Ariens A149K21 Owner's Manual page 9

TO STOP ENGINE
° To stop engine, release operator pres-
ence control bar.
TO START ENGINE
NOTE: Due to protective coatings on the
engine, a small amount of smoke may be
present during the initial use of the product
and should be considered normal.
NOTE: Your engine is equipped with an
automatic choke system. No priming or
choking is required before starting,
• To start engine, hold operator presence
control bar down to the handle and pull
starter handle quickly. Do not allow
starter rope to snap back.
MOWING TIPS
_t, CAUTION: Do not use de-thatcher
blade attachments on your mower. Such
attachments are hazardous, wilt damage
your mower and could void yourwarranty.
• Under certain conditions, such as very
ta[I grass, it may be necessary to raise
the height of cut to reduce pushing effort
and to keep from overloadingthe engine
and leaving clumps of grass clippings.
It may also be necessary to reduce
ground speed andlor run the lawn
mower over the area a second time.
• For extremely heavy cutting, reduce the
width of cut by overlappingpreviously
cut path and mow slowly.
• For better grass bagging and most cut-
ting conditions, the engine speed should
be set in the FAST position.
, Pores in cloth grass catchers can
become filled with dirt and dust with use
and catchers will collect less grass. To
prevent this, regularly hose catcher off
with water and let dry before using.
° Keep top of engine around starter clear
and clean of grass clippings and chaff.
This wirl help engine air flow and extend
engine life.
MULCHING MOWING TIPS
IMPORTANT: For best performance,
keep mower housingfree of built-up
grass and trash. See "CLEANING" in the
Maintenance section of this manual.
° The special mulching blade will recut
the grass clippings many times and
reduce them in size so that as they fall
onto the lawn they will disperse into
the grass and not be noticed. Also, the
mulched grass will biodegrade quickly to
provide nutrients for the lawn. Always
mulch with your highest engine (blade)
speed as this will provide the best recut-
ting action of the blades.
• Avoid cutting your lawn when it is wet.
Wet grass tends to form clumps and
interferes with the mulching action. The
best time to mow your lawn is the early
afternoon. At this time the grass has
dried, yet the newly cut area wilt not be
exposed to direct sunlight.
° For best results, adjust the lawn mower
cutting height so that the lawn mower
cuts off only the top one-third of the
grass blades. If the lawn is overgrown
it will be necessary to raise the height of
cut to reducepushing effort and to keep
from overloadingthe engine and leaving
clumps of mulched grass. For extremely
heavy grass, reduceyour width of cut
byoverlappingpreviously cut path and
mow slowly.
° Certain types of grass and grass
conditions may require that an area be
mulched a second time to completely
hide the clippings. When doing a sec-
ond cut, mow across (perpendicular) to
the first cut path.
• Change yourcutting pattern from week
to week. Mow north to south one week
then change to east to west the next
week. This will help prevent matting
and graining of the lawn.