MTD 616 manual

Hydr ostatic La wn T ractor — Model 616 PRINTED IN U .S.A . P . O . Box 1386, KITCHENER, ONT . N2G 4J1 IMPOR T ANT : READ SAFETY R ULES AND INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULL Y BEFORE OPERA TING EQUIPMENT . Safety • Set-Up • Operation • Adjustments • Maintenance • T roubleshooting • W arranty OPERA T OR’S MANU AL 769- 0279 6 1 .9.0 7[...]

2 T able of Contents BE FORE Y OU ST AR T ASS EMBLING Y OUR NEW EQU IPME NT , please loca te the model pla te on the eq uipment and cop y the inf ormatio n from it in the sp ace pro vided below . Y ou can locate th e model number b y looking ben eath the se at. This inf ormation w ill be necessary to use the m anufa cturer’ s web site a nd /or he[...]

3 1 Slope Gauge W ARNING Do not mo w on inclines with a slope in e xcess of 1 5 degrees (a rise of appro xima tely 2- 1/ 2 fee t ev ery 1 0 fee t) . A riding mo wer could o ve r turn a nd cause s erious inj ury . If opera ting a wa lk - behind mo we r on such a slope , it is extreme ly difficult to main tain y our footi ng and y ou could slip , res[...]

4 Children 1 . T ragi c accide nts can oc cur if the oper ator is not aler t to the presen ce of childre n. Children are ofte n attr acted to the mac hine and the mowin g activit y . They do not und erstand t he dangers. N ev er assume that chi ldren will remai n where you last saw them. a. Keep child ren out of the mowing area an d in watchful car[...]

5 Gener al Operation: 1 . Read, under stand, and fol low all instruc tions on t he machin e and in the manua l (s) b efore attempting to assem ble and operate. Keep this ma nual in a safe place for fu ture and regular referenc e and for ordering replac ement par ts. 2. Be famili ar with all contr ols and their pro per operatio n. Know how to stop t[...]

6 Slope Operati on : Slop es are a major factor related to lo ss of control an d tip -over accid ents whic h can result in severe injur y or death. All s lopes require ex tra cauti on. If you cannot back up t he slope or if you feel un easy on it, do not mow it. For your safety , use the slo pe gauge in cluded as par t of this man ual to measure sl[...]

7 Service 1 . Never run an engine i ndoors or in a p oorly ventilated area. Engine exhaust c ontains car bon monoxid e , an odor less, and dead ly gas. 2. Before cle aning, repairin g, or inspec ting, make cer tain the blad e (s) a nd all moving par ts have stopped. Disc onnect t he spark plug wire an d ground against t he engine to p re vent unint[...]

8 3 Setting Up Y our Lawn T ractor NOTE : This Opera tors Manual co ve rs a range of product specif ications for v ariou s models. Cha racteristics an d fea tur es discussed and / or il lustra ted in this man ual may not be applicable to a ll models. MTD LL C reserves the right to ch ange product specification s, designs and equipm ent without noti[...]

9 3 W ARNING Make sure the rid ing mower’ s engine is off, remov e the igni- tion ke y , and set the parking brak e before remov ing the shippin g brace. Setting Up Y our Lawn T ractor The shippin g brace, used for packagi ng purposes onl y , must be remov ed and discarded before operating y our ridi ng mower . The mowi ng deck is capable of thro[...]

10 3 Setting Up Y our Lawn T ractor NOTE : For sh ipping reasons, seats are either fastened to the tractor seat’ s piv ot bracket w ith a plastic tie, or moun ted backward to the piv ot bracket. In either case, free the seat form its shippin g position and remov e the two hex screw s ( or knobs, on models so equipped ) from the bottom of seat bef[...]

11 3 W ARNING Setting Up Y our Lawn T ractor Figure 3-7 Identifying the Mulch Plug (if so equipped) On trac tor models s o equippe d, a mulch plug c an either be found wi thin the cut ting de ck’s discharg e opening or packed separ ately with your unit. NOTE : Refer to Mulch ing on page 1 9 for more detai led informatio n. If you’ d prefer to o[...]

