Troy-Bilt Wide-Cut 753B Operator's Manual page 16

Section4: Operation
C. Put the GearSelect Lever(C, Figure
4-2) in R (reverse)setting by first
moving leverto N (neutral). Then
pull lever up, turn it to R position,
and releaselever.
D. To start the wheels,slowly squeeze
WheelDrive Control (D, Figure4-2).
To avoidsuddenacceleration,slowly
squeeze the lever.
E.TO STOPTHEWHEELS:
• To stop drivepowerto thewheels,
releasethe WheelDriveControl. The
wheelswill graduallyslow to a stop.
• To quicklystop the wheels,release
both the Wheel DriveControl and
the OperatorPresenceControl.
• Returnthe GearSelect Leverto the
N (neutral) position when you have
completedreverseoperation. Allow
the wheels to stop completelybe-
fore shifting from R (reverse) into a
forward speed.
The mower turns easily by pushing
the handlebarsin the opposite direction
that you want to turn. The differential
mechanisminsidethe transaxlewill
allow the insideturning wheelto stop or
slow down while the outside turning
wheel is poweredbythe drive system.
Reducethe wheel speedbeforeturn-
ing the mower. Fortight turns, disen-
gagethe WheelDrive Control and manu-
ally pushthe mower through the turn (if
needed,putthe GearSelectLever in
neutralso the wheels turn freely).
MOWING TIPS AND HINTS
To avoid injuryor propertydamage:
• Before mowing, thoroughly inspect
area where mower is to be used and
remove all stones, sticks, wires,
bones,nailsand otherforeignobjects.
• Disengage mower blades before
crossinggravel drives, roads, or side-
walks to preventbladesfrom throwing
stonesor otherhazardous objects.
Mow When
LawnIs Dry
For best results, avoid cutting grass
when it is wet. Wet grass tends to form
clumps which interfere with the cutting
action. The best time to mow is in the
late afternoonor earlyeveningwhenthe
grass is usually dry.
Cut Top1/3 of
GrassBlades
Cutting morethan 1/3 of grass length
may cause the grass to becomeexces-
sively dry. In tall grass, it may be neces-
sary to mow at a higher setting and then
mow again at the desired height. NOTE:
Thecutting height is critical to achieving
a well-groomed lawn. You should exper-
iment with various settings to find that
"just right" cutting height.
VaryCuttingPattern
Varythecutting pattern from weekto
weekto help prevent matting of the
grass. Oneweek, mow from north to
south, the nextweek mow from eastto
west. Overlapseveralinches when
mowing to obtainan evenappearance.
Mowingon Slopes
Do not mow excessivelysteepslopes
(seeWARNINGstatementthat follows).
Slow down and exerciseextremecaution
when changingdirection on slopes.
Beforemowing on slopes,checkthe en-
gine oil leveland makesure that the level
is at the FULL mark. Maintaininga FULL
oil levelis particularly importantwhen
operatingon slopes as oil can bedrained
awayfrom vital engine parts.
To avoidinjuryor propertydamage:
• Maximum safe operating angle
is 150.
• Exceedingmaximum safe operating
angle may cause tipping or loss of
footing.
• Do not mowwet slopes.
• Mow acrossslopes,not up and down.
• Exercise extreme caution when
changingdirectiononslopes.
MulchingLeaves
• The mower canbe usedto mow fallen
leaves.The leafparticlesfilter down into
the lawnand provideaddedfertilizer.
• The leavesmust be dry in order to be
mulched.
• Usea slower ground speedif the
leavesare not mulched into fine parti-
cles.
• If you mulch oakleaves(which add acid
to the soil), add lime to the lawn in the
spring to reducetheacidity of the soil.
KeepMowerBladesSharp
For best mower performance,keepthe
bladessharp. Dull bladeswill tear,
bruiseand split the ends of grass. See
blade sharpeninginstructions in Section
5: Maintenance.
CleonMowerFrequently
Cleanthe undersideof the mower deck
frequentlyto remove grass build-up.
Seemower cleaninginstructions in
Section5: Maintenance.
PrecisionTrimming
For precisiontrimming, usethe slow-
est gear and inch the moweralong by
"feathering"the Wheel Drive Control
lever. Or, disengagethe wheeldrive by
releasingthe Wheel Drive Controlso that
you can manually maneuverthe mower
(if needed,put the GearSelect Leverin
neutralso that the wheels turn freely).
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