UM401DW - Tondeuse à gazon MAKITA - Free user manual and instructions

USER MANUAL UM401DW MAKITA

Output D.C. 24 V Charging time Approx. 4 hrs

Batteries used in UM401DW

Sealed Lead-acid Battery 12V–15Ahx2

Number of cells – 12

Due to the continuing program of research and

development, the specifications herein are subject

to change without prior notice.

Note: Specifications may differ from country to

For your own safety, please refer to enclosed safety

1. SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS — This manual

contains important safety and operating

instructions for battery charger.

2. Before using battery charger, read all instruc-

tions and cautionary markings on (1) battery

charger and (2) product using battery.

3. CAUTION — To reduce risk of injury, charge

ONLY MAKITA type rechargeable batteries

used in Model UM401D. Other types of batter-

ies may burst causing personal injury and

4. Do not expose charger to rain or snow.

5. Use of an attachment not recommended or

sold by the battery charger manufacturer may

result in a risk of fire, electric shock, or injury

6. To reduce risk of damage to electric plug and

cord, pull by plug rather than cord when dis-

7. Make sure cord is located so that it will not be

stepped on, tripped over, or otherwise sub-

jected to damage or stress.

8. Do not operate charger with damaged cord or

plug — replace them immediately.

9. Do not operate charger if it has received a

sharp blow, been dropped, or otherwise dam-

aged in any way; take it to a qualified service-

10. Do not disassemble charger or product which

contains battery; take it to a qualified service-

man when service or repair is required. Incor-

rect reassembly may result in a risk of electric

11. To reduce risk of electric shock, unplug

charger from outlet before attempting any

maintenance or cleaning. Turning off controls

will not reduce this risk.

ADDITIONAL SAFETY RULES FOR BATTERIES IN MOWER

1. Use ONLY the Makita charger Model DC240

specified to charge the Makita Model UM401D.

2. Do not short the battery:

(1) Do not touch the charging inlet with any

conductive material.

(2) Shut the cover on the charging inlet when

(3) Do not expose mower to water or rain.

A battery short can cause a large current flow,

overheating, possible burns and even a break-

3. Do not leave mower exposed to direct sun-

light. Do not store mower in locations where

the temperature may reach or exceed 40°C

4. Batteries in Makita Model UM401D contains a

strong electrolyte (dilute sulfuric acid). Do not

apply undue force to the batteries, drop or

strike them. Do not attempt to disassemble or

make modifications to the batteries.

UM401DW (E) (’97. 4. 14)5. If the batteries break open and electrolyte

(dilute sulfuric acid) contacts skin or clothing,

wash immediately with running water. If elec-

trolyte gets into your eyes, rinse them out with

clear water and seek medical attention right

6. As service life of the batteries ends, their

capacity and operation time decrease. Contact

your nearest Makita Service Center or Dis-

tributor to replace them with new batteries.

7. When replacing batteries, all batteries should

be replaced at the same time. Mixing fresh and

discharged batteries could increase internal

cell pressure and rupture the discharged bat-

8. When inserting batteries into this product, the

proper polarity or direction must be observed.

Reverse direction of batteries can result in

leakage or explosion.

9. Never expose mower or batteries to flames,

fire or great heat. Breakage may cause release

of injurious material.

TIPS FOR MAINTAINING MAXIMUM RUN PERFORMANCE AND BATTERY LIFE

1. Charge the mower immediately after pur-

2. Always recharge the mower after each use

3. We recommend that you leave the charger

connected to the mower even after the charg-

ing cycle is complete. The charger will switch

into its ‘‘maintenance charge (trickle charge)’’

mode and keep the battery fresh and fully

4. Be sure to charge the mower every six months

when it is left uncharged for long periods. If

you fail to do so, the mower may become

ADDITIONAL SAFETY RULES FOR CHARGER

1. The Makita charger Model DC240 is specifi-

cally designed to charge only the Makita bat-

teries used in Model UM401D. Do not attempt

to charge any other battery with this charger.

2. Handle the charger carefully. Do not drop or

3. Never carry the charger by cord or yank it to

disconnect from receptacle.

4. Keep cord from heat, oil, chemicals, and sharp

5. Use only a power source of the same voltage

as indicated on the nameplate of the charger

6. Do not attempt to use a step-up transformer,

an engine generator, a DC-AC inverter or DC

7. Charge mower at a room temperature between

5°C (41°F) and 40°C (104°F).

8. Do not charge in place exposed to direct

9. Do not charge lawn mower in rain, or in wet

10. Do not allow the charger to get wet.

11. Do not charge inside a box or container of any

12. Do not charge near volatile, flammable mate-

rials such as gasoline, paint, gas, adhesive,

13. Do not charge on top of paper, carpet, vinyl

sheeting, cloth materials, etc.

