MTD 760-779 manual

Safety • Assembl y • Operation • Adjustment • Maintenance • T roubleshooting • W arranty Warning : This uni t is equip ped wit h an internal co mbusti on engine an d should not b e used on or near any unim proved forest-covered, bru sh- covered or grass -c ov ered lan d unless t he engine’s e xhaust system is e quipp ed with a sp ark [...]

2 Finding and Recor ding Model Number Model Number Serial Number Please do NO T return the unit to the retailer from whic h it was purc hased, without fir st contacting Customer Suppor t. T able of Contents BE FORE Y OU ST ART AS SEMBL ING Y OUR NEW EQU IPME NT , please loca te the model pla te on the eq uipment an d copy the inf ormation t o the [...]

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 fe et e ve r y 1 0 fee t) . A riding mow er could o ve r turn and cause s erious inj ury . If opera ting a w alk - behind mo we r on such a slope , it is extrem ely difficult to main tain y our footi ng and y ou could slip , re[...]

4 2 Safe Operat ion Practices Children 1 . T ragi c acci dents can o ccur if t he operator is n ot aler t to the pres ence of ch ildren. Chil dren are often attr acted to the mac hine and t he mowing ac tivit y . They do not und erstan d the dang ers. Never assume that chi ldren will re main where you last s aw them. a. Keep child ren out of the mo[...]

5 2 Safe Operation Practices W ARNING This s ymbol points out important sa fety instructions w hich, if not f ollow ed, could endange r the personal saf ety and /or propert y of y ourself an d others. Rea d and follo w all instructions in thi s man- ual bef ore a ttempting to opera te this ma chine. F ailu re to comply with these in structions ma y[...]

6 Slope Operati on : Slop es are a major factor rel ated to loss of co ntrol and tip -over acc idents wh ich ca n result in severe injur y or death. All s lopes re quire extra c aution. If you ca nnot back up t he slop e or if you feel uneasy on it, d o not mow it. For your safety , use the slo pe gauge i nclud ed as par t of this man ual to measur[...]

7 2 Safe Operat ion Practices This s ymbol points out important sa fety instructions w hich, if not f ollow ed, could endange r the personal saf ety and /or propert y of y ourself an d others. Rea d and follo w all instructions in thi s man- ual bef ore a ttempting to opera te this ma chine. F ailu re to comply with these in structions ma y resu lt[...]

8 3 Setting Up Y our Lawn T ractor NO TE: This Operat ors Manual co ve rs a range of product specifica tions for v ariou s models. Cha racteristics an d fea tur es discussed and / or illust rated i n 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 NO TE: Fo r shipping rea- sons, s eats a re either fast ened to the t ractor sea t ’ s piv ot bra cke t with a plastic tie , or moun ted backward t o the pivo t brack et. In e ither case , fre e the seat f orm its shipping posi tion and remo ve th e two hex scre ws (or knobs, on models so equippe d ) from th e [...]

11 3 W ARNING Setting Up Y our Lawn T ractor Figure 7 Identifying the Mulch Plug (if so equipped) On trac tor mode ls so equip ped, a mul ch plug c an either be found wi thin the c utt ing dec k’s discharg e openin g or packed separatel y with your unit. NOTE : Refer to Mul ching on page 19 for more detailed informatio n. If you’ d prefer to op[...]

12 4 Operating Y our Lawn T ractor Kno w Y our La wn T ractor Figure 8          A Spee d Control Lever/ Parki ng Brake E Throt tle Contr ol Lever B Clutch -Br ake P edal F Ignit ion Switc h Modu le C Shif t Lever G Dec k Lif t Lev er D Choke Control† H PTO ( Blade Engage ) Lever NOTE : A ny reference in this ma nual to [...]

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 c ontrol lever is loc ated on the ri ght side of the trac tor’s dash pa[...]

14 P arking Brake T o set the par king brake, fully de press the c lutch -brake pedal. M ove the speed co ntrol lever all the way down and into the p arking bra ke position. Rel ease the c lutch - brake pedal to a llow the park ing brake to engage. T o releas e the parki ng brake, depress th e clutc h-br ake pedal a nd move the speed c ontrol lever[...]

15 4 Operating Y our Lawn T ractor Models without Rever se Caution Mode • The e ngine will auto matic ally shut of f if the P TO ( Blad e Engage) lever is moved into the eng aged ( ON ) posit ion with t he shif t lever in Reverse. Models with Rever se Caution Mode • Wit h the igni tion key in the NO RMAL M OWIN G posit ion, the en gine will aut[...]

16 4 Operating Y our Lawn T ractor Do not operate the tractor if the inter lock sy stem is malfu nction- ing. This s yst em was designed for y our safety and protection. If you str ike a forei gn object, stop the engine, dis connect the spark plug wi re ( s) and ground agai nst the engine. Thorou ghly inspect the machine for an y damage. Repair the[...]

17 4 Operating Y our Lawn T ractor W ARNING Driving The T ractor W ARNING : A void sudden starts , ex - cessive speed and sudden stops. W ARNING : Do not lea ve the seat of the tractor witho ut first plac- ing the PTO ( Blade Engage ) lev er in the disengaged ( OFF) posi- tion, depressing the brake pedal and engagin g the parking brake. If leaving [...]

