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GRILLO WALK BEHIND TRACTORS "GETTING STARTED" QUICK TIPS

SHIFT ROD MOUNTING – G85, G85D & G107

The gearshift rods of your new Grillo walk-behind tractor are shipped loose from the tractor, as the tractor will not typically fit in the carton with the rods mounted. Mounting them is fairly intuitive, but here are some tips anyway:

1. Take the pins and washers off each rod, and take the plastic “Joints” or “knuckles” off the two rods that have them.

2. Note that there are 3 short levers on the tractor transmission that will need the long rods hooked up to them: 2 round steel levers and 1 shorter flat steel lever: The shorter flat steel lever (the forward/reverse lever) already has the plastic “Joint” on it.

3. Slip the two Joints you have taken off the long rods onto the tops of the round levers on the tractor.

4. Thread the rods down through the rubber-cushioned support holes at the top of the handlebar column…NOTE THAT WITH THE HANDLEBARS IN THE REAR-PTO (tilling) MODE, THE FWD/REV ROD (BLACK GRIP) GOES IN A “TOP” HOLE; WHEN HANDLEBARS ARE IN THE FRONT-PTO (mowing) MODE, THIS ROD NEEDS TO GO IN A “BOTTOM” HOLE.

5. Hook up rods as pictured. NOTE: We find it is best to install the rods so that the “bend” at the bottom of the rods face IN toward the transmission, and, as pictured, with the joint rotated “away” from the handlebars, for maximum leverage.

REAR-PTO MODE: PTO LEVER FWD/REV LEVER SPEED SELECTOR LEVER

FRONT –PTO MODE: PTO LEVER FWD/REV LEVER (speed selector lever on other side…but you get the idea)

Model G107 (ONLY)(ONLY)(ONLY)(ONLY) CONTROL POSITIONING INSTRUCTIONS

HAND-GRIP LEVER POSITIONING : FOR SHIPPING, the hand-grip lever assemblies are typically loosened and rotated inward so the tractor can fit in the original carton, as in the pictures below:

Left handle Right handle

Rotate the handles out to the positions SHOWN BELOW, and use two 10mm wrenches / ratchet to tighten the clamp bolts, which will clamp the lever sets in place:

Left handle Close-up of left handle-- Right handle

Make sure to position clutch Lever with “trigger” DIRECTLY

BENEATH handlebar so that red safety lever is held in place when clutch handle is “locked” in squeezed position.

NOTE REGARDING TRACTOR: While the Owner’s manual and spare parts list for the Grillo tractor show an “engine hood cowling”, this is ONLY SUPPLIED ON TRACTORS SOLD IN EUROPE, because the hoods are made specifically for the engine options used in Europe. INSTEAD, we have supplied the tractors in North America with a wrap-around bumper with skid plate, which is far more practical.

Handlebar “rotator”

lever

Clutch lever

Right & left brake

handles (depending on tractor direction)

ROTATING HANDLEBARS / CONVERTING FROM FRONT-PTO TO REAR-PTO (or vise-versa) OPERATION

1. If gear-shift rods are assembled to tractor, remove clips and washers at bottom of rods and disengage from plastic joints. 2. Squeeze handle release lever (G85 & G85d : beneath right-hand handgrip; G107: far left handle on left-hand handgrip) and keep fully squeezed while rotating handlebars. HANDLEBARS ONLY ROTATE ONE WAY : OVER THE PTO SHIFT LEVER! HANDLEBARS WILL NOT ROTATE OVER THE GEARSHIFT SELECTOR! NOTE: WATCH ALL CABLES & WIRES AT BOTTOM OF HANDLEBARS WHEN YOU ROTATE HANDLEBARS!! MAKE SURE THEY DON’T GET CAUGHT OR PINCHED!! 3. Re-connect gear shift rods (reverse rod needs to switch sides & move to top/bottom hole) to plastic joints. 4. When switching modes (from front-pto to rear-pto or vise versa), make sure to put PTO safety lockout in proper position (requires 10MM wrench):

GENERAL HANDLEBAR MAINTENANCE:

Lubricate cables and all pivot points on squeeze levers (including the “trigger” on Clutch handle) at least once a year, and more often in heavy use or in dusty conditions. A Teflon, Silicone or Graphite spray-lube is recommended, or the Lanolin-based product “Fluid Film”. If handles get too loose (at base, where they rotate; or at top, where they adjust in height) they can be tightened by the lock-nuts in both locations; make sure not to make TOO tight, or they will not adjust! Lubrication in recommended at these points as well.

