Poulan PR550Y22R3 Owner Manual - Page 18

OPERATION OPERATOR PRESENCE CONTROL BAR (ALL MODELS) Your lawn mower is equipped with an operator presence control bar which requires the operator to be positioned behind the lawn mower handle in order to start and operate the lawn mower. CAUTION: Federal regulations require an engine control to be installed on this lawn mower in order to minimize the risk of blade contact injury. Do not under any circumstances attempt to defeat the function of the operator control. The blade turns when the engine is running. DRIVE CONTROL "STANDARD" DRIVE CONTROL • Self-propelling is controlled by holding the operator presence control bar down to the handle and pushing the drive control lever forward until it clicks; then releasing the lever. • Forward motion will stop when the operator presence control bar is released. To stop forward motion without stopping engine, release the operator presence control bar slightly until the drive control disengages. Hold operator presence control bar down against handle to continue mowing without self-propelling. • To keep drive control engaged when turning corners, push down on handle and lift front wheels off ground while turning lawn mower. Drive control TO ENGAGE DRIVE CONTROL "DUAL BAIL" DRIVE CONTROL • To start forward motion, lift drive control bar up to handle. • To stop forward motion, release drive control bar. Operator presence control bar DRIVE CONTROL ENGAGED DRIVE CONTROL DISENGAGED "AUTOWALK" DRIVE CONTROL • Self-propelling is controlled by holding the operator presence control bar down to the handle and pulling the drive control lever(s) rearward to the handle. The farther toward the handle the lever(s) are pulled, the faster the unit will travel. • Forward motion will stop when either the operator presence control bar or a drive control lever are released. To stop forward motion without stopping engine, release the drive control lever(s) only. Hold operator presence control bar down against handle to continue mowing without self-propelling. NOTE: If after releasing the drive control the mower will not roll backwards, push the mower forward slightly to disengage drive wheels. Operator presence control bar DRIVE CONTROL DISENGAGED 18 OPERATION Drive Operator control presence lever(s) control bar TO ENGAGE DRIVE CONTROL Adjustment turnbuckle DRIVE CONTROL DISENGAGED FRONT WHEEL DRIVE MODELS ONLY: • To keep drive control engaged when turning corners, push down on the handle to lift the front wheels off the ground while turning lawn mower. Over time, the drive control system may become "loose", resulting in decreased speed. There is a turnbuckle on the underside of the drive control housing to increase tension on the drive cable. Proceed as follows: • Turn unit off and disconnect spark plug wire from spark plug. • Turn nut on underside of drive control to increase drive speed. • Operate mower to test drive speed. Readjust as required. • If condition fails to improve after the above steps (forward speed remains the same), your drive belt is worn and should be replaced. Adjustment turnbuckle "VARI-SPEED" DRIVE CONTROL • Self-propelling is controlled by holding the operator presence control bar down to the handle and pulling the drive control bar up to the handle. The closer to the handle the bar is pulled, the faster the unit will travel. • Forward motion will stop when either the operator presence control bar or drive control bar are released. To stop forward motion without stopping engine, release the drive control bar only. Hold operator presence control bar down against handle to continue mowing without self-propelling. NOTE: If after releasing the drive control the mower will not roll backwards, push the mower forward slightly to disengage drive wheels. FRONT WHEEL DRIVE MODELS ONLY: • To keep drive control engaged when turning corners, push down on the handle to lift the front wheels off the ground while turning lawn mower. Operator presence control bar DRIVE CONTROL ENGAGED Drive control bar DRIVE CONTROL DISENGAGED TO ADJUST, MOVE DOWN TO NEXT HOLE Over time, the drive control system may become "loose", resulting in decreased speed. There are holes in the drive control housing to increase tension on the drive cable. Proceed as follows: • Turn unit off and disconnect spark plug wire from spark plug. • Loosen nut, move drive control hous- ing down handle to the next hole and retighten nut. • Operate mower to test drive speed. • If condition fails to improve after the above steps (forward speed remains the same), your drive belt is worn and should be replaced. 19