14. Do not allow anything to cover or clog the

charger vents. Do not attempt to insert any-

thing into the vents.

15. Do not touch the charger with wet hands.

16. Do not charge in dusty place.

17. Stop charging immediately if you notice any-

thing abnormal. Ship or take the charger and

the mower to your nearest Makita Service

Center or Distributor for checking them.

18. Do not attempt to disassemble or make modi-

fications to the charger.

19. Do not put any metal object or foreign matter

into the charging plug. Short circuit will occur,

causing a burn injury and charger breakdown.

20. This charger incorporates parts such as

switches and relays that are likely to produce

arcs or sparks; therefore, when charging

mower in a garage or similar location, locate

the charger in a room or enclosure provided

cutting edges when picking up or holding the

3. Physical Condition — Do not operate mower

while under the influence of drugs, alcohol, or

4. Keep guards in place and in working order.

5. Keep hands and feet away from rotating

blades. Caution — Blades coast after turn off.

6. Remove key before servicing, cleaning or

removing material from the gardening appli-

7. Use only Makita genuine blades specified in

8. Check the blades carefully for cracks or dam-

age before operation. Replace cracked or

damaged blades immediately.

9. Remove foreign matters such as rocks, wire,

bottles, bones and large sticks from the work

area before cutting to prevent personal injury

or damage to the appliance.

10. Stop operation immediately if you notice any-

thing abnormal. Switch off the appliance and

remove the key from the appliance. Then

inspect the appliance.

UM401DW (E) (’97. 4. 11)

ING DRIVEWAYS, WALKS, ROADS, AND ANY GRAVEL-COVERED AREAS. Also remove key

if you leave it, reach to pick up or remove

something out of your way, or for any other

reason that may distract you from what you

13. Objects struck by the lawn mower blade can

cause severe injuries to persons. The lawn

should always be carefully examined and

cleared of all objects prior to each mowing.

14. If lawn mower strikes a foreign object, follow

I) Stop lawn mower. Release the switch lever.

III) Inspect for damage.

IV) Repair any damage before restarting and

operating the lawn mower.

15. CHECK THE REAR BAG FREQUENTLY FOR WEAR OR DETERIORATION. For storage,

always make sure the rear bag is empty.

Replace a worn bag with a new factory

replacement bag for safety.

16. Stop the motor and remove key whenever you

leave the equipment, before cleaning the

mower housing, and before making any

repairs or inspections.

17. Mow across the face of slopes, never up and

down. Exercise extreme caution when chang-

ing direction on slopes. Do not mow exces-

sively steep slopes.

18. Do not wash with a hose; avoid getting water

in motor and electrical connections.

19. Check the blade mounting bolt at frequent

intervals for proper tightness.

20. Keep all nuts, bolts, and screws tight to be

sure the equipment is in safe working condi-

SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS.

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS Unpacking (Fig.1&2)

Your mower has been completely assembled at the

factory except for the rear bag.

1. Remove the rear bag, instruction manual, charger

and plastic bag containing accessories from the

2. Remove the mower from the carton and place all

four wheels on the ground or floor.

3. Check the carton thoroughly and make sure there

4. To unfold the handle, raise it into place. Fit the

protrusion of the handle into one of the square

holes in left and right sides of the mower, and then

secure the handle by tightening the clamp nuts.

Remove the key from the mower (slide it to your left

and pull out) and store it in a safe place — out of the

Open the inlet cover and insert the charging plug

into the inlet. (REMEMBER: The charging inlet has

polarity. DO NOT DAMAGE OR ABUSE THE PLUG AND INLET.)

Then plug the charger into the power source. The

charging light will turn on in green color, and imme-

diately the color of the charging light will change to

red and charging will begin. The charging light will

remain lit steadily during charging.

When the charging light color changes from red to

green, the charging is complete. Charging takes

After charging, unplug the charger from the power

source and pull out the charging plug from the

If the charging light flashes in green color, the

charging plug may not be inserted into the charging

inlet correctly. Check the charging plug and charg-

If the charging light flashes in red color, the batteries

are too weak for normal charging. Wait for a while

until normal charging starts after recovery charging

If the mower has not been used for long periods, it

will take more than specified time to charge the

If the mower is left uncharged for more than six

months, it may become unchargeable.

The indicator does not indicate progress during

Any of the following conditions indicates damages to

the charger and/or batteries. Unplug the charger from

power source and disconnect the charging plug

immediately. Have them checked by your nearest

Makita Authorized or Factory Service Center.

1) The charging light remains flashing in green color

(does not change to red), although the charging

plug is correctly inserted into the charging inlet.

2) The charging light color does not change to green

in more than 5 hours after you start charging.

3) The charging light does not light up or flash in any

colors while power is supplied.