NOTE REGARDING TRACTOR: While the Owner’s manual and spare parts list for the Grillo tractor show an “engine hood cowling”, this is ONLY SUPPLIED ON TRACTORS SOLD IN EUROPE, because the hoods are made specifically for the engine options used in Europe. INSTEAD, we have supplied the tractor with a wrap-around bumper with skid plate, which is far more practical.

REAR-PTO (tilling) MODE: “Lockout” knob prevents engagement of PTO when “FWD/REV: lever is in “Reverse” mode, so you don’t till or plow your feet by accident!

FRONT-PTO (mowing) MODE: “Lockout” knob bolted on opposite side of PTO shift lever, so FWD/REV lever does not interfere with PTO operation.

STARTING INSTRUCTIONS:

(NOTE: starting instructions below refer to Gas engines...see separate Instruction Sheet for Diesels)

1. MAKE SURE THE ENGINE OIL LEVEL IS FULL TO OVERFLOWING WITH THE ENGINE LEVEL.(GAS ENGINE ONLY! SEE SEPERATE INSTRUCTIONS FOR DIESEL) 2. Fill tank with fuel and turn the fuel valve at the bottom of the fuel tank (or near the carburetor) "on", (Kohler engine: straight down [center position]) 3. To start, the clutch handle (located on the bottom of the left-hand handgrip) must be squeezed and locked, which will hold down the red safety lever for starting. . 4. Move throttle lever on right handlebar to ½ throttle position, move choke lever to "start" position and pull starter rope (or turn key if electric start) until engine starts, then move choke to “run” position. Move throttle back to idle position and let engine warm up for at least 60 seconds. 5. To stop engine, make sure transmission is in neutral ("f" position) and PTO disengaged (moved AWAY from engine) and release clutch and red safety switch lever on left handlebar.

TIPS ON SHIFTING GEARS / GENERAL OPERATION

--ALWAYS SQUEEZE THE CLUTCH (squeeze lever on LH handlebar with “trigger” on it) before attempting to shift gears, change tractor direction, or engage/disengage the PTO…Failure to do so will result in damage to your transmission and will void the warranty! Training your index finger to use the “trigger” will take a few hours of operation, but once learned, it is a very convenient feature: essentially, when the trigger is NOT squeezed, it will “lock” the clutch handle “up”. For example: when you want to use the clutch quickly, say, to shift gears, simply squeeze the trigger AT THE SAME TIME as the clutch handle, and it will NOT lock, so you can let the clutch out immediately. If you want to STOP the tractor / implement temporarily, say, to move a rock out of the way: Squeeze the clutch handle with your index finger OFF the trigger, and the clutch handle will lock in the squeezed up position, which disengages power from the wheels and implement. IMPORTANT NOTE: When the clutch handle is “locked” and you want to release it, the correct procedure is to squeeze the whole lever, INCLUDING the trigger, then release the whole assembly. If you JUST squeeze the trigger, the handle WILL “pop” loose, but squeezing the trigger only when it is “under pressure” like this will prematurely shorten the life of the trigger mechanism. --IF the shifting levers of the tractor (speed selector, Fwd/Rev, PTO engagement) DO NOT move into gear smoothly, it is simply because the tractor is new, and the very tight precision-machined gears will not slide together unless they are perfectly lined up (no synchronizers in these little transmissions!)….the easiest way to achieve this is to USE THE CLUTCH. For example: When attempting to shift the speed selector into a gear, if it does not slide right in, simply keep firm pressure on the gearshift in the direction you want it to move, and SLOWLY let out the clutch…when the gears start to “creep” in the transmission, it will slide right into gear. This will take some practice, to get the “feel” of the clutch (no doubt, you will let it out too quickly a few times, and hear some “grinding”, but doing this a few times will not hurt the tranny---OR, you will “overshoot” the gear you want on the speed selector, because you have a little too much pressure on the lever)…but have patience; you will be owning this machine for many many years, and the “learning curve” for getting used to the shifting will be a insignificant investment. It will get easier!!

--When releasing the clutch to engage power to the tractor / implement, you don’t want to “dump” the clutch, but you don’t want to “slip” it too much either. Essentially, releasing the handle should take TWO SECONDS or LESS, depending on the implement load.

FOR COMPLETE INSTRUCTIONS & MAINTENANCE, REFER TO THE TRACTOR, IMPLEMENT & ENGINE OWNERS MANUALS

QUESTIONS? CALL EARTH TOOLS AT 502-484-3988