Toro TimeCutter Z420 Riding Mower User manual

Brand: Toro

Model: TimeCutter Z420 Riding Mower

Category: Lawnmowers

Type: User manual

Form No. 3355-385 Rev A

TimeCutter® Z380 and Z420

Riding Mowers

Model No. 74301 —Serial No. 260020000 and Up

Model No. 74327 —Serial No. 260020000 and Up

Warning

CALIFORNIA

Pr oposition 65 W ar ning

T he engine exhaust fr om this pr oduct

contains chemicals kno wn to the State of

Calif or nia to cause cancer , bir th defects, or

other r epr oducti v e har m.

Important: T his engine is not equipped

with a spar k ar r ester muf ﬂer . It is a

violation of Calif or nia Public R esource Code

Section 4442 to use or operate the engine

on an y f or est-co v er ed, br ush-co v er ed, or

g rass-co v er ed land. Other states or federal

ar eas may ha v e similar la ws.

T his spark ignition system complies with Canadian

ICES-002

T he enclosed Engine Owner’ s Man ual is

supplied f or inf or mation r egarding the US

En vir onmental Pr otection Agency (EP A) and

the Calif or nia Emission Contr ol R egulation of

emission systems, maintenance, and w ar ranty .

R eplacements may be order ed thr ough the

engine man uf actur er .

F or models with stated engine horse po w er , the

g ross horse po w er of the engine w as laborator y

rated b y the engine man ufacturer in accordance

with SAE J1940. As conﬁgured to meet safety ,

emission, and operating requirements , the actual

engine horse po w er on this class of la wn mo w er

will be signiﬁcantly lo w er .

Introduction

R ead this infor mation carefully to lear n ho w to

operate and maintain y our product properly and

to a v oid injur y and product damag e . Y ou are

responsible for operating the product properly

and safely .

Y ou ma y contact T oro directly at www .T oro .com

for product and accessor y infor mation, help

ﬁnding a dealer , or to register y our product.

W henev er y ou need ser vice , g en uine T oro par ts ,

or additional infor mation, contact an A uthorized

Ser vice Dealer or T oro Customer Ser vice and ha v e

the model and serial n umbers of y our product

ready . Figure 1 identiﬁes the location of the model

and serial n umbers on the product. W rite the

n umbers in the space pro vided.

Figure 1

1. Model and serial number plate

W rite the product model and serial n umbers in the

space belo w:

Model No.

Serial No.

T his man ual identiﬁes potential hazards and has

safety messag es identiﬁed b y the safety aler t

symbol ( Figure 2 ), whic h signals a hazard that ma y

cause serious injur y or death if y ou do not follo w

the recommended precautions .

Figure 2

1. Safety alert symbol.

T his man ual uses tw o other w ords to highlight

infor mation. Impor tant calls attention to special

mec hanical infor mation and Note emphasizes

g eneral infor mation w or th y of special attention.

Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Safe Operating Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

T oro Riding Mo w er Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Slope Char t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Safety and Instr uctional Decals . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Product Ov er view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

8111 Lyndale Avenue South

Bloomington, MN 55420

Printed in the USA.

Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

T hink Safety First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

R ecommended Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Chec king the Engine Oil Lev el . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Star ting and Stopping the

Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Operating the Blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

T he Safety Interloc k System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Dri ving F orw ard or Bac kw ard . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Stopping the Mac hine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Adjusting the Height of Cut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

P ositioning the Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Adjusting the Motion Control

Lev ers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Pushing the Mac hine b y Hand . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Adjusting the F ootrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Side Disc harg e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Operating Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

R ecommended Maintenance

Sc hedule(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Premaintenance Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

R emo ving and Installing the

Engine Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Lubrication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Greasing the Bearings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Engine Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Ser vicing the Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Ser vicing the Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Ser vicing the Spark Plug . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Fuel System Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Draining the Fuel T ank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

R e placing the Fuel Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Electrical System Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Charging the Batter y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Ser vicing the Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Dri v e System Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Chec king the Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Mo w er Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Ser vicing the Cutting Blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Lev eling the Mo w er from

Side-to-Side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Adjusting the F ront-to-R ear Blade

Slope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

R emo ving the Mo w er . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Mo w er Belt Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Installing the Mo w er . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

R e placing the Grass Deﬂector . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

W ashing the Underside of the

Mo w er . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Storag e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Cleaning and Storag e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

T roubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Sc hematics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Safety

T his machine meets or ex ceeds the B71.1-2003

speciﬁcations of the American National

Standards Institute, in ef fect at the time

of pr oduction. Ho w ev er , impr oper use or

maintenance by the operator or o wner can

r esult in injur y . T o r educe the potential f or

injur y , compl y with these safety instr uctions

and al w ays pay attention to the safety

aler t symbol, which means CA UTION ,

W ARNING , or D ANGER-"per sonal safety

instr uction." F ailur e to compl y with the

instr uction may r esult in per sonal injur y or

death.

