Homelite 1600383 - Manual (Page 8)

STARTING (Figures 6, 7 and 8)
1. Place gear shift lever midway between "Hi" and "Lo".
Place forward-reverse control lever in the neutral notch in
quadrant and raise the mower PTO drive clutch lever to the
disengaged position to actuate the safety interlock switches.
2. Lock the parking brake.
3. Move the throttle lever forward into the "Choke" po­
sition.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the "Start" position to
actuate starter. As soon as engine starts, let go of key and
pull throttle lever back to middle of its running range.
Allow engine to warm up. a few minutes before putting it
under load.
5. If the starter will not operate, turn ignition key to off
and check that both the gear shift lever and mower PTO
drive clutch are in neutral position and are actually actuating
the safety interlock switches (Figures 7 and 8).
6. If engine fails to start after being turned over 5 or 10
seconds with the safety interlock switches closed, the engine
may be flooded. If this is the case, pull throttle back to
middle of the range to disengage choke and turn engine
over several times to clear out excess fuel.
TRAVEL
1. With engine running, set engine throttle between 1/4 ano
1/2 open. Engine speed for mowing should be 3/4 to full
throttle. When grass is wet or oyer 3-inches high, full throttle
is best.
2. With forward-reverse lever in the neutral notch, move
the gear shift lever into "Lo" or "Hi" range. Transmission
gear could be placed in "Lo" range when mowing heavy or
Wet grass and when on rough or sloping terrain. Use "Hi"
range on dry, moderate sized grass on smooth terrain.' It is
necessary to place forward-reverse control lever in neutral
or depress the clutch brake pedal to stop tractor before
shifting gears.
NOTE; If there is any tendency for gear teeth to "clash"
when shifting, depress the clutch brake pedal fully. Release
clutch brake pedal slowly and remove foot from pedal.
CAUTION
When operating the tractor for first time put trans­
mission in "Lo" gear until you become acquainted
with the controls and operation of the tractor.
3. Grasp steering wheel, straighten front wheels, and look
carefully around to make sure that the area in which you
plan to drive is clear of obstructions, people and pets.
4. Refer to "Forward-Reverse Control Lever" explanation
in the "Controls" section of this manual and engage forward
reverse control lever to start ground travel as instructed.
5. The forward-reverse control lever is not a speed control
device and for ail continuous operation it must be positioned
either fully forward or fully rearward. Practice starting,
stopping, steering, shifting gears, faster throttle settings,
operating in reverse, etc. until you can operate the riding
mower smoothly and easily.
STOPPING
1. Ground travel is normally stopped by placing the forward
reverse control lever in neutral position and moving gear
shift lever to neutral. This action will only stop forward or
reverse drive, it will not brake the vehicle to a stopped
position.
2. Ground travel can also be stopped quickly by fully de­
pressing the clutch brake pedal. When forward-reverse con­
trol lever is in reverse, depressing clutch brake pedal auto­
matically overrides any position the shuttle control lever
would be in. When pedal is released vehicle will assume
operation in the position of the shuttle control lever.
NOTE: Do not keep foot on clutch brake pedal during
operation. To do so can result in "clutch riding" and ex­
cessive slippage and wear on drive belts. Place foot on foot
rest.
3. To stop engine, turn the ignition key to the "Off" po­
sition and remove key from ignition switch.
Before stopping engine that has been operating under load
allow engine to idle for a few minutes "cooling off" time.