Driving On Slopes; Engagingthe Blades; Usingthe Decklift Lever - MTD Series 610 Operator's Manual

1. Depress the brake pedal to release the parking brake and
let the pedal up.
2. Move the throttle lever into the FAST (rabbit) position.
IMPORTANT: Do NOT use the drive pedal to change the
direction of travel when the tractor is in motion. Always bring the
tractor to a complete stop before pivoting the drive pedal from
forward to reverse or vice versa.
3.
4.
To travel FORWARD, slowly depress the upper portion of
the drive pedal forward until the desired speed is achieved.
To travel in REVERSE, check that the area behind is clear
then slowly depress the lower portion of the drive pedal
with the ball of your foot (NOT your heel) until the desired
speed is achieved.
Driving OnSlopes
Refer to the SLOPE GAUGE in the Important Safe Operations
Practices section of this manual to help determine slopes where
you may operate the tractor safely.
_hll ARNING: Do not mow on inclines with a slope in
excess of 15 degrees (a rise of approximately 2-1/2
feet every 10 feet). The tractor could overturn and
cause serious injury.
Mow up and down slopes, NEVER across.
Exercise extreme caution when changing direction on
slopes.
Watch for holes, ruts, bumps, rocks, or other hidden
objects. Uneven terrain could overturn the machine. Tall
grass can hide obstacles.
Avoid turns when driving on a slope, lfa turn must be
made, turn down the slope. Turning up a slope greatly
increases the chance of a roll over.
Avoid stopping when driving up a slope. If it is necessary
to stop while driving up a slope, start up smoothly and
carefully to reduce the possibility of flipping the tractor
over backward.
SettingTheCruiseControl
NOTE:The cruise control feature should only be utilized while
traveling in the forward direction.
Slowly press the upper portion of the drive pedal until the
desired speed is achieved.
Lightly press the cruise control lever.
While continuing to hold the cruise lever down, lift your
foot from the drive pedal (you should feel the cruise latch
engage).
Once engaged, the cruise control lever and the drive
pedal will lock in the "down" position, and the tractor will
maintain the same forward speed.
NOTE: Cruise control can not be engaged at the tractor's
fastest ground speed. If the operator should attempt to do so,
the tractor will automatically decelerate to the fastest optimal
mowing ground speed.
Disengage the cruise control using one of the following
methods:
1. Depress the brake pedal to disengage the cruise control
and stop the tractor.
2. Lightly depress the drive pedal.
To change the direction of travel to reverse when operating with
cruise control, depress the brake pedal to disengage the cruise
control and bring the tractor to a complete stop. Then slowly
depress the rear portion of the drive pedal with the ball of your
foot to travel in reverse.
Engagingthe Blades
Engaging the PTO (Blade Engage) transfers power to the cutting
deck or other (separately available) attachments. To engage the
blades, proceed as follows:
1. Move the throttle control lever to the FAST (rabbit)
position.
Models with Manual PT0
2. a. Grasp the PTO (Blade Engage) lever and pivot it all the
way forward into the engaged (ON) position.
Models with ElectricPT0
3.
b. Pull the PTO (Blade Engage) knob outward into the
engaged (ON) position.
Keep the throttle lever in the FAST (rabbit) position for the
most efficient use of the cutting deck or other (separately
available) attachments
IMPORTANT: The engine (on models with a manual PTO)
or electric PTOclutch (on models with an electric PTO) will
automatically shut off if the PTOis engaged with the drive pedal
in position for reverse travel with the ignition key in the NORMAL
MOWING position. Refer to Safety Interlock Switches earlier in
this section.
Usingthe DeckLift Lever
To raise the cutting deck, move the deck lift lever to the left, then
place it in the notch best suited for your application. Refer to
Setting The Cutting Height earlier in this section.
Mowing
ll_ WARNING: To help avoid blade contact or a
thrown object injury, keep bystanders, helpers,
children and pets at least 75 feet from the machine
while it is in operation. Stop machine if anyone
enters the area.
The following information will be helpful when using the cutting
deck with your tractor:
WARNING: Plan your mowing pattern to avoid
discharge of materials toward roads, sidewalks,
bystanders and the like. Also, avoid discharging
material against a wall or obstruction which may
cause discharged material to ricochet back toward
the operator.
Do not mowat high ground speed, especially if a mulch kit
or grass collector is installed.
For best results it is recommended that the first two laps be
cut with the discharge thrown towards the center. After the
SECTION S-- OPERATION