Safe Operating Practices

T he follo wing instr uctions are from ANSI

standard B71.1-2003.

T his product is capable of amputating hands and

feet and thro wing objects . Alw a ys follo w all safety

instr uctions to a v oid serious injur y or death.

General Operation

• R ead, understand, and follo w all instr uctions

in the operator’ s man ual and on the mac hine

before star ting .

• Do not place hands or feet near rotating par ts

or under the mac hine . K ee p clear of the

disc harg e opening at all times .

• Allo w only responsible adults who are familiar

with the instr uctions to operate the mac hine .

• Clear the area of objects suc h as roc ks , to ys ,

wire , etc ., whic h could be pic k ed up and

thro wn b y the blade .

• Be sure the area is clear of other people before

mo wing . Stop the mac hine if any one enters

the area.

• Nev er car r y passeng ers .

• Do not mo w in rev erse unless absolutely

necessar y . Alw a ys look do wn and behind

before and while bac king up .

• Be a w are of the mo w er disc harg e direction and

do not point it at any one . A v oid disc harging

material ag ainst a w all or obstr uction. Material

ma y ricoc het bac k to w ard the operator . Stop

the blade(s) when crossing g ra v el surfaces .

• Do not operate the mo w er without either the

entire g rass catc her or the guard in place .

• Be aler t, slo w do wn and use caution when

making tur ns . Look behind and to the side

before c hanging directions .

• Nev er lea v e a r unning mac hine unattended.

Alw a ys tur n off blades , set parking brak e , stop

engine , and remo v e k ey before dismounting .

• T ur n off blades when not mo wing . Stop the

engine and w ait for all par ts to come to a

complete stop before cleaning the mac hine ,

remo ving the g rass catc her or unclog ging the

disc harg e c hute .

• Operate the mac hine only in da ylight or g ood

ar tiﬁcial light.

• Do not operate the mac hine while under the

inﬂuence of alcohol or dr ugs .

• W atc h for trafﬁc when operating near or

crossing roadw a ys .

• Use extra care when loading or unloading the

mac hine into a trailer or tr uc k.

• Alw a ys w ear eye protection when operating

the mo w er .

• Data indicates that operators , ag e 60 years and

abo v e , are in v olv ed in a larg e percentag e of

riding mo w er -related injuries . T hese operators

should ev aluate their ability to operate the

riding mo w er safely enough to protect

themselv es and others from serious injur y .

• Alw a ys follo w the recommendations for wheel

w eights or counterw eights .

Slope Operation

Slopes are a major factor related to slip and

fall accidents , whic h can result in sev ere injur y .

Operation on all slopes requires extra caution. If

y ou feel uneasy on a slope , do not mo w it.

• W atc h for ditc hes , holes , roc ks , dips , and rises

that c hang e the operating angle , as rough

ter rain could o v er tur n the mac hine .

• Choose a lo w g round speed so y ou will not

ha v e to stop while operating on a slope .

• Do not mo w slopes when g rass is w et. Slipper y

conditions reduce traction and could cause

sliding and loss of control.

• Alw a ys k ee p the mac hine in g ear when g oing

do wn slopes . Do not shift to neutral and coast

do wnhill.

• R educe speed and use extreme caution on

slopes .

• Do not mak e sudden tur ns or rapid speed

c hang es .

• Use a w alk behind mo w er and/or a hand

trimmer near drop-offs , ditc hes , stee p banks

or w ater .

• R emo v e or mark obstacles suc h as roc ks , tree

limbs , etc . from the mo wing area. T all g rass

can hide obstacles .

• A v oid sudden star ts when mo wing uphill

because the mo w er ma y tip bac kw ards .

• Be a w are that loss of traction ma y occur g oing

do wnhill. W eight transfer to the front wheels

ma y cause dri v e wheels to slip and cause loss

of braking and steering .

• Alw a ys a v oid sudden star ting or stopping on

a slope . If tires lose traction, diseng ag e the

blades and proceed slo wly off the slope .

• Use extreme care with g rass catc hers or other

attac hments . T hese can c hang e the stability of

the mac hine and cause loss of control.

• Do not tr y to stabilize the mac hine b y putting

y our foot on the g round.

• Do not mo w near drop-offs , ditc hes , stee p

banks or w ater . W heels dropping o v er edg es

can cause rollo v ers , whic h ma y result in serious

injur y , death or dro wning .

Children

T ragic accidents can occur if the operator is not

aler t to the presence of c hildren. Children are

often attracted to the mac hine and the mo wing

acti vity . Nev er assume that c hildren will remain

where y ou last sa w them.

• K ee p c hildren out of the mo wing area and

under the w atc hful care of another responsible

adult, not the operator .

