Snapper 150Z Series - Manual

4 WARNING: To avoid serious injury, operate your unit up and down the face of slopes, never across the face. Do not operate on slopes g reater than 10 de g rees. Make turns g radually to prevent tippin g or loss of control. Exercise extreme caution when chan g in g direction on slopes. Brakin g may ...

5 SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE Safe Handling of Gasoline 1. Extinguish all cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and other sources of ignition. 2. Use only approved gasoline containers.3. Never remove the gas cap or add fuel with the engine running. Allow the engine to cool before refueling. 4. Never fuel the machi...

6 SAFETY & OPERATION DECALS This unit has been designed and manufactured toprovide you with the safety and reliability you wouldexpect from an industry leader in outdoor powerequipment manufacturing. Although reading this manual and the safety instructionsit contains will provide you with the ne...

7 IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS ID Tag When contacting the service center for replacementparts, service, or information you MUST have thesenumbers. Record your model name/number, manufacturer’sidentification numbers, and engine serial numbers in thespace provided for easy access. The identification tag is ...

OPERATION 8 Ground Speed Levers These levers control the ground speed of the rider. Theleft lever controls the left rear drive wheel and the rightlever controls the right rear drive wheel. Pushing the levers out to the side, away from theoperator’s lap (top inset, Figure 1), is the proper positionfo...

9 Choke CLOSE the choke for cold starting (pull knob up). OPENthe choke once the engine starts (push knob down). Ifthe engine is warm, it may not require choking. If this isthe case, set the choke to OPEN (push the knob down)while cranking the engine. In most cases, you will needto close the choke i...

10 WARNING Never allow passengers to ride on the unit. Before leaving the operator’s position for anyreason, engage the parking brake and disengagethe PTO. Never leave the unit unattended (i.e. outof sight) with the engine running. To reduce fire hazard, keep the engine, rider andmower free of grass...

11 9. Stop the rider and engine (see STOPPING THE RIDER AND ENGINE). PUSHING THE RIDER BY HAND NOTE: Do not disengage the transmissions if parked ona slope. 1. Turn the mower blades OFF, push the ground speed control levers out to their START/PARK positions,engage the parking brake, turn the ignitio...

12 DRIVING PRACTICE - BASIC DRIVING WARNING: Never operate on slopes greater than 17.6% (10°). See SLOPE OPERATION in the safety section.Zero turn riders operate differently from other four-wheeled vehicles. The drive wheels are also yoursteering wheels. If you cannot drive the unit on a hill, youwi...

13 ADVANCED DRIVING Executing an End-Of-Row Zero Turn Your zero turn rider’s unique ability to turn inplace allows you to turn around at the end of acutting row rather than having to stop and makea Y-turn before starting a new row. For example, to execute a right end-of row zeroturn: 1. Slow down at...

16 MAINTENANCE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE The following schedules should be followed for normal care of your rider and mower. * More often in hot (over 85° F: 30° C) weather or dusty operating conditions. ** Check the function of the safety system after the unit has been stored for 30 days or longer. † Th...

17 Rider Maintenance Items ACCESSING THE ENGINECOMPARTMENT Lift up on the back edge of the seat deck to access theengine compartment. CLEAN DEBRIS FROM RIDER ANDENGINE COMPARTMENT Service Interval: Before each use. CAUTION: If debris is not removed from the enginecompartment and other hot surfaces, ...

18 Figure 20. Arbor Lubrication (3-Blade Model Shown, All Models Similar) Figure 18. Mower Lubrication - 42” Deck LUBRICATION Service Interval: 25 hours. Lubricate the unit at the locations shown in Figures 17through 23 as well as the following lubrication points. Grease: • front wheel grease fittin...

20 CLEAN DECK & CHECK / REPLACE MOWER BLADES Service Interval: 25 hours or as required. 1. Remove mower deck (see “Mower Deck Removal” in the OPERATION section). 2. See Figures 24 and 25. Remove blade to inspect it or to safely access the underside of the mower deck.Use a block of wood to preven...

22 CLEAN THE BATTERY AND CABLES Service Interval: 100 Hours 1. Disconnect the cables from the battery, negative cable first (B, Figure 30). 2. Remove the rubber strap securing the battery, and remove the battery. 3. Clean the battery and battery compartment with a solution of baking soda and water. ...

23 CHECK / ADJUST PTO CLUTCH Service Interval: 200 Hours. The Power Take Off (PTO) clutch drives the mowerblades. The PTO clutch is engaged and disengaged bythe mower blade switch. Check the PTO clutchadjustment every 200 hours of operation. Also performthe following procedure if the clutch is slipp...