12 4 Operating Y our Lawn T ractor Kno w Y our La wn T ractor Figure 4-1 A PTO ( Blade Engage ) Lev er† G Cruise C ontrol But ton PTO ( Blade Engage ) Knob† H Ignit ion Switch M odule B Systems Ind icator Moni tor/ Ho ur Meter I Brake Pedal C Choke Knob† J Drive Pedal D Cup Hol der K Deck L ift Lever E Throt tle Control Lever L Seat Adjust me[...]

13 4 Operating Y our Lawn T ractor W ARNING Never lea ve a ru nning machine unattended. Alwa ys d isengage PTO , mov e shift lever int o neutral position, set parking brak e, stop engine and remo ve k ey to pre vent un intended starting. Throttle Contr ol Le ver The throt tle co ntrol lever is located on th e right side of the trac tor’s dash pan[...]

14 the MA INTE NANCE s ection of t his manual for the pr oper batter y charg ing proced ure or hav e the ch arging system chec ked b y your ser vice d ealer . The a mmeter ( if so equip ped) m easures the ele ctric al outpu t of the engine’s charging system. Und er normal operat ing condit ions, with t he engine at full t hrottle, the ammeter’s[...]

15 4 Operating Y our Lawn T ractor Deck Lift Le ver Found on your tracto r’ s right fen der , t he deck li ft lever is used to ch ange the heig ht of the cut ting dec k. T o use, move the lever to the left , then place in t he notch best suited for your app lication. P arking Brake Button T o set the par king brake, fully depres s the brake pedal[...]

16 4 Operating Y our Lawn T ractor Do not operate the tractor if the inter lock sy stem is malfunction ing. This sy stem was designed for y our safety and protection. 2. T urn th e k ey from the N ORMAL M O WI NG ( Green) posit ion to the RE VERSE CAUTI ON MOD E (Y ellow ) posit ion of the key switch mod ule. See Figure 4- 5. 3. Depres s the REVERS[...]

17 4 Operating Y our Lawn T ractor W ARNING If you str ike a foreign object, stop the engine, disconnect the spark plug wi re ( s) and ground agai nst the engine. Thoro ughly inspect the machine for an y damage. Repair the damage before restar tin g and operating. NOTE : Refer to the TR ACTOR SE T - UP on pag e 8 of this manual for Gas oline and Oi[...]

18 4 Operating Y our Lawn T ractor Moving the T ractor Manually Y our trac tor’s transmissio n is equipp ed with a hydro- stati c relief valve for occas ions when it is ne cessar y to move the tractor ma nually . Activating t his valve forces the flui d in the transmi ssion to bypass i ts normal route, allowing t he rear tires to “ freewheel. ?[...]

19 4 Operating Y our Lawn T ractor W ARNING Plan y our mo wing pattern to a void discharge of mater i- als to ward roads, sidewal ks, by standers and the lik e. Also, av oid disc harging material agai nst a wall or obstr uction which ma y cause discharged material t o ricochet back t oward the operator . Mowing W ARNING : T o help av oid blade cont[...]

20 W ARNING : N e ver attempt to mak e any ad justments while the engi ne is runn ing, ex cept where specified in the operator’ s manual. Leveling the Dec k NOT E : Check the tr actor’s tire pressure before per forming any deck l e veling adju stments. Refer to Tir es on page 24 for informatio n regarding t ire pressure. Front T o Rear The fron[...]

21 4. Balan ce the dec k by using a wrench to tur n the adjust ment gear (foun d immediately be hind the hex cap bo lt just loos ened) c lock wise / up or counterc lock- wise / down. The d eck is prop erly balanc ed when both blade t ip measurements t ak en earl ier are equal. 5. Retighten t he hex cap bolt on t he left d eck hanger bracket when pr[...]

22 6 Maintaining Y our Lawn T ractor *K ohler Single Shown NOTE : Depending on the engine model found on y our tract or , it may be necessary to remov e the tractor’ s side panel in order to replace the oil filter (if so equipped ) . Figure 6-1 W ARNING Before per f orming any mai ntenance, lubrica tion or repairs, disengage PTO , mov e shift lev[...]