• Be aler t and tur n the mac hine off if c hildren

enter the area.

• Before and while bac king or c hanging

direction, look behind, do wn, and side-to-side

for small c hildren.

• Nev er car r y c hildren, ev en with the blades off .

T hey ma y fall off and be seriously injured or

interfere with safe mac hine operation.

• Children who ha v e been gi v en rides in the past

ma y suddenly appear in the mo wing area for

another ride and be r un o v er or bac k ed o v er

b y the mo w er .

• Nev er allo w c hildren to operate the mac hine .

• Use extra care when approac hing blind cor ners ,

shr ubs , trees , the end of a fence or other

objects that ma y obscure vision.

Towing

• T o w only with a mac hine that has a hitc h

designed for to wing . Do not attac h to w ed

equipment ex ce pt at the hitc h point.

• T his product has a limited to wing capacity

for small attac hments up to 100 lbs; suc h

as leaf sw ee pers and spreaders . T o wing of

attac hments should be limited to ﬂat g round.

• Nev er allo w c hildren or others in or on to w ed

equipment.

• On slopes , the w eight of to w ed equipment ma y

cause a loss of traction and control. T o wing on

slopes is not recommended.

• T ra v el slo wly and allo w extra distance to stop .

Service

Safe Handling of Gasoline:

T o a v oid personal injur y or proper ty damag e , use

extra care when handling g asoline and other fuels .

T hey are ﬂammable and the v apors are explosi v e .

• Extinguish all cig arettes , cig ars , pipes and other

sources of ignition.

• Use only an appro v ed container .

• Nev er remo v e the g as cap or add fuel when

the engine is r unning . Allo w the engine to cool

before refueling .

• Nev er refuel the mac hine indoors .

• Nev er store the mac hine or fuel container

inside where there is an open ﬂame , suc h as

near a w ater heater or fur nace .

• Nev er ﬁll containers inside a v ehicle or on

a tr uc k or trailer with a plastic liner . Alw a ys

place containers on the g round a w a y from y our

v ehicle before ﬁlling .

• R emo v e g as-po w ered equipment from the

tr uc k or trailer and refuel it on the g round. If

this is not possible , then refuel suc h equipment

with a por table container , rather than from a

g asoline dispenser nozzle .

• K ee p the nozzle in contact with the rim of the

fuel tank or container opening at all times until

the fueling is complete . Do not use a nozzle

loc k-open device .

• If fuel is spilled on clothing, c hang e clothing

immediately .

• Nev er o v erﬁll the fuel tank. R e place g as cap

and tighten securely .

General Ser vice:

• Nev er r un a mac hine inside a closed area.

• K ee p n uts and bolts tight, especially the blade

attac hment bolts . K ee p equipment in g ood

condition.

• Nev er tamper with safety devices . Chec k their

proper operation regularly .

• K ee p the mac hine free of g rass , lea v es , or other

debris build-up . Clean up oil or fuel spillag e

fuel soak ed debris . Allo w the mac hine to cool

before storing .

• Stop and inspect the equipment if y ou strik e an

object. R e pair , if necessar y , before restar ting .

• Nev er mak e any adjustments or re pairs with

the engine r unning .

• Grass catc her components are subject to w ear ,

damag e and deterioration, whic h could expose

mo ving par ts or allo w objects to be thro wn.

F requently c hec k components and re place

with man ufacturer’ s recommended par ts , when

necessar y .

• Mo w er blades are shar p and can cut. W rap the

blade(s) or w ear glo v es , and use extra caution

when ser vicing them.

• Chec k for proper brak e operation frequently .

Adjust and ser vice as required.

• Maintain or re place safety and instr uction

decals as necessar y .

• Use only g en uine T oro re placement par ts to

ensure that original standards are maintained.

Toro Riding Mower Safety

T he follo wing list contains safety infor mation

speciﬁc to T oro products or other safety

infor mation that y ou m ust kno w that is not

included in the ANSI standards .

• Do not mo w slopes g reater than 12.5 deg rees .

• Engine exhaust contains carbon mono xide ,

whic h is an odorless , deadly poison that can

kill y ou. Do not r un engine indoors or in an

enclosed area.

• Stop the engine , disconnect spark plug wire(s)

and remo v e k ey before perfor ming any ser vice ,

re pairs , maintenance or adjustments .

• K ee p hands , feet, hair , and loose clothing a w a y

from attac hment disc harg e area, underside of

mo w er and any mo ving par ts while engine is

r unning .

• Do not touc h equipment or attac hment par ts

whic h ma y be hot from operation. Allo w to

cool before attempting to maintain, adjust or

ser vice .

• Batter y acid is poisonous and can cause bur ns .

A v oid contact with skin, eyes , and clothing .

Protect y our face , eyes , and clothing when

w orking with a batter y .

