Bolens 300 Series - Manual (Page 11)

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Service the engine with gasoline and oil as instructed
in the separate engine manual packed with your trac­
tor. Read instructions carefully.
NOTE: Your tractor is shipped without oii; however, a
smaii amount of oil may be present from the factory. Do
not overfill.
A
WARNING: Never fill fuel tank indoors,
with engine running or while engine is hot.
STARTING THE ENGINE
1. Depress the clutch-brake pedal and set the park­
ing brake.
2. Place the lift and disengagement lever in the
DISENGAGED position. See figure 12.
NOTE: This unit is equipped with a safety interlock
system for your protection. The purpose of the safety
interlock system is to prevent the engine from cranking
or starting unless the clutch-brake pedal is depressed
and the lift and disengagement lever is in the dis­
engaged position. In addition, the lift and disengage­
ment lever must be in the disengaged position when the
unit is put into reverse or the engine will shut off. If the
operator leaves the seat with the lift and disengagement
lever engaged and/or without setting the parking brake,
the engine will shut off.
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WARNING: Do not operate the lawn tractor
if the interlock system is malfunctioning
because it is a safety device, designed for
protection.
3. Set the throttle control in the FAST position. See
figure 11.
4. Pull out choke knob to choke engine. A warm
engine may not require choking.
5. Turn the ignition key to the START position. When
the engine is running, let the key return to the ON
position. See figure 11.
6. Push choke knob in gradually. Move the throttle
control to desired engine speed.
STOPPING THE ENGINE
Turn the ignition key to the left to the OFF position.
Remove the key to prevent accidental starting.
IMPORTANT: If you strike a foreign object, stop the
engine. Remove wire from spark plug, thoroughly in­
spect the unit for any damage, and repair the damage
^ before restarting and operating the mower.
NOTE: /f any problems are encountered, refer to the
Trouble Shooting Chart on page 19.
OPERATING THE LAWN TRACTOR
1. Start the engine as instructed in previous column.
2. Move throttle control to % or full throttle to prevent
strain on the engine and to operate the cutting
blades.
3. Place the shift lever in either the FORWARD or
REVERSE position.
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WARNING: Look to the rear before back­
ing up.
4. Release the parking brake by depressing the
clutch-brake pedal, pressing outward on the speed
control lever and moving to desired position. Use
first speed position when operating the lawn trac­
tor for the first time.
5. Release clutch-brake pedal slowly to put unit into
motion.
6. The lawn tractor is brought to a stop by depress­
ing the clutch-brake pedal.
NOTE: When operating the unit initially, there will be little
difference between the highest two speeds until after
the belts have seated themselves into the pulleys dur­
ing the break-in period. Be certain to change oil in the
crankcase after the first 5 hours of operation.
Be sure that the lawn is clear of stones, sticks, wire,
or other objects which could damage lawn tractor, or
the debris could be thrown by the blade in any direc­
tion and cause an injury. For best results and to insure
more even grass distribution, do not mow when lawn
is excessively wet.
A
WARNING: Before leaving the operator’s
position for any reason, disengage the
blades, place the shift lever in neutral,
engage the parking brake, shut engine off
and remove the key.
When stopping the unit to empty a grass bag, etc.,
follow the instructions above. This procedure will also
eliminate “browning” the grass, which is caused by hot
exhaust gases from a running engine.
If unit stalls with speed control in high speed, or if unit
will not operate with speed control lever in a low speed
position, proceed as follows.
1. Place shift lever in NEUTRAL.
2. Restart engine.
3. Place speed control lever in high speed position.
4. Release clutch-brake pedal fully.
5. Depress clutch-brake pedal.
6. Place speed control lever in desired position.
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