MTD 83M manual

Safety • Assembl y • Operation • Tips & T echniques • Maintenance • T roubleshooting • P ar ts Lists • Warranty Warning : This un it is equi pped wi th an interna l combu stion e ngine and s hould not b e used on or near any uni mproved forest-c overed, brush- covered or grass -c overed land unles s the eng ine’ s exhaust system[...]

2 Finding and Recor ding Model Number Model Number Serial Number T ab le of Contents This Operator’ s Manual is an important part of your new mo wer . It will help you assemble, prepare, and maintain the unit for best performance. Please read and understand what it sa ys. DEALER LOCA TOR PHONE NUMBER: 800-949-4483 MTD LLC P . O. BOX 361131 CLEVEL[...]

3 1 Slope Gauge W ARNING Do not mo w on inclines with a slope in e xcess of 1 5 degre es (a rise of appro ximat ely 2- 1/ 2 feet e very 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 wer on such a slope , it is extrem ely difficult to main tain y our footi ng and y ou could slip , resul[...]

4 2 Safe Operat ion Practices Children T ragic accidents can occur if operator is not aler t to presence of children. Children are often attracted to mow er and mowing activity . They do not understand the dangers . Nev er assume that children will remain where you last sa w them. 1. K eep children out of the mowing area and under watchful care of [...]

5 The c ut ting b lade c ont inues t o rotate for a few s eco nds af ter the e ngin e is shu t off. Never pl ace any par t o f the b ody in the b lade are a unti l you are sure t he bla de has s top ped rotat ing. 20. Never op erate mower w itho ut pro per tr ail shi eld, d isc harg e cover , gra ss cat cher, blade c ontr ol han dle, or ot her safe[...]

6 3 Setup and Adjustment 1 . Remove grass catc her and any pack ing material whic h may be between u pper and l ower handles. a. Remove hand kn obs from han dle mount ing brackets and pu ll up and bac k on upp er handle as shown in Fig ure 3- 1 . M ake cer tain the l ower handl e is seated sec urely into the han dle mou nting brackets. b. Tig hten [...]

7 CU TT I NG HEI GHT Fo r rough or une ven law ns, mo ve the h eight adjustm ent le ve r to a higher po sition. Thi s will help pr ev ent scalpin g of the grass . DRIVE CON T RO L Fo r some people the driv e control ma y not be in a comf ortable position . Y ou can adjust the handle b y tightenin g the adju stment whe el. 3 Setup and Adjustment Nev[...]

8 4 Operating Y our Lawn Mo wer Now that y ou hav e set up your lawn mo wer f or operation, read this section to become acquainted with its controls and f eatures. This knowledge will allow y ou to use your ne w equipment to its fullest potential. Blade Control The blade control is attached to the upper handle . Depress and squeeze it against the u[...]

9 4 Operating Y our Lawn Mo wer W ARNING The op eration of any lawn mower can result in foreign obje cts being thrown into the eyes, which can damag e your e yes severely . Always wear safet y glasses while oper ating the mower , or while pe rforming any adjustments or repair s on it. Be sure no one ot her than the o perator is standing ne ar the l[...]

10 5 Maintaining Y our Lawn Mo wer W ARNING Alway s stop engine, disconnec t spark plug, and ground against engine be fore cleaning , lubricating or doing any kind of maintenanc e on your machine. IMPORT ANT : We do not recommend the use of pressure w ashers or a garden hose to clean your unit. These ma y cause damage to electric components, spind [...]

11 5 Maintaining Y our Lawn Mo wer An unbalanced blade will ca use ex ce ssiv e vibration when ro tat- ing at hi gh spee ds. It may cau se damage to mo wer , and could break causing per- sonal inj ury . When remov ing the cutting blade for sharpenin g or replacement or when slidi ng the belt around it, protect yo ur hands with a pair of heavy glo v[...]

12 5 Maintaining Y our Lawn Mo wer NOTE: When re placin g the bel t, che ck that th e newly inst alled be lt is seated corre ctly a nd is ridi ng smoot hly on the engine p ulley . 6. a. Worki ng from the rear of t he mower , c arefully remove belt from tra nsmiss ion pulley . b. Onc e belt is of f tran smiss ion pulley , push down o n dec k baffl e[...]

13 NO TES[...]

14 For r epa irs bey ond the minor adjust - ments liste d here, contact an autho rized service deale r . 6 T r ouble Shooting Cause Pr oblem Remedy En gine fails t o star t 1 . Blade c ontrol d isengag ed. 2. Spark pl ug boot di sconn ected. 3. Fuel tank empt y or stal e fuel. 4. CHOKE n ot activated. 5. Faulty spar k plug. 6. Bloc ked fuel line. 7[...]

15 7 Safety Labels W ARNING DO NOT remov e safet y (or any) labels from mower f or any reason. Safety Labels Found On Y our Lawn Mo wer                                             ?[...]

16 8 Engine Safe Operat ion Practices Gasoline and its v apors ar e extremely flammable and ex plosiv e. Fire or ex plosion can cause se vere burns or death. If gasoline i s spilled on y ourself or yo ur clothes, wash y our skin and change clothes immediatel y . • When add ing fuel, tur n engine O FF and let engin e cool at l east 2 minutes b efo[...]