• Batter y g ases can explode . K ee p cig arettes ,

sparks and ﬂames a w a y from batter y .

• Use only T oro appro v ed attac hments .

W ar ranty ma y be v oided if used with

unappro v ed attac hments .

• If loading the mac hine onto a trailer or tr uc k,

use a single , full-width ramp only . T he ramp

angle should not ex ceed 12.5 deg rees .

Note: Deter mine the left and right sides

of the mac hine from the nor mal operating

position.

Slope Chart

Safety and Instructional

Decals

Safety decals and instr uctions are easily visible to the operator and are located near any

area of potential dang er . R e place any decal that is damag ed or lost.

93-6677

1. Warning—don’t operate the mower with the deector up or

removed; keep the deector in place.

2. Cutting/dismemberment hazard of hand or foot, mower

blade—stay away from moving parts.

93-7009

1. Warning—don’t operate the mower with the deector up or

removed; keep the deector in place.

2. Cutting/dismemberment hazard of hand or foot, mower

blade—stay away from moving parts.

93-7010

1. Thrown object hazard—keep bystanders a safe distance from

the machine.

2. Thrown object hazard, mower—keep the deector in place.

3. Cutting/dismemberment of hand or foot—stay away from

moving parts.

110-1868

1. Thrown object hazard, mower—keep the deector in place.

2. Thrown object hazard—Keep bystanders a safe distance from

the machine; Do not operate the without grass collection

system in place.

3. Cutting/dismemberment of hand or foot—stay away from

moving parts.

Manufacturer’s Mark

1. Indicates the blade is identied as a part from the original

machine manufacturer.

105-7015

108-2392

106-2224

1. Throttle 7. Headlights

2. Choke

8. Engine—stop

3. Fast

9. Engine—run

4. Continuous variable setting

10. Engine—start

5. Slow

11. Ignition

6. Power take-off (PTO), Blade

control switch on some

models

108-6109

1. To push the machine, move tow levers forward and then

out to lock them into position.

106-8717

1. Read the instructions before servicing or performing

maintenance.

2. Check tire pressure every 25 operating hours.

3. Grease every 25 operating hours.

4. Engine

106-8742

1. Parking brake

106-8743

1. Height of cut

Battery Symbols

Some or all of these symbols are on your battery

1. Explosion hazard 6. Keep bystanders a safe

distance from the battery.

2. No re, open ame, or

smoking.

7. Wear eye protection;

explosive gases can cause

blindness and other injuries

3. Caustic liquid/chemical

burn hazard

8. Battery acid can cause

blindness or severe burns.

4. Wear eye protection

9. Flush eyes immediately

with water and get medical

help fast.

5. Read the Operator’s

Manual.

10. Contains lead; do not

discard.

110-6567

1. Warning—read the Operator’s Manual.

2. Warning—read the instructions before servicing or performing maintenance; move the motion control levers to the brake position,

remove the ignition key and disconnect the spark plug wire.

3. Cutting/dismemberment hazard, mower blade; entanglement hazard, belt—do not open or remove safety shields while engine is

running.

4. Loss of traction/control hazard, slopes—loss of traction/control on a slope, disengage the blade control switch (PTO), proceed

off the slope slowly.

5. Crushing/dismemberment hazard of bystanders, reversing; crushing/dismemberment hazard of bystanders—do not carry

passengers, look behind and down when reversing.

6. Tipping hazard—do not mow up and down slopes, only mow across slopes less than 15 degrees, avoid sudden and sharp

turns while on slopes.

7. Thrown object hazard—keep bystanders a safe distance from the machine, pick up debris before operating, keep deector in place.

Product Overview

Figure 3

1. Seat

4. Height of cut lever 7. Front caster wheel 10. Anti-scalp roller

2. Control levers 5. Mower deck 8. Rear drive wheel

3. Control panel

6. Footrest

9. Cup holder

Controls

Become familiar with all of the controls Figure 5

and Figure 4 before y ou star t the engine and

operate the mac hine .

Figure 4

1. Motion control lever 3. Gas tank cap

2. Height-of-cut lever

Figure 5

1. Ignition switch 3. Blade control switch

(power take-off)

2. Throttle/Choke

Parking Brake

T he parking brak e is automatically set when the

motion control lev ers are in the brak e position.

Alw a ys position the motion control lev ers into the

brak e position when y ou stop the mac hine or lea v e

it unattended.

Operation

Note: Deter mine the left and right sides of the

mac hine from the nor mal operating position.

Think Safety First

Please carefully read all of the safety instr uctions

and decals in the safety section. Kno wing this

infor mation could help y ou, y our family , pets or

b ystanders a v oid injur y .

Mo wing on w et g rass or steep slopes can

cause sliding and loss of contr ol.

W heels dr opping o v er edges can cause

r ollo v er s, which may r esult in serious injur y ,

death or dr o wning .