4) The charging light flashes alternately in green and

red color. (Probably the batteries are worn out or

1. Turn off the interlock switch and remove the key. If

you are recharging the mower, stop recharging

and disconnect the charging plug.

2. Loosen the clamp nuts on the left and right sides.

3. Fit the protrusion of the handle into one of three

square holes according to your preference.

4. Tighten the clamp nuts firmly to secure the

Always tighten the clamp nut on the left and right

sides. Failure to do so may cause the handle to come

loose unexpectedly during operation, resulting in seri-

ous injury to operator.

Wheel height adjustment (six steps between

25 mm and 89 mm) (Fig. 5)

1. Turn off the interlock switch and remove the key. If

you are recharging the mower, stop recharging

and disconnect the charging plug.

2. Push the lever outward and fit it into one of the

grooves for your desired cutting height. This one

touch wheel height adjustment system can adjust

all four wheels at the same time.

Always make sure that the lever is fit in the groove

properly before operation.

Installing or removing blade

key before installing or removing the blade. If you

are recharging the mower, stop recharging and

disconnect the charging plug.

The blade coasts for several seconds after the

switch is turned off. Always remove the blade after it

has come to a complete stop.

2. Turn the mower on its side to expose the blade.

3. Hold the blade holder with 32 mm wrench so that

the other end of 32 mm wrench will contact the

underside of mower deck. Hold the hex bolt with

13 mm socket wrench and turn it lightly counter-

clockwise until the 32 mm wrench is firmly held by

the underside of mower deck. (Fig. 6)

4. To loosen the hex bolt, turn the 13 mm socket

wrench counterclockwise while holding down its

5. Remove the hex bolt, cup spring and blade. Be

sure to remember the removal procedures.

6. To installing the blade, follow the removal proce-

dures in reverse. Be careful not to install it upside

down. When installing the blade, always make

sure that the end of blade holder fits in the cup

7. Tighten the hex bolt firmly with the wrenches

provided. To tighten it, turn the 13 mm socket

wrench clockwise while holding down its top.

When doing so, the 32 mm wrench should be

firmly held by the underside of mower deck.

Replace bent or damaged blade immediately. A bent

or damaged blade may cause excessive vibration,

resulting in damage to the mower or serious injury to

Blade sharpening (Fig. 9)

Keep the blade sharp and clean for best performance.

A dull blade does not cut grass cleanly and evenly. It

may overload the motor and waste more battery

1. Turn off the interlock switch and remove the key. If

you are recharging the mower, stop recharging

and disconnect the charging plug.

2. Remove the blade as described in ‘‘Installing or

3. Secure the blade in a vice or the like.

4. Carefully sharpen the cutting edges of the blade

with a file or sharpening stone.

5. Check the balance of the blade as described in

‘‘Blade balancing’’.

6. Install the blade and secure it by tightening the

hex bolt with the wrenches provided.

Wear gloves and safety glasses during sharpening.

Make sure the blade remains balanced.

Sharpen the blade at the original cutting angle.

Sharpen the cutting edges on both end of blade,

removing equal amounts of material from both

Blade Balancing (Fig. 10)

When sharpening the blade, care should be taken to

keep it balanced. An unbalance blade may cause

excessive vibration, resulting in damage to the

1. Secure a screwdriver horizontally in a vice.

2. Place the center hole in the blade on screwdriver

3. If the blade is balanced, it will remain in a horizon-

4. If either of the blade drops downward, sharpen the

heavy side until the blade is balanced.

1. Release the switch lever.

2. Turn off the interlock switch and remove the key.

3. Open the rear guard.

4. Hold the rear bag handle and remove the rear bag

5. Empty the grass from the rear bag.

To reduce risk of injury, inspect rear bag frequently

and replace with recommended replacement if there

are signs for wear or deterioration.

UM401DW (E) (’97. 4. 11)

7Installing mulching plate (Fig. 12 & 13)

1. Turn off the interlock switch and remove the key. If

you are recharging the mower, stop recharging

and disconnect the charging plug.

2. Turn the mower on its side to expose the blade.

3. Install the two protrusions of the mulching plate

into the holes in the deck. Push the mulching plate

into the discharge opening until the hook of the

mulching plate is held by the undercover. Open

the rear guard and make sure that the hook of the

mulching plate is properly held by the undercover.

Always install the mulching plate when operating the

mower with the rear bag removed.

While mulching, your new mower is designed to cut

the grass clippings into small pieces and distribute

them back into the lawn. Under normal conditions, the

mulched grass will biodegrade quickly to provide

nutrients to the lawn.

Please review the following recommendations for

optimum mulching performance.

1. Avoid mowing when the grass is wet from rain or

dew. Wet grass may form clumps which interfere

with the mulching action and reduce run-time. The

best time to mow grass is in the late afternoon

when the grass is dry and the newly cut area will

not be exposed to direct sunlight.

