MTD 795, 792, 791, 790 manual

FORM NO . 769-01616B.f m (12/23/200 5) PRINTED IN U .S.A. Warning: This unit is equipped with an internal co mbustion engine and should not be used on or near any unimproved forest-covered, brush - covered or grass-covered land unless the engine’s exhaust system is e quipped with a s park arrester meeting applicable local or state laws (if any). [...]

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 fo r best performance. Plea se read and understand what it says. Before you start as sembling your new equipment , please locate the model plate on th e equipment and copy the in[...]

3 SECTION 1: IMPORTANT SAFE OPERATION PRACTICES WARNING: This symbol points o ut important safet y instructions which, if n ot followed, could endange r the personal safet y and/or property of yourself and othe rs. Read and follow all instruct ions in this manual before attemptin g to operate this machine. Failure t o comply w ith these instruction[...]

4 23. Muffler and en gine become hot and can cause a burn. Do not touch. 24. Check overhead clearances carefully befor e driving under low hang ing tree branches, wires, door openings etc ., where the oper ator may be stru ck or pulled from the unit, which could re sult in serious injury. 25. Disengage all attachment clu tches, depress the brake pe[...]

5 e. Use extreme car e when approaching blind corners, doorways, sh rubs, trees or other objects that may bloc k yo ur vision of a child who may run into th e machine. 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 [...]

6 8. Never tamper with the sa fety interlo ck system or other safety device s. Check their proper oper ation regularly. 9. After striking a foreign object , stop the engine, disconnect the spark plug wire(s) and ground against the engine. Thoroughly inspect the machine for any damage. Re pair the damage before starti ng and operating. 10. Nev er at[...]

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 (726-0354) • 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 Attaching the Battery Cables NOTE: Some models are ship ped with the batter y cables already connected. IMPORT ANT: The positive battery termina l is marked Pos. (+). The negative battery termin al is marked Neg. (–). • The positive cable (heavy r ed wire) is secured to the positive battery terminal (+) with a he x bolt and hex nut at the fac[...]

10 Attaching The Seat Seat styles vary by tractor model and there are three different styles available : • Standard Adjustment • Quick Adjustment & • Knob Adjustment Refer to Figure 4, Figure 5 and Figure 6 to identify you r tractor’s seat sty le and follo w applicable instructions below. NOTE: For shipping reasons, seats are either fas[...]

11 SECTION 4: KNOW YOUR LAWN TRACTOR Figure 7 NOTE: Any reference in t his manual to the RIGHT or LEFT si de o f the tractor is obser ved from operator’s posit ion. A Parking Brake Le ver E Throttle Contr ol Lever B brake Peda l F Ignition S witch Module C Speed Contro l Lever G Deck Lift Lever D Choke Contro l (on models so equipp ed) H PTO (Bla[...]

12 Thro tt l e C o nt rol L eve r The throttle control lever is located on the right side of the tractor’s dash pane l. This lever controls the spe ed of the engine and, on most models, when pushed all the way forward, the choke cont rol also. When set in a given position, the throttle will maintain a uniform engine speed. See Figure 8. Figure 8 [...]

13 Speed Control Lev er The speed control lever, located on the left fender, allows you to regulate th e travel direction and ground speed of the lawn tra ctor . To use, release the parking brake and mov e the speed co ntrol lever forwa rd (to travel forwar d) or rearward (to tr avel in reverse). The further forwar d or rearward that the lever is m[...]

14 SECTION 5: OPERATING YOUR LAWN TRACTOR Safety Interlock Switches This tractor is equipped with a safety interlock syst em for the pr otection of the operator. If t he interlock system should ever malfunction, do not operate the tractor . Contact an authorized MTD service dealer. • The safety interlock system pr events the engine from cranking [...]

15 Engaging the Pa rking Brake To engage the parking brake: • Fully depress th e brake pedal and hold it down with your foot. • Move the parking brake lever all t he way down and into the ON position . • Release the brake pedal to allo w the parking brake to engage. To release the parking brake: • Depress the brake pe dal and move the parki[...]

16 • Release the parking brake by depressing the br ake pedal. • Position the speed cont rol lever in desired position. The furth er forwar d or rearw ard that the lever is moved, the fast er the tractor will travel. . IMPORT ANT: Do NOT attemp t to change the direct ion of travel when the tractor is in motion. Alwa ys bring the tractor to a co[...]

17 • Do not cut the grass t oo short. Short grass invites weed growth and yellows quickly in dry weathe r. • Mowing should always be done with the th rottle control lever to th e FAST (rabb it) position. • Under heavier condit ions it may be necessary to g o back over th e area a second tim e to get a clean cut. • Do NOT attempt to mow he a[...]