T o a v oid loss of contr ol and possibility of

r ollo v er :

• Do not mo w near dr op-of fs or near w ater .

• Do not mo w slopes g r eater than

12.5 deg r ees.

• R educe speed and use extr eme caution

on slopes.

• A v oid sudden tur ns or rapid speed

changes.

Figure 6

1. Safe Zone-use the TimeCutter here

2. Use walk behind mower and/or hand trimmer near drop-offs

and water.

3. Water

Recommended Gasoline

Use UNLEADED R egular Gasoline suitable

for automoti v e use (87 pump octane minim um).

Leaded regular g asoline ma y be used if unleaded

regular is not a v ailable .

Important: Nev er use methanol, gasoline

containing methanol, or gasohol containing

mor e than 10% ethanol because the fuel

system could be dama ged. Do not mix oil

with gasoline.

In cer tain conditions, gasoline is extr emel y

ﬂamma ble and highl y explosi v e. A ﬁr e or

explosion fr om gasoline can bur n y ou and

other s and can dama ge pr oper ty .

• Fill the fuel tank outdoor s, in an open

ar ea, when the engine is cold. W ipe up

an y gasoline that spills.

• Nev er ﬁll the fuel tank inside an enclosed

trailer .

• Do not ﬁll the fuel tank completel y full.

Add gasoline to the fuel tank until the

lev el is 1/4 to 1/2 inch (6 to 13 mm)

belo w the bottom of the ﬁller neck. T his

empty space in the tank allo ws gasoline

to expand.

• Nev er smok e when handling gasoline,

and stay a w ay fr om an open ﬂame or

wher e gasoline fumes may be ignited by

a spar k.

• Stor e gasoline in an appr o v ed container

and k eep it out of the r each of childr en.

Nev er buy mor e than a 30-day suppl y of

gasoline.

• Do not operate without entir e exhaust

system in place and in pr oper w or king

condition.

In cer tain conditions during fueling , static

electricity can be r eleased causing a spar k

which can ignite the gasoline v apor s. A ﬁr e

or explosion fr om gasoline can bur n y ou and

other s and can dama ge pr oper ty .

• Al w ays place gasoline container s on the

g r ound a w ay fr om y our v ehicle bef or e

ﬁlling .

• Do not ﬁll gasoline container s inside

a v ehicle or on a tr uck or trailer bed

because interior car pets or plastic tr uck

bed liner s may insulate the container and

slo w the loss of an y static charge.

• W hen practical, r emo v e gas-po w er ed

equipment fr om the tr uck or trailer and

r efuel the equipment with its wheels on

the g r ound.

• If this is not possible, then r efuel such

equipment on a tr uck or trailer fr om a

por ta ble container , rather than fr om a

gasoline dispenser nozzle.

• If a gasoline dispenser nozzle must be

used, k eep the nozzle in contact with the

rim of the fuel tank or container opening

at all times until fueling is complete.

Gasoline is har mful or f atal if s w allo w ed.

Long-ter m exposur e to v apor s can cause

serious injur y and illness.

• A v oid pr olonged br eathing of v apor s.

• K eep f ace a w ay fr om nozzle and gas tank

or conditioner opening .

• K eep gas a w ay fr om ey es and skin.

Using Stabilizer/Conditioner

Use a fuel stabilizer/conditioner in the mac hine to

pro vide the follo wing beneﬁts:

• K ee ps g asoline fresh during storag e of 30 da ys

or less . F or long er storag e it is recommended

that the fuel tank be drained.

• Cleans the engine while it r uns

• Eliminates gum-lik e v ar nish buildup in the fuel

system, whic h causes hard star ting

Important: Do not use fuel additi v es

containing methanol or ethanol.

Add the cor rect amount of g as

stabilizer/conditioner to the g as .

Note: A fuel stabilizer/conditioner is most

effecti v e when mix ed with fresh g asoline . T o

minimize the c hance of v ar nish de posits in the fuel

system, use fuel stabilizer at all times .

Filling the Fuel Tank

1. Shut the engine off and set the parking brak e .

2. Clean around the fuel tank cap and remo v e

the cap . Add unleaded regular g asoline to the

fuel tank until the lev el is 1/4 to 1/2 inc h

(6 to 13 mm) belo w the bottom of the ﬁller

nec k. T his space in the tank allo ws g asoline to

expand. Do not ﬁll the fuel tank completely

full.

3. Install the fuel tank cap securely . Wipe up any

g asoline that ma y ha v e spilled.

Checking the Engine Oil

Level

Before y ou star t the engine and use the mac hine ,

c hec k the oil lev el in the engine crankcase; refer to

Chec king the Oil Lev el in Engine Maintenance ,

pag e 23 .

