Poulan 96042002700 User Manual

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ADD GASOLINE 
•      Fill fuel tank to bottom of fi ller neck. Do not overfi ll.  Use 
fresh, clean, regular un lead ed gasoline with a minimum of 
87 octane.  (Use of  leaded gasoline will increase carbon 
and lead oxide deposits and reduce valve life).  Do not 
mix oil with gasoline.  Purchase fuel in quan ti ties that can 
be used within 30 days to assure fuel freshness.
CAUTION:  Wipe off any spilled oil or 
fuel.  Do not store, spill or use gasoline 
near an open fl ame.
IMPORTANT:  WHEN OPERATING IN TEMPERATURES 
BELOW32°F(0°C), USE FRESH, CLEAN WINTER GRADE 
GAS O LINE TO HELP INSURE GOOD COLD WEATHER 
START ING.
CAUTION:  Alcohol blended fuels (called gasohol or 
using ethanol or methanol) can attract moisture which 
leads to sep a ra tion and for ma tion of acids during 
storage.  Acidic gas can damage the fuel system of 
an engine while in storage.  To avoid engine problems, 
the fuel system should be emptied before stor age 
of 30 days or longer.  Drain the gas tank, start the 
engine and let it run until the fuel lines and carburetor 
are empty.  Use fresh fuel next season.  See Storage 
In struc tions for additional information.  Never use 
engine or carburetor cleaner products in the fuel 
tank or permanent damage may occur.
OPERATION
TO START ENGINE (See Fig. X)
When starting the engine for the fi rst time or if the engine 
has run out of fuel, it will take extra cranking time to move 
fuel from the tank to the engine.
•         Be sure freewheel control is in the transmission en gaged 
position.
•      Sit on seat in operating position, depress clutch/brake 
pedal and set parking brake.
•      Place motion control lever in neutral (N) position.
•      Move attachment clutch to “DISENGAGED” position.
•      Move throttle control to fast position
•      Pull choke control out for a cold engine start attempt. 
For a warm engine start attempt the choke control may 
not be needed.
NOTE: Before starting, read the warm and cold starting 
procedures below.
•     Insert key into ignition and turn key clockwise to 
“START” position and release key as soon as engine 
starts. Do not run starter continuously for more than 
fi fteen sec onds per minute. If the engine does not start 
after several attempts, push choke control in, wait a 
few minutes and try again. If engine still does not start, 
pull the choke control out and retry.
WARM WEATHER STARTING (50° F and above)
•      When engine starts, slowly push choke control in until 
the engine begins to run smoothly. If the engine starts 
to run roughly, pull the choke control out slightly for a 
few seconds and then continue to push the control in 
slowly.
•      The attachments and ground drive can now be used. If 
the engine does not accept the load, restart the engine 
and allow it to warm up for one minute using the choke 
as described above.
COLD WEATHER STARTING (50° F and below)
•      When engine starts, slowly push choke control in until 
the engine begins to run smoothly. Continue to push 
the choke control in small steps allowing the engine to 
accept small changes in speed and load, until the choke 
control is fully in. If the engine starts to run roughly, pull 
the choke control out slightly for a few seconds and then 
continue to push the control in slowly. This may require 
an engine warm-up period from several sec onds to 
several minutes, depending on the temperature.
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WARM UP
•         Before driving the unit in cold weather, the trans mis sion 
should be warmed up as follows:
•     Be sure the tractor is on level ground.
•     Place the motion control lever in neu tral.  
Re lease the parking brake and let the clutch/brake 
slowly return to operating po si tion.
•     Allow one minute for transmission to warm up. This 
can be done during the engine warm up period.
•         The attachments can be used during the engine warm-up 
period after the transmission has been warmed up and 
may require the choke con trol be pulled out slight ly.
NOTE: If at a high altitude (above 3000 feet) or in cold 
temperatures (below 32 F) the carburetor fuel mixture may 
need to be adjusted for best engine performance. See “TO 
ADJUST CARBURETOR” in the Service and Ad just ments 
section of this manual.
PURGE TRANSMISSION
CAUTION:  Never engage or disengage 
freewheel lever while the engine is run-
 ning.
To ensure proper operation and performance, it is rec om -
mend ed that the transmission be purged before operating 
tractor for the fi rst time. This procedure will remove any 
trapped air inside the transmission which may have de-
 vel oped during shipping of your tractor.
IMPORTANT:  SHOULD YOUR TRANSMISSION RE 
QUIRE 
REMOVAL FOR SERVICE OR REPLACEMENT, IT SHOULD 
BE PURGED AFTER REINSTALLATION BEFORE OPERATING 
THE TRACTOR.
1.    Place tractor safely on a level surface - that is clear and 
open - with engine off and parking brake set.
2.   Disengage transmission by placing freewheel control 
in freewheeling position (See “TO TRANSPORT” in this 
section of manual).
3.    Sitting in the tractor seat, start engine. After the engine 
is running, move throttle control to slow position. With 
motion control lever in neutral (N) po si tion, slowly dis-
engage clutch/brake pedal.