MTD 260 Thru 279 manual

22” Self-Prope lled Mower Model Se ries 260 Thr u 279 PRINTED IN U.S .A. FORM NO . 770-103 36B.fm (1/01) IMPORT ANT : READ SAFETY RULES AND INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULL Y MTD PRODUCTS INC. P .O . BO X 3680 22 CLEVELAND , OHIO 44136-972 2 Warning: This unit is equipped with an internal combustion engine and should not be used on or near any unimproved fo[...]

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Cont ent P age Important Safe O peration Practi ces .... .................... ............ ............. .................. 3 Slope G auge .................... ............. ............. ................... ............. ................... ..... 6 Assemblin g Your Lawn Mo wer...... ................... ............. ...........[...]

3 SECTION 1: IMPORTANT SAFE OPERATION PRACTICES WARNING: This symb ol poin ts out impo rtant saf ety instruc tions whic h, if not fol lowed, coul d endanger the p ersonal safety and/or property of you rself and other s. Read and fol low all inst ructions in this man ual before at temptin g to operate thi s machin e. Failure to comply with these ins[...]

4 comple te stop b efore remo ving the grass ca tcher or unclogg ing th e chute. The cuttin g blade continues to rotate for a few seconds after the engi ne is shut off. Never place a ny part of the body in the b lade area until you are sure the blade ha s stoppe d rotating . 20. Never ope rate mow er without p roper trail shield , discha rge cover [...]

5 3. Check the blad e and eng ine moun ting bolt s at frequ ent inte rvals for prop er ti ghtne ss. Also, visua lly inspec t bl ade for dama ge (e.g., b ent, crack ed, wor n) Replace blade with the o rigi nal equi pmen t manu fact ure’ s (O. E.M. ) bl ade only, l isted in this man ual. “Use of parts whi ch do not meet the original equipme nt sp[...]

6 SECTION 2: SLOPE GAUGE Use this pag e as a guide to de termine s lopes where y ou may no t operate sa fely. Do not operate your lawn mower on such sl opes. 15° SIGHT AND HO L D THIS LEVE L WITH A VER TIC AL TREE A POWER POLE A CORNER OF A BUI LDING 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 WAR N[...]

7 SECTION 3: ASSEMBLING YOUR LAWN MOWER IMPORT ANT : This unit is sh ipped w ithout gaso line or oil in th e engine. Be cer tain to servi ce engin e with gaso line and o il as instru cted in th e separ ate engi ne m anual before ope rating you r mower. NOTE: Referenc e to right or l eft hand side of th e mower is observ ed from the oper ating pos i[...]

8 Removing Chute Retainer (Models 260 S eries) The chute deflector on yo ur mower is hel d in an upri ght position by a retaine r for ship ping purp oses on ly. Remove the r etainer by following steps belo w, before running the mower for the fir st time. • Push the chut e deflect or up and towa rds the engin e. Holding the de flector in this posi[...]

9 Figure 8 Recoil Starter The recoil starter is attached to t he right low er handle. Stand be hind the unit an d pull th e recoil starter to star t the unit. See Figure 8. Cutting Height Adjustment Levers These le vers are lo cated on each whee l and they are used to adju st the cut ting height. All four lever s have to be at the same relative pos[...]

10 • With the dr ive clutch released , push mower forward. It sho uld m ove fr eely. P ull mow er backwar d. It should mo ve with on ly a small amount of resi stance. • If th e rear w heels te nd to lock up , the clutch may not be releasin g co mpletely. Do not sta rt the engine until c orrec tions ha ve b een m ade. • Check the drive ca ble [...]

11 Handle Height Adjustment Your mower is shipp ed with the hand le in the highe r height p osition. To l ower the height proceed as fol lows: • Remo ve the star ter ro pe fr om th e rope guid e. • Discon nect the hand le from the han dle brack et assembl ies by remov ing the wing nuts . See Figu re 10. • Position ea ch hand le brack et assem[...]

12 Lubrication WARNING: Always stop engine, discon- nect spark plug, and ground against engine before c leaning, lubricating or doing any kind of maintenance on your machine. Blade Control Handle and Drive Clutch Control: Lubricate the pivot point s on the blade c ontrol han dle and the driv e clutch control at l east once a seas on with light o il[...]

13 The blade can be tested by balanci ng it on a round shaft screwdr iver. Remove metal from the heav y side until it bal ances eve nly. It is recomm ended tha t the blade always be removed f rom the adapter when testing for bal ance. Befo re reinstal ling the bla de and the blade ada pter to the unit , lubricate the engine cranks haft and the in n[...]

14 IMPORT ANT: We do not rec ommend the us e of a pressu re was her or garden hose to cl ean you r unit. • Refer to eng ine manu al for correct engine stor age instruc tions. • Coat mower ’ s cuttin g blade with ch assi s grease to prevent rusting. • Store mo wer in a dry, cl ean area. Do no t store next to corrosi ve material s, such as fe[...]

15 Notes[...]

16 Model Series 260 thru 279 1 2 5 3 4 6 7 8 8 9 9 10 10 11 12 13 12 14 15 16 17 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 23 26 27 28 29 30 31 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 51 53 54 55 56 53 54 57 58 64 65 66 32 33 67 31 50 52 68 41 67 41 62 45 63 60 61 59 69 50 52 70[...]

17 Model Series 260 thru 279 Ref . No. P ar t No. P ar t Descrip tion 1. 747-1214 Drive Contr ol Handle 2. 747-1161A Blade C ontrol Hand le 3. 749-1092A Upper Ha ndle 4. 746-1092A Drive Contr ol Cable 5. 746-1113 Blade C ontrol Cabl e - B&S 746-1132 Blade C ontrol Cabl e - B&S 746-1114 Blade Control Cabl e- Tec 6. 710-1205 Eye Bolt 7. 720-0[...]

18 Model Series 260 thru 279 Ref. No. P a r t No. P ar t Descript ion 1. 618-0392 Upper Housin g Asse mbly 2. 721-0329 Oil Seal . 500 ID x .6 87 OD 3. 741-0673 Flange Bearing .50 3 ID x .689 OD 4. 736-0520 Flat Washe r .504 ID x .700 OD x .030 736-0711 Flat Washe r .504 ID x .700 OD x .035 736-0712 Flat Washe r .504 ID x .700 OD x .040 736-0713 Fla[...]

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MANUF ACTURER ’ S LIMITED W ARRANTY FOR: The limit ed warr anty se t forth belo w is giv en by MT D PROD - UCTS INC ( “ MTD ” ) with respect to ne w merchandi se pur- chased and used i n the Uni ted States , its pos session s and territories. MTD w arr ants this prod uct again st def ects in mate rial and workma nship f or a period of two (2 [...]