Starting and Stopping the

Engine

Starting the Engine

1. Sit do wn on the seat and mo v e the motion

controls to the brak e position.

2. Diseng ag e the blades b y mo ving the blade

control switc h to Off ( Figure 7 ).

Figure 7

1. Blade control switch—On 2. Blade control switch—Off

3. Mo v e the throttle lev er to Chok e before

star ting a cold engine ( Figure 8 ).

Note: A w ar m or hot engine ma y not require

c hoking .

4. T ur n the ignition k ey to Star t to energize the

star ter . W hen the engine star ts , release the k ey .

Important: Do not enga ge the star ter

f or mor e than 10 seconds at a time. If the

engine f ails to star t, allo w a 60 second

cool-do wn period betw een attempts.

F ailur e to f ollo w these instr uctions can

bur n out the star ter motor .

5. After the engine star ts , mo v e the throttle

lev er to F ast ( Figure 8 ). If the engine stalls

or hesitates , mo v e the throttle lev er bac k to

Chok e for a few seconds . T hen mo v e the

throttle lev er to the desired setting . R e peat this

as required.

Figure 8

1. Engine

3. Fast

2. Choke 4. Slow

Figure 9

1. Off

3. Start

2. Run

4. Ignition

Stopping the Engine

1. Mo v e the throttle lev er to F ast ( Figure 8 ).

2. Diseng ag e the blades b y mo ving the blade

control switc h to Off ( Figure 7 ).

3. T ur n the ignition k ey to Off ( Figure 9 ).

4. Pull the wire off of the spark plug(s) to prev ent

the possibility of someone accidentally star ting

the mac hine before transpor ting or storing the

mac hine .

5. Close the fuel shut-off v alv e under the front

of the fuel tank before transpor ting or storing

the mac hine .

Important: Mak e sur e the fuel shut-of f

v alv e is closed bef or e transpor ting or

storing the machine, as fuel leaka ge may

occur .

Operating the Blades

T he blade control switc h, re presented b y a po w er

tak e-off (PTO) symbol, eng ag es and diseng ag es

po w er to the mo w er blades . T his switc h controls

po w er to any attac hments that dra w po w er from

the engine , including the mo w er dec k and cutting

blades .

Engaging the Blades

1. R elease pressure on the traction control lev ers

and place the mac hine in neutral.

2. Mo v e the throttle to the F ast position.

3. Pull out on the blade control switc h to eng ag e

blades ( Figure 10 ).

Figure 10

1. Blade control switch-On 2. Blade control switch-Off

Disengaging the Blades

Push the blade control switc h to Off to diseng ag e

the blades ( Figure 10 ).

The Safety Interlock System

If safety inter lock s witches ar e disconnected

or dama ged the machine could operate

unexpectedl y causing per sonal injur y .

• Do not tamper with the inter lock

s witches.

• Check the operation of the inter lock

s witches dail y and r eplace an y dama ged

s witches bef or e operating the machine.

Understanding the Safety Interlock

System

T he safety interloc k system is designed to prev ent

the engine from star ting unless:

• T he blades are diseng ag ed.

• T he motion control lev ers are in the brak e

position.

T he safety interloc k system also is designed to stop

the engine when the control lev ers are out of the

brak e position and y ou rise from the seat when

the blades are eng ag ed.

Testing the Safety Interlock System

T est the safety interloc k system before y ou use

the mac hine eac h time . If the safety system

does not operate as described belo w , ha v e an

A uthorized Ser vice Dealer re pair the safety system

immediately .

1. W hile sitting on the seat, with the control

lev ers in brak e position, and mo v e the blade

control switc h to On. T r y star ting the engine;

the engine should not crank.

2. W hile sitting on the seat, mo v e the blade

control switc h to Off . Mo v e either motion

control lev er to the center , unloc k ed position.

T r y star ting the engine; the engine should not

crank. R e peat with the other motion control

lev er .

3. W hile sitting on the seat, mo v e the blade

control switc h to Off , and loc k the motion

control lev ers in neutral. Star t the engine .

W hile the engine is r unning, eng ag e the blade

control switc h, and rise slightly from the seat;

the engine should stop .

4. W hile sitting on the seat, mo v e the blade

control switc h to Off , and loc k the motion

control lev ers in neutral. Star t the engine .

W hile the engine is r unning, mo v e the motion

control lev ers to the center , unloc k ed position,

eng ag e the blade control switc h, and rise

slightly from the seat; the engine should stop .

Driving Forward or

Backward

T he throttle control regulates the engine speed as

measured in r pm (rev olutions per min ute). Place

the throttle control in the F ast position for best

perfor mance . Alw a ys operate in the full throttle

position.

T he machine can spin v er y rapidl y . T he

operator may lose contr ol of the machine

and cause per sonal injur y or dama ge to the

machine.

• Use caution when making tur ns.