18 4 Operating Y our Lawn T ractor Driving On Slopes Refer to the SLOPE GA UGE on pag e 3 to help deter- mine slo pes where you may operate th e tractor safely. W ARNING : Do not mo w on incli nes with a slope in ex cess of 1 5 d egrees ( a rise of appro xi- mately 2- 1 / 2 feet ev ery 10 feet) . The tractor could o verturn and cause seriou s injur[...]

19 4 Operating Y our Lawn T ractor W ARNING Plan y our mo wing pat- tern to a v oid discharge of material s tow ard roads, sidewal ks, by - standers and the like. Also , av oid dischargin g material agai nst a wall or obstruction whi ch may cau se discharged material t o ricochet back to ward the operator . Figure 13 • Do N OT attempt to mow heav[...]

20 5 Adjusting Y our Lawn T ractor Figure 15 Figure 14 W ARNING Never a t tempt t o make an y adjust - ments while the engine is r unning, ex cept where speci- fied in the operator’ s manual. W ARNING : Nev er attempt to make an y adjustments wh ile the engine is ru nning, e xcept where specified in the operator’ s manual. Leveling the Dec k NO[...]

21 5 W ARNING Adjusting Y our Lawn T ractor   brake is in need of ad justment . The brake disc c an be found on th e right si de of the tran smissi on in the rear of the trac tor . Adjust if ne cessar y as fol lows: 1 . Lookin g at the trans mission fr om the rig ht side of th e t[...]

22 6 Maintaining Y our Lawn T ractor NO TE: Depending on the engine m odel found on yo ur tracto r , it may be necessary to remo v e the tract or’ s side panel in order t o replace th e oil filt er (if so equipped) . Figure 20 W ARNING Before per form ing any mai ntenance or repairs, disengage PTO , mov e shift lever int o neutral position, set p[...]

23 6 Maintaining Y our Lawn T ractor Figure 21 Deck W ash System™ A hex plug can b e found on your tractor ’s deck sur face. See Figure 21 . This plu g can be rep laced wit h a water port to b e used as par t of a separately-availabl e deck wash system. Use the De ck Wash System ™ to rinse gra ss cli ppings from the d eck ’ s under side an [...]

24 6 Maintaining Y our Lawn T ractor Tires W ARNING : Nev er ex ceed the maximum in flation pressure show n on the sidewall o f tire. The rec ommend ed operati ng tire pressure i s: • Ap proximately 1 0 psi for th e rear tires • Ap proximately 1 4 psi for the front tire s IM PORT ANT : Refer to the tire sid ewall for exact tire manufac turer’[...]

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 ignition k ey , discon - nect the spark plug wire (s ) and ground against the engi ne to prev ent unin tended starting befo[...]

26 6 Maintaining Y our Lawn T ractor   Figure 26 W ARNING 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 before remov ing the belt (s ) . Changing th[...]

27 6 Maintaining Y our Lawn T ractor     Figure 27    ?[...]

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. Al- low eng ine to cool. Ex tingu ish cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and other sources of ign i- tion prior t o drainin g fuel. Never st ore the ma- chine or fuel con tainer indoors where there is an o[...]

29 8 Safety Labels W ARNING Th is s ymb ol po in ts ou t i mp orta nt sa f ety in st ruc tio ns wh ich , if no t fo ll ow ed , co uld en dan ge r the p ers on al sa f ety an d / o r p ro pe rty of y o urs el f a nd o the rs . Re a d a nd f oll o w a ll in st ruc tio ns in th is ma nu al be f or e at - t emp ti ng t o o pe ra te th is ma chi ne . F [...]

30 9 T roub le Shooting For r epa irs bey ond the minor adjust - ments liste d here, contact an autho ri ze d service deale r . Cause Pr oblem Remed y En gine fails t o start 1 . PTO engaged. 2. Spark pl ug wire ( s) di sconne cted. 3. Fuel tank empt y or stal e fuel. 4. Choke not acti vated. 5. Faulty spar k plug. 6. Bloc ked fuel line. 7 . Engine[...]

31 9 T roub le Shooting For r epa irs bey ond the minor adjust - ments liste d here, contact an autho ri ze d service deale r . En gine ov erhe ats 1 . Fill cran kcase with pr oper oil. 2. Clean gra ss clip pings an d debri s from around t he engine’s cooling fins and bl ower housing. 1 . Engine oil l ev el low. 2. Air flow restr icted. En gine h[...]

32 NOTE S : Use this pag e to make notes and write down important information.[...]

33 NOTE S : Use this pag e to make notes and write down important information.[...]

34 NOTE S : Use this pag e to make notes and write down important information.[...]

CALIFORNIA EMISSION CONTROL W ARRANTY ST A TEMENT Y OUR W ARRANTY RIGHTS AND OBLIGA TIONS The Ca liforn ia Air Re sourc es Boar d and MT D Cons umer Gro up Inc are p leas ed to expla in the evap orati ve emiss ion c ontro l system warra nty o n your 20 06 l awn mower. In Californ ia, new l awn mower must b e desi gne d, buil t and equ ippe d to mee[...]

The limi ted warranty set for th b elow is given by MTD LLC with res pect to new merchan dise purc hased and u sed in the Un ited States, its posse ssions an d territorie s. “ MTD” warrants t his prod uct agai nst defect s in material an d workman - ship for a per iod of t wo (2 ) years co mmenc ing on the d ate of original purcha se and will, [...]