2. For best mulching performance, set the cutting

height to remove about one third of the grass

blade length, ideally no more than 38 mm at one

time. If the lawn is overgrown, it may be necessary

to increase the cut height to reduce the pushing

effort and prevent overloading the motor. For

extremely heavy mulching, it is advisable to first

cut at a high cut height setting, and then re-cut to

the final cut height. Otherwise, make narrower

cuts and mow slowly.

3. For best performance, keep the mower housing

free of built-up grass. From time to time turn off

mower and wait for the blade to come to a

complete stop. Then unplug the key and turn

mower on its side. Using an object such as a stick,

wipe out any accumulation of grass in the blade

area. Be careful of the sharp edges of the blade.

Clean often in wet, spring grass, and always after

4. Certain types of grass or grass conditions may

require that an area be mulched a second time to

fully disperse the grass throughout the lawn. If

cutting a second time, it is advisable to cut per-

pendicular (across) the first cut pattern. DO NOT CHANGE CUT PATTERN IN ANY WAY THAT WOULD CAUSE MOWING DOWN A HILL.

5. Change your cutting pattern from week to week.

This will help prevent matting and graining of the

Switch action (Fig. 14 & 15)

This mower is equipped with the interlock switch and

handle switch. If you notice anything abnormal with

either of these switches, stop operation immediately

and have them checked by your nearest Makita

Authorized or Factory Service Center.

1. Insert the key into the interlock switch.

2. Slide the key to turn on the interlock switch.

3. Depress the switch button.

4. Pull the switch lever toward you while depressing

5. Release the switch button as soon as the motor

starts running. The mower will continue to run until

you release the switch lever.

6. The indicator indicates remaining capacity of the

battery only when the motor is running.

7. Release the switch lever to stop the motor.

8. When not in use, turn off the interlock switch and

remove the key. Store the key in a safe place out

of reach of children.

Overload protector (Fig. 14)

This mower is equipped with an overload protector

which automatically cuts out to break the circuit

whenever heavy work is prolonged. When it cuts out,

turn off the interlock switch and remove the key.

Inspect the blade for damage or something wrong.

After making sure that there is nothing wrong with the

mower, push the restart button to resume operation.

Actual run time for your mower will vary depending on

the season and grass conditions. Average run time on

a full charge is 75 minutes. The following chart

provides approximate run times when using mower

with a partial charge.

Time on charge % of full charge Run time

1 Hour 25% 20 Minutes

1. REMOVE KEY. Store it in a safe place out of the

2. Clean your mower using only mild soap and a

damp cloth. Do not spray or pour water on your

mower when cleaning.

3. Turn mower on its side and clean grass clippings

that have accumulated on the underside of mower

4. Check all nuts, bolts, knobs, screws, fasteners,

5. Inspect moving parts for damage, breakage, and

wear. Have repairs made on any damaged or

6. Recharge the batteries to a full charge. Do not

store mower with discharged batteries. Battery

failure will occur in a very short time if mower is

stored without having a full charge. We recom-

mend that you charge batteries continuously while

in storage and during the off season.

7. Store mower indoors in a cool, dry place. Don’t

store the mower and charger in locations where

the temperature may reach or exceed 40°C

Always be sure that charger is unplugged and discon-

nect charging plug from the mower before attempting

to perform inspection or maintenance.

To maintain product safety and reliability, repairs,

maintenance or adjustment should be carried out by

Makita Authorized Service Center.

Recycling the batteries

The product you have purchased contains a

rechargeable battery. The battery is recyclable. At the

end of its useful life, under various state and local

laws, it may be illegal to dispose of this battery into the

municipal waste stream. Check with your local solid

waste officials for details in your area for recycling

options or proper disposal.

GUARANTEE We guarantee Makita machines in accordance with

statutory/country-specific regulations. Damage attrib-

utable to normal wear and tear, overload or improper

handling will be excluded from the guarantee. In case

of complaint, please send the machine, undismantled,

with the enclosed GUARANTEE CERTIFICATE, to

your dealer or the Makita Service Center.

UM401DW (E) (’97. 4. 11)

t Gabelschlüssel 32 mm

7. Aperte firmemente o perno hexagonal com as

hexagonal com as chaves fornecidas.

GARANTIA Garantimos as ferramentas Makita de acordo com as

former for reparationer eller eftersyn.

5. Tøm posen for gress.

VEDLIKEHOLD & LAGRING

UM401DW (Gr) (’97. 4. 14)

81GB ACCESSORIES CAUTION:

These accessories or attachments are recommended for use with your Makita machine specified in this

manual. The use of any other accessories or attachments might present a risk of injury to persons. The

accessories or attachments should be used only in the proper and intended manner.

F ACCESSOIRES ATTENTION :