• Slo w the machine do wn bef or e making

shar p tur ns.

Forward

1. Mo v e the lev ers to the center , unloc k ed

position.

2. T o g o forw ard, slo wly push the motion control

lev ers forw ard ( Figure 11 ).

Figure 11

1. Center unlock position 3. Backward

2. Forward 4. Brake position

T o g o straight, apply equal pressure to both

motion control lev ers ( Figure 11 ).

T o tur n, release pressure on the motion control

lev er to w ard the direction y ou w ant to tur n

( Figure 11 ).

T he far ther y ou mo v e the traction control

lev ers in either direction, the faster the mac hine

will mo v e in that direction.

T o stop , pull the motion control lev ers to

neutral.

Backward

1. Mo v e the lev ers to the center , unloc k ed

position.

2. T o g o bac kw ard, slo wly pull the motion control

lev ers rearw ard ( Figure 11 ).

T o g o straight, apply equal pressure to both

motion control lev ers ( Figure 11 ).

T o tur n, release the pressure on the motion

control lev er to w ard the direction y ou w ant to

tur n ( Figure 11 ).

T o stop , push the motion control lev ers to

neutral.

Stopping the Machine

T o stop the mac hine , mo v e the traction control

lev ers to neutral and se parate to the brak e position,

diseng ag e the blade control switc h, ensure the

throttle is in the fast position, and tur n the ignition

k ey to off . R emember to remo v e the k ey from the

ignition switc h.

Childr en or bystander s may be injur ed if

they mo v e or attempt to operate the mo w er

while it is unattended.

Al w ays r emo v e the ignition k ey and mo v e the

motion contr ol lev er s to the brak e position

when lea ving the machine unattended, ev en

if just f or a few min utes.

Adjusting the Height of Cut

T he height of cut is adjusted from 1-1/2 to

4-1/2 inc h (38 to 114 mm) in 1/2 inc h (13 mm)

increments b y mo ving the height-of-cut lev er in

different locations .

1. Raise the height-of-cut lev er to the transpor t

position (also the 4-1/2 inc h (114 mm) cutting

height position ( Figure 12 ).

2. T o adjust, pull up on the height-of-cut lev er

and mo v e it to the desired position ( Figure 12 ).

Figure 12

1. Height-of-cut lever 2. Height-of-cut positions

Positioning the Seat

T he seat can mo v e forw ard and bac kw ard.

P osition the seat where y ou ha v e the best control

of the mac hine and are most comfor table .

1. Raise the seat and loosen the adjustment knobs

enough to mo v e the seat ( Figure 13 ).

Important: Mak e sur e that the spacer s

stay in place when loosening the knobs

to mo v e the seat. Loss of the spacer s can

r esult in dama ge to the seat.

2. Mo v e the seat to the desired position and

tighten the knobs .

Figure 13

1. Adjustment knobs

Adjusting the Motion

Control Levers

T he motion control lev ers can be adjusted higher

or lo w er for maxim um operator comfor t.

1. R emo v e the 2 bolts holding the control lev er

to the control ar m shaft ( Figure 14 ).

2. Mo v e the control lev er to the next set of holes .

Secure the lev er with the 2 bolts ( Figure 14 ).

Figure 14

1. Control lever 3. Control arm shaft

2. Bolt

3. R e peat the adjustment for the opposite control

lev er .

Pushing the Machine by

Hand

Important: Al w ays push the machine

by hand. Nev er to w the machine because

dama ge may occur .

To Push the Machine

1. P ark the mac hine on a lev el surface and

diseng ag e the blade control switc h.

2. Mo v e the motion control lev ers outw ard to

eng ag e the parking brak e , stop the engine ,

remo v e the k ey , and w ait for all mo ving par ts

to stop before lea ving the operating position.

3. Raise the seat to access the b ypass lev ers

( Figure 15 ).

4. Mo v e the tw o b ypass lev ers forw ard and then

outw ard to loc k them in place as sho wn in

Figure 15 .

5. Mo v e the motion control lev ers inw ard to

diseng ag e the parking brak e .

T he mac hine is no w able to be pushed b y hand.

Figure 15

1. Bypass levers 3. Lever position for operating

the machine

2. Lever position for pushing

the machine

To Operate the Machine

Mo v e the b ypass lev ers to the inside and pull them

rearw ard, to the end the slot ( Figure 15 ).

Note: T he mac hine will not dri v e unless the

b ypass lev ers are diseng ag ed.

Adjusting the Footrest

T he footrest can be adjusted forw ard or bac kw ard

for maxim um operator comfor t.

Lift up the footrest and place the rods in the same

hole positions ( Figure 16 ).

Figure 16

1. Footrest

3. Hole positions

2. Rod

Side Discharge

T he mo w er has a hing ed g rass deﬂector that

disperses clippings to the side and do wn to w ard

the turf .