17 Runn ing engine produces heat. Engine parts, especially muffler , become extremely hot . Sev ere thermal burns can occu r on contact. Combustible debris, such as lea ves, grass, brush, et c., can catch fi re. • Allow muf fler, engine cylind er , an d fins to coo l before touchi ng. • Keep childr en awa y from hot or r unning eng ines. They c[...]

18 9 Operating Y our Engine Pre-Operation Chec k Oil Recommendations IMPORT ANT : This engin e is shipp ed wi thout g aso - line or o il in the e ngine. R unning th e engin e with insuf fici ent oil ca n cause s erious e ngine d amag e and void th e engin e warran ty. • Before star ti ng engin e, fill with oil. Do n ot over -fill. O il capac it y[...]

19 Chec k Oil Level IM POR T ANT: Be sur e to che ck the e ngine on a l evel sur face wi th th e engin e stopp ed . 1 . Remove the oil fill er cap and w ipe the d ipsti ck cl ean, Figure 9 -2. 2. Inser t the d ipsti ck into the o il filler ne ck, bu t do not screw it in. 3. If the level is low, slowly add oil to th e upper li mit on the di pstic k,[...]

20 Oil Change IM POR T ANT : Be sure to che ck engi ne on a level sur face with t he engine s toppe d. Drain the o il while t he engin e is still warm to as sure rapi d and com plete drain ing. 1 . Remove oil fill ca p and drain o il by either removin g drain plu g or turning m ower on its side ( air cl eaner sid e up ) and allowin g oil to drain i[...]

21 Spark Plug Service W ARN I NG : DO NOT ch eck for sp ark with sp ark plug re moved. DO N OT crank engin e with sp ark plug r emoved. T o ensure proper e ngine o peration, t he spark p lug must be prop erly gap ped and fre e of depos its. 1 . Remove the spark p lug boot an d use a spark p lug wrench to re move the plug, Figure 10- 3. W ARN I NG :[...]

22 3. Measure t he plug ga p with a feel er gauge. Correc t as neces sar y by bendi ng side e lect rode, Figure 10- 4. The gap s hould be s et to 0.030 in. 4. Check t hat the sp ark plug washer i s in goo d cond i- tion an d thread the s park plug in by han d to prevent cross -threadin g. 5. After t he spark pl ug is seated, tig hten with a s park [...]

NO TES 23[...]

24 Shown f or reference Shown f or reference 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 12 11 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29[...]

25 P ar ts List T o order re place ment par ts, call 1 - 8 00 - 80 0 -73 10 or visit w ww. whiteoutdoor.com 1 754- 0 409 3 V-Belt 2 732-0 43 38 Sprin g Lever 3 720 - 0230 Foam Grip 4 71 7 - 04 1 84A Spur Gear , 1 4T - LH 5 71 0 - 059 9 T T Screw, 1/4-20 x 0.5 0 6 750- 043 05A Spac er 7 7 49 - 04267 Cross Brac ket 8 687 - 0 2204 Front Bracket Assemb[...]

26 46 2 41 1 3 7 8 9 10 11 12 10 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 28 26 25 27 28 29 26 30 31 34 35 36 32 33 31 37 40 42 38 39 47 10 43 44 45 48 5 4 6[...]

27 1 1 P ar ts List T o order re place ment par ts, call 1 - 8 00 - 80 0 -73 10 or visit w ww. whiteoutdoor.com 1 7 46 - 0426 5 Dr ive Control Cab le 2 735 - 04 059 Ru bber Grom met 3 753- 0 50 96A Dri ve Control Asse mbly 4 7 4 7 - 1 1 61 A Blade C ontrol 5 73 1-04 859 Bail C over 6 7 46 - 04 30 0 ERS Contro l Cable 7 7 49 - 040 37 Lower Hand le 8[...]

28                                Engine 1P70[...]

29 11 Illustrated P ar ts List 1 . 95 1- 1 036 8 Fuel T a nk 2. 951 - 10369 Fly wheel S hroud 3. 951 - 10335 Rub ber Fuel T a nk Mount ing Washer 4. 951 - 10334 Oil Fi ller T ube Ass embly 5. 951 - 10333 Dip stic k Assemb ly 6. 951 - 10332 Cy linder He ad Compl ete 7 . 95 1 - 10329 Shor t B lock As sembl y 8. 951 - 1032 1 Stop Swi tch and Br ake As[...]

MTD LLC (MTD), The United States Envir onment Protection Agency (U . S. EP A) Emission Control System W arranty Statement (Owner’ s Defect W arranty Rights and Obligations) The U. S. EP A and MTD are pleas ed to explain th e emissi ons cont rol system warrant y on your mode l year 2005 an d later small of f-road eng ine. New small of f-road en gi[...]

(7) The en gine manu facturer is li able for dam ages to other en gine co mpone nts proximately caus ed by a failure under warrant y of any warranted par t. ( 8 ) Throu ghout th e engine’s wa rrant y per iod defi ned in Sub sect ion (a ) ( 2) , MTD wi ll maintain a s upply of warra nted par ts suf fic ient to meet the expecte d demand for s uch p[...]

The limi ted warranty s et fort h below is gi ven by MTD LLC ( “ MTD” ) with respe ct to new merc handise p urchas ed and used i n the Unite d States, its posse ssion s and territor ies. “ MTD” warrant s the eng ine on thi s produ ct for a peri od of three ( 3 ) years and all oth er aspec ts of the p roduc t for a perio d of two ( 2 ) years[...]