart Check Brake Operation Clean Air Filter Change Engine Oil (with oil filter) Replace Air Filter Paper Cartridge Replace Spark Plug Check Battery Level Check Tire Pressure Clean Battery and Terminals FILL IN DATES AS YOU COMPLETE REGULAR SERVICE MAINTENANCE S[...]

18 01202 TRA CT OR Alwa ys obser ve saf ety r ules when per- fo r m ing any main te nance. BRAKE OPERA TION If tractor requires more than fi v e (5) feet to stop at highest speed in highest gear on a le v el, dr y concrete or pav ed surface , then brak e must be chec ked and adjusted. (See “T O ADJUST BRAKE” in the Ser vice and Adjustments sec[...]

19 V -BEL TS Check V -belts f or deter ioration and wear after 100 hours of operation and replace if neces- sar y . The belts are not ad just ab le. Re place belts if they begin to slip from w ear . TRANSAXLE COOLING K eep transaxle free from build-up of dir t and chaff which can restrict cooling. TEMPERATURE RANGE ANTICIPATED BEFORE NEXT OIL CHANG[...]

20 00 6 67 Fuel Filter Clamp Clamp IN-LINE FUEL FIL TER The fuel fi lter should be replaced once each season. If fuel fi lter becomes clogged, ob str uct ing fuel fl ow to car bu - re tor , re place ment is re quired. 1. With engine cool, remov e fi lter and plug fuel line sec tions. 2 . Place new fuel fi lter in position in fuel line with arr[...]

21 00598 Ground Line Bottom edge of mow er to ground 01553 Suspension Ar m Lift Link Adjustment Nut 01268 Bottom edge of mow er to ground A A FRONT -T O-BACK ADJUSTMENT IMPORT ANT : Deck m ust be le vel side-to side. If the follo wing front-to-bac k adjustment is necessar y , be sure to adjust both front links equally so mow er will sta y le v el s[...]

22 With parking brake “Engaged” 1-1/2" 00238 Jam Nut Operating Arm Nut “A” T O CHECK AND ADJUST BRAKE Y our tr actor is equipped with an ad just able brak e system which is mounted on the right side of the transaxle. If tractor requires more than fi v e (5) feet to stop at highest speed in high est gear on a le v el, dr y concrete or [...]

23 00 663 Retaining Ring W ashers Square K ey (Rear Wheel Only) Axle Cov er FRONT WHEEL T OE-IN/CAM BER The front wheel toe-in and camber are not adjustable on y our tractor . If dam age has occurred to aff ect the front wheel toe-in or camber , contact your nearest authorized ser vice center/de par t ment. T O AD JUST STEER ING WHEEL ALIGN- MENT I[...]

24 T O REPLA CE HEADLIGHT BULB 1. Raise hood. 2. Pull bulb holder out of the hole in the backside of the g rill. 3. Replace bulb in holder and push b ulb holder securely back into the hole in the backside of the g rill. 4. Close hood. INTERLOCKS AND RELA YS Loose or damaged wiring may cause your tr actor to run poor ly , stop running, or pre v ent [...]

25 ST ORA GE Immediately prepare your tr actor f or stor- age at the end of the season or if the trac- tor will not be used f or 30 da ys or more. W ARNING: Ne v er store the trac tor with gas o line in the tank inside a building where fumes ma y reach an open fl ame or spark. Allow the engine to cool bef ore storing in any en clo sure. TRA CT OR [...]

26 TR OUBLESHOO TING CHART Will not start 1. Out of fuel. 1. Fill fuel tank. 2. Engine not “CHOKED” 2. See “T O ST ART ENGINE” in proper ly . Operation section. 3. Engine fl ooded. 3. W ait se v eral min utes bef ore attempting to star t. 4. Bad spar k plug. 4. Replace spark plug. 5. Dir ty air fi lter . 5. Clean/replace air fi lter . 6.[...]

27 TR OUBLESHOO TING CHART Loss of power 3. Build-up of grass, lea ves and 3. Clean un der side of mower (continued) trash under mow er . housing. 4. Dir ty air fi lter . 4. Clean/replace air fi lter . 5. Low oil le v el/dir ty oil. 5. Check oil le vel/change oil. 6. F aulty spar k plug. 6. Clean and regap or change spark plug. 7. Dir ty fuel fi[...]

28 P oor grass 1. Engine speed too slow . 1. Place throttle control in dischar ge “F AST” position. 2. T rav el speed too fast. 2. Shift to slower speed. 3. Wet g rass . 3. Allow g rass to dry before mowing. 4. Mower dec k not le vel. 4. Le v el mow er deck. 5. Low/une v en tire air 5. Check tires f or proper air pressure. pressure. 6. Worn, be[...]

15 DEGREES MAX. FOLD ALONG DOTTED LINE THIS IS A 15 DEGREE SLOPE ONLY RIDE UP AND DOWN HILL, NOT ACROSS HILL SUGGESTED GUIDE FOR SIGHTING SLOPES FOR SAFE OPERATION WARNING: To avoid serious injury, operate your tractor up and down the face of slopes, never across the face. Do not mow slopes greater than 15 degrees. Make turns gradually to prevent t[...]