W ithout the g rass deﬂector , discharge

co v er , or complete g rass catcher assembl y

mounted in place, y ou and other s ar e

exposed to blade contact and thr o wn de bris.

Contact with r otating mo w er blade(s) and

thr o wn de bris will cause injur y or death.

• Nev er r emo v e the g rass deﬂector fr om

the mo w er because the g rass deﬂector

r outes material do wn to w ard the turf.

If the g rass deﬂector is ev er dama ged,

r eplace it immediatel y .

• Nev er put y our hands or feet under the

mo w er .

• Nev er tr y to clear discharge ar ea or

mo w er blades unless y ou mo v e the blade

contr ol s witch to Of f and r otate the

ignition k ey to Of f. Also r emo v e the k ey

and pull the wir e of f the spar k plug(s).

Operating Tips

Fast Throttle Setting

F or best mo wing and maxim um air circulation,

operate the engine at the F ast position. Air is

required to thoroughly cut g rass clippings , so

do not set the height-of-cut so lo w as to totally

sur round the mo w er b y uncut g rass . Alw a ys tr y to

ha v e one side of the mo w er free from uncut g rass ,

whic h allo ws air to be dra wn into the mo w er .

Cutting a Lawn for the First Time

Cut g rass slightly long er than nor mal to ensure

that the cutting height of the mo w er does not

scalp any unev en g round. Ho w ev er , the cutting

height used in the past is g enerally the best one to

use . W hen cutting g rass long er than six inc hes tall,

y ou ma y w ant to cut the la wn twice to ensure an

acce ptable quality of cut.

Cut 1/3 of the Grass Blade

It is best to cut only about 1/3 of the g rass blade .

Cutting more than that is not recommended unless

g rass is sparse , or it is late fall when g rass g ro ws

more slo wly .

Mowing Direction

Alter nate mo wing direction to k ee p the g rass

standing straight. T his also helps disperse clippings

whic h enhances decomposition and fer tilization.

Mow at Correct Intervals

Nor mally , mo w ev er y four da ys . But remember ,

g rass g ro ws at different rates at different times .

So to maintain the same cutting height, whic h is a

g ood practice , mo w more often in early spring . As

the g rass g ro wth rate slo ws in mid summer , mo w

less frequently . If y ou cannot mo w for an extended

period, ﬁrst mo w at a high cutting height; then

mo w ag ain tw o da ys later at a lo w er height setting .

Cutting Speed

T o impro v e cut quality , use a slo w er g round speed.

Avoid Cutting Too Low

If the cutting width of the mo w er is wider than the

mo w er y ou previously used, raise the cutting height

to ensure that unev en turf is not cut too shor t.

Long Grass

If the g rass is ev er allo w ed to g ro w slightly long er

than nor mal, or if it contains a high deg ree of

moisture , raise the cutting height higher than usual

and cut the g rass at this setting . T hen cut the g rass

ag ain using the lo w er , nor mal setting .

When Stopping

If the mac hine’ s forw ard motion m ust be stopped

while mo wing, a clump of g rass clippings ma y

drop onto y our la wn. T o a v oid this , mo v e onto a

previously cut area with the blades eng ag ed.

Keep the Underside of the Mower

Clean

Clean clippings and dir t from the underside of the

mo w er after eac h use . If g rass and dir t build up

inside the mo w er , cutting quality will ev entually

become unsatisfactor y .

Blade Maintenance

Maintain a shar p blade throughout the cutting

season because a shar p blade cuts cleanly without

tearing or shredding the g rass blades . T earing and

shredding tur ns g rass bro wn at the edg es , whic h

slo ws g ro wth and increases the c hance of disease .

Chec k the cutter blades daily for shar pness , and

for any w ear or damag e . File do wn any nic ks

and shar pen the blades as necessar y . If a blade is

damag ed or w or n, re place it immediately with a

g en uine T oro re placement blade .

Safe Towing Practices

T o w only with a mac hine that has a hitc h designed

for to wing . Do not attac h to w ed equipment ex ce pt

at the hitc h point. T his product has a limited

to wing capacity for small attac hments up to 100

lbs (45 kg); suc h as leaf sw ee pers and spreaders .

T o wing of attac hments should be limited to ﬂat

g round. Nev er allo w c hildren or others in or on

to w ed equipment. On slopes , the w eight of to w ed

equipment ma y cause a loss of traction and control.

T o wing on slopes is not r ecommended. T ra v el

slo wly and allo w extra distance to stop .

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Toro TimeCutter Z420 Riding Mower User manual

Brand: Toro

Model: TimeCutter Z420 Riding Mower

Category: Lawnmowers

Type: User manual

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Toro TimeCutter Z420 Riding Mower User manual

Toro TimeCutter Z420 Riding Mower User manual

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