MTD Series 440 manual

Safety • Assembl y • Operation • Tips & T echniques • Maintenance • T roubleshooting • P ar ts Lists • Warranty Warning : This un it is equi pped wi th an internal c ombu stion en gine and s hould not be u sed on or near any unim proved forest-c overed, brush- covered or grass -c overed land unles s the eng ine’ s exhaust system[...]

2 Finding and Recor ding Model Number Model Number Serial Number T ab le of Contents BE FORE Y OU S T ART A SSE MBLING Y OUR NEW E QUIP MENT , please loca te the model pla te on the equipmen t and copy the inf ormation t o the sample model pla te prov ided to the right. Y ou can locate the m odel plate b y standing at the ope rating position and lo[...]

3 1 Slope Gauge[...]

4 2 Safe Operat ion Practices Children T ragic accidents can occur if operator is not aler t to presence of children. Children are often attracted to mow er and mowing activity . They do not understand the dangers . Nev er assume that children will remain where you last sa w them. 1. K eep children out of the mowing area and under watchful care of [...]

5 The c ut ting b lade c ont inues t o rotate for a few s eco nds af ter the e ngin e is shu t off. Never pl ace any par t o f the b ody in the b lade are a unti l you are sure t he bla de has s top ped rotat ing. 20. Never op erate mower w itho ut pro per tr ails hiel d, dis char ge cover , gra ss cat cher, blade c ontr ol han dle, or ot her safet[...]

6 3 Setup and Adjustment 1 . Remove any packing materi al whic h may be between upper an d lower handle s. a. Pull up and b ack on up per handl e as shown in Step 1 . Make cer tain t he lower handle i s seated securel y into the hand le mount ing brackets. b. Tig hten hand kno bs secur ing up per handl e to lower handle. Make sure th at each carr i[...]

7 Step 5 CU TT I NG HEI GHT Step 5 All whee ls must be placed in the s ame rela tive pos ition. GRA SS CA T C HER Step 6 Mak e certain bag is turned ri ght side out bef ore assembl ing (warn ing label wil l be on the outside). 3 Setup and Adjustment Step 6 Step 7 Never operate mo wer unless the hooks on the grass catcher are firm ly seated in the s[...]

8 4 Operating Y our Lawn Mo wer Now that y ou hav e set up your lawn mo wer f or op- eration, get aquainted with its controls and f eatures. These are described below and illustrated on this page. This knowledge will allow y ou to use your new equipment to its fullest potential. Blade Control The blade control is attached to the upper handle of the[...]

9 4 Operating Y our Lawn Mo wer W ARNING The operation of any lawn mo wer can result in foreign ob jects being throw n into the ey es, which can damage you r ey es sev erely . Alwa ys wear safety glasses while operating the mower , or while performing any ad justments or repairs on it. Be sure no one other than the operator is standing near the law[...]

10 5 Maintaining Y our Lawn Mo wer W ARNING Alwa ys stop engi ne, disconnect spark plug, and grou nd against eng ine before cleaning, lubr icating or doing an y kind of maintenance on y our machine. W e do not recomme nd the use o f pressu re wash ers or garden hose to cle an yo ur unit. The se ma y cause damage t o electric components , spindles, [...]

11 5 Maintaining Y our Lawn Mo wer W ARNING When remov ing the cutting blade for sharpenin g or replacement or when slidi ng the belt around it, protect yo ur hands with a pair of heavy glo ves or use a heavy rag to hold the blade. An unbalanced blade will ca use ex ce ssiv e vibration when ro tat- ing at hi gh spee ds. It may cau se damage to mo w[...]

12 For r epa irs bey ond the minor adjustm ents listed he re, contact an authorized se rv ic e deal er . 6 T r ouble Shooting Cause Pr oblem Remedy En gine fails t o star t 1 . Blad e con trol d isen gage d. 2. Spar k plug w ire dis co nnec ted. 3. Fuel tank e mpt y or st ale fu el. 4. Engin e not pri med. 5. Fault y spar k plug. 6. Blo cked fu el [...]

13 7 Off Season Storage and Safety Labels                                                                              [...]

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The limi ted warranty s et fort h below is gi ven by MTD LLC with respec t to new merchan dise purc hased a nd used in t he United St ates, its pos ses- sions an d territori es. “ MTD” warrant s this pro duc t against d efects in m aterial and work manshi p for a perio d of two ( 2 ) years com menci ng on the d ate of origina l purchas e and wi[...]