18 IMPORT ANT: Never attempt to m ove the tractor manually without first engagin g the hydrostatic relief valve. Doing so will result in serious damage to the tractor’s transmission. Headlights On some models, the l amps are ON whenever the tractor’s en gine is runn ing. On oth er models, the lamps are ON whenever the ignition key is mo ved out[...]

19 Leveling the Deck (con’t.) Side to Side If the cutting deck ap pears to be mowing unevenly, a side to side adjustment can be performed. Adjust if necessary as follows: • With the tractor parked on a firm, level surface, place the deck lift lever in the top notch (highest position) and rotate bo th blades so that they are perpendicu lar with [...]

20 Standard Adjustment Seat To adjust the position of the seat, loosen the two hex screws on the bottom of the seat. See Fig ure 15. Slide the seat fo rward or backward as desir ed. Retigh ten the two screws. Quick Adjustment Seat (if so equipped) To adjust the position of the seat, move the seat adjustment lever ( located under the seat ) to the l[...]

21 P arking Brake Adjustment WARNING: Never attem pt to adj ust the brakes while the engine is running. Always disengage PTO, mov e speed control le ver into neutral position , stop engine and remove key to prevent un intended star ting. If the tractor doe s not come to a comp lete stop when the brake ped al is complete ly depressed, or if the trac[...]

22 SECTION 7: MAINTAINING YOUR LAWN TRACTOR WARNING: Before perfor ming any maintenance or repairs , disengage PTO, move shift le ver into ne utral position , set parking brake, st op engine and remove ke y to prevent unint ended starti ng. Engine Refer to the en gine manufacturer’s Operator/Owner Manual for engine maintenan ce instructions. Chec[...]

23 Cleaning the Engine And Deck Any fuel or oil spilled on the machin e should be wiped off promptly. Do NOT allow debris to accumulate around the cooling fi ns of the engine or on any other part of the machine. IMPORT ANT: The use of a pressure washer to cle an your tractor is NOT recommended. It may cause damage to electrical component s, spindle[...]

24 SECTION 8: SERVICE Cutting Deck Removal NOTE: Models equipp ed with a 38-inch deck have one deck idler pu lley. Models equipped wit h a 42-inch deck have two deck idler pul leys. To remove the cutting deck, pr oceed as follows: • Place the PTO (Blade Engage) lever in the disengaged (OFF) position. • Engage the parking brake. • Lower the de[...]

25 Right Hand Pulley Deck Idl er Pul leys (beneath belt guard) Engine Pulley Idler Bracket Left Hand Pulley (beneath belt guard) 42-Inch Deck Right Hand Pul ley Deck Idl er Pul ley (beneath belt gu ard) Engine Pulley Idler Bracket Left Hand Pulley (beneath belt guard) 38-Inch Deck[...]

26 Battery The battery is sealed and is maintenance-free. Acid levels cannot be checked. • Always keep the battery ca bles and terminals clean and free o f corrosive build-up. • After cleaning the bat tery and terminals, apply a light coat of petroleum jelly or grease to both terminals. • Always keep the rubber boot posit ioned over the posit[...]

27 Figure 24 • To properly sha rpen the cuttin g blades, remo ve equal amounts o f metal from both ends of the blades alo ng the cutting e dges, parallel to the trailing edge, at a 25° to 30° angle. See Figure 25. Figure 25 IMPORT ANT: If the cuttin g edge of the blade has already been sharpe ned to within 5/8" of the wind wing radius, or [...]

28 SECTION 9: OFF-SEASON STORAGE Clean and lubricate th e tractor as instructed in Section 7: MAINTAINING YOUR LAWN TRACTOR on page 22 of th is manual before sto ring for an extended period . WARNING: Drain fuel only in to an approved containe r outdoors, away from an open flame. Allow engine to cool. Extinguish cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and other[...]

29 NOTES[...]

30 NOTES[...]

31 CALIFORNIA EMISSION CONTROL W ARRANTY ST A TEMENT Y OUR W ARRANTY RIGHTS AND OBLIGA TIONS The California Air Resources Board and MTD LLC are pleased to explain the evapora tive emission contr ol system warranty on your 20 06 lawn mower . In California, new lawn mower must be designed, built and equipped to meet the State ’ s st ringent anti-sm[...]

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 e ssions and territo ries. “MTD”warrants this product against defects in material and workmanship for a period of two (2) years commenc ing on the date of original p[...]