23 6 Maintaining Y our Lawn T ractor Figure 6-2 IMPORT ANT: Make cer tain the tractor’ s discharge chu te is directed A W A Y from yo ur house, garage, parked cars, etc. Deck W ash System™ (If equipped) Y our trac tor’s deck may be equip ped with a water por t on its sur face as par t of its dec k wash system. Use the Dec k Wash System ™ (s[...]

24 6 Maintaining Y our Lawn T ractor NOTE : O n models w ith a 46 -inch d eck, it may be neces sary to re mov e the be lt keepers from aroun d the engine p ulley , on or der to remove the PTO belt. 5. Lookin g at the cut ting dec k from the lef t side of the tractor, locate the de ck suppor t pin on t he rear left side of t he deck. S ee Figure 6 -[...]

25 6 Maintaining Y our Lawn T ractor W ARNING Periodi cally inspect the blade spindles for cracks or damage, especially if y ou strik e a foreign object. Replace immediately if damaged. Be sure to sh ut the engine off, remo ve ig- nition k ey , disconnect the spark plug wi re ( s) and ground agai nst the engine to pre vent unin tended star ting bef[...]

26 Changing the Deck Belt W ARNING : Be sure to shut the engine off, remo ve ign ition ke y , disco nnect the spark plug wire ( s ) and gro und against the engine to pre vent u nintended starting before removin g the belt ( s) . All bel ts on your tractor are subj ect to wear and shoul d be replac ed if any signs of wear are present . IM PORT ANT :[...]

27 6 Maintaining Y our Lawn T ractor Figure 6-8 Idler Pulleys Belt Cover Idler Pulleys Electric PTO Clutch 46” Deck (Electric PTO) Figure 6-9 This Operators Manual co vers a range of product specifications f or var ious models. Characteristics and features disc ussed and / or ill ustrated in this manual ma y not be applicable to all models. MTD L[...]

28 7 O f f - S e a s o n S t o r a g e / A t t a c h m e n t s W ARNING Drain fuel only i nto an approv ed container outdoors, aw ay from an open flame. Allo w engine to coo l. Ex ti nguish ci garet tes, cigars, pipes, and other sources of ign i- tion prior t o drainin g fuel. Never st ore the machine or fuel container indoors where there is an ope[...]

29 8 Safety Labels W ARNING Th is s ymb ol poi n ts ou t i mpo rtan t sa f ety in st ruc tio ns wh ich , if no t fo llo wed , cou ld en dan ge r the pe rs on al sa f ety an d /or p ro pe rty of y ou rs el f a nd ot he rs . Re a d a nd fo ll ow a ll in st ruc tio ns in th is ma nu al be f or e a t - t emp ti ng to op er a te th is ma chi ne . F a il[...]

30 9 T roub le Shooting For r epa ir s beyond the minor adjust- ments liste d here, contact an autho r ized service deale r . Cause Pr oblem Remed y Engine fails to star t 1 . PTO engaged. 2. Spark pl ug wire (s ) disconn ected. 3. Fuel tank empt y or stale fue l. 4. Choke not acti va ted. 5. Faulty spar k plug. 6. Bloc ked fuel line. 7 . E ngine f[...]

31 10 W arranty Fa ilure t o comply with su ggested maint enance and lubr ication specificati ons wil l voi d warran ty . 06. 1 8.06 TW O YEAR SUPREME W ARRANTY : Fo r two yea rs from da te of r etail p urchase wi thin Can ada, MTD P RODU CT S LIMI TE D will , at its op tion, rep air or r eplace , for th e original p urchase r , free o f charge , a[...]

32 Aut omatic La wn T ractor Drive Bel t (T ransm ission ) 754- 04 6 1 Drive Bel t (M owing Deck) 42 ” Dec k 754- 04 045 Drive Bel t (M owing Deck) 4 6” Dec k 754- 04 1 18 Deck B lade (42 ” Deck) t wo each 7 42- 061 6A Deck B lade (46 ” Deck) Ce nter Blade (on e ea.) 7 42- 061 2 A Deck B lade (46 ” Deck) O uter Blades ( two ea.) 7 42- 061[...]