24 Figure 33. Recommended Engine Oil - Briggs & Stratton Models Use oil classifie d API Se r vice Class SF, SG, SH, SJ o r bette r with SAE Viscosity: 100 80 60 40 20 32 0 -20 38 27 16 4 -7 0 -18 -30 ˚F ˚C 30 Co n ve n tio n al** Sy n thetic 5W-30, 10W-30 5W-30 10W-30 Co n ve n tio n al* *CAUTIO...

25 SERVICE AIR FILTER & PRE-CLEANER - 18.5 & 21 HPENGINES NOTE: Air filter configuration may differ from shown.Consult engine manual for further information. Interval: Pre-Cleaner: Every 25 hours or as required. Air Filter: Every 50 hours or as required. Replacement Interval: Pre-Cleaner: As...

27 1. P r e-Clea n e r Ai r Filte r 1. 2. 2. Figure 40. Air Filter Service REPLACE SPARK PLUG Service Interval: Yearly Spark Plug Gap: .030” (.76mm) 1. Stop the engine and allow it to cool. 2. Clean the area around the spark plug. 3. Remove the spark plug. 4. Check the spark plug gap. It should be ....

28 SERVICE & ADJUSTMENTS GROUND SPEED CONTROL LEVERADJUSTMENT The control levers have three adjustments: To Adjust Control Lever Height: Pull the levers in across the operator’s lap to their DRIVE positions.Loosen the mount bolts (D, Figure 42) and raise or lowerthe levers to the desired positio...

29 BRAKE ADJUSTMENT 1. Stop the unit, turn the ignition OFF, set the ground speed levers to START/PARK positions, set theparking brake lever to the ENGAGE position, and waitfor all moving parts to stop. 2. Locate the brake rod (A, Figure 44) and adjustment nut (B). 3. Measure the parking brake sprin...

30 Figure 45. Measure Blade Tips to GroundA. Mower DeckB. Blade TipC. Level Ground A B C Figure 46. Orient Blades Side-to-Side MOWER DECK LEVELING ADJUSTMENTS Side to Side Leveling - 33” Decks If the cut is uneven, the mower may need leveling.Unequal or improper tire pressure may also cause anuneven...

32 Figure 51. Orient Blades Front-to-Back Front To Back Leveling - 33” Deck If the cut is uneven, the mower may need leveling.Unequal or improper tire pressure may also cause anuneven cut. See CHECK TIRE PRESSURE. 1. Turn the blade front-to-back as shown in Figure 51. Measure the distance from the g...

34 MOWER BELT REPLACEMENT Mower Drive Belt Replacement - 33” Decks 1. Park the rider on a level surface. Disengage the PTO, turn off the engine, set the ground speed controllevers to START/PARK, and set the parking brakelever to ENGAGE. Remove the key. 2. Pull the idler pulley (C, Figure 55) to rele...

35 Mower Drive Belt Replacement - 50” Decks 1. Park the rider on a level surface. Disengage the PTO, turn off the engine, set the ground speed controllevers to START/PARK, and set the parking brake toENGAGE. Remove the key. 2. Use the idler pulley arm (K, Figure 57) to release belt tension and remov...

36 TROUBLESHOOTING While normal care and regular maintenance will extendthe life of your equipment, prolonged or constant usemay eventually require that service be performed to allowit to continue operating properly. The troubleshootingguide below lists the most common problems, theircauses and reme...

37 Troubleshooting the Mower PROBLEM CAUSE REMEDY Mower cuttingheight does notadjust. Cutting height motor screw dirty or requireslube. Thoroughly clean and lubricate cutting height motorscrew. Cutting height linkage disconnected. Check that mower linkage is connected. Mower cut isuneven. Rider tire...

38 SPECIFICATIONS ENGINE (18.5HP): Make Briggs & Stratton Model ELS Horsepower 18.5 @ 3600 rpm Displacement 30.59 Cu. in (500cc) ENGINE (21HP): Make Briggs & Stratton Model ELS Horsepower 21 @ 3600 rpm Displacement 30.59 Cu. in (500cc) ENGINE (24HP): Make Briggs & Stratton Model ELS Hors...

39 SERVICE ITEMS Replacement Parts Replacement parts are available from your authorizeddealer. Always use genuine Simplicity or SnapperService Parts. Technical Manuals Additional copies of this manual are available, as well asfully illustrated parts lists. These manuals show all of theproduct’s comp...

40 Lawn Care & Mowing Information LC-1 HOW AND WHEN TOWATER, FERTILIZE &AERATE Most lawns are watered too often,but with too little water. However too much water can allow develop-ment of diseases with your lawn. It is best to water the lawn only whennecessary, and then to water itslowly, ev...

41 LC-2 Lawn Care & Mowing Information WHEN AND HOW OFTEN TO MOW The time of day and condition of the grass greatly affect the results you’llget when mowing. For the best results, follow these guidelines: G Mow when the grass is between 3”-4” (7,5-10 cm) high. G Mow with sharp blades. Short clip...