Craftsman 917.259592 - Manual (Page 16)

OPERATION
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yove motion control leverto neutral (N) position.. Shut­
off engine and set parking brake„
” Engage transmission by placing freewheel control in
driving position (See 'TO TRANSPORT” in this section
of manual).
« Sitting in the tractor seat, start engine. Afterthe engine
is running, move throttle control to half (1/2) speed..
With motion control lever in neutral (N) position, slowly
disengage cfutch/brake pedal.
» Slowly move motion control lever forward, after the
tractor moves approximately live (5) feet, slowly move
motion control lever to reverse position. After the
tractor moves approximately five (5) feet return the
motion control (ever to the neutral (N) position. Repeat
this procedure with the motion control lever three (3)
times.
® Your tractor is now purged and now ready for normal
operation.,
MOWING TIPS
® Tire chains cannot be used when the mower housing
is attached to tractor.
» Mower should be properly leveled for best mowing
performance. See ‘TO LEVEL MOWER HOUSING” in
the Service and Adjustments section of this manual.
“ The left hand side of mower should be used for trim­
ming.
■> Drive so that clippings are discharged onto the area
that has been cut. Have the cut area to the right of the
machine. This will result in a more even distribution of
clippings and more uniform cutting.
* When mowing large areas, start by turning to the right
so that clippings will discharge away from shrubs,
fences, driveways, etc. After one or two rounds, mow
in the opposite direction making left hand turns until
finished (See Fig. 11).
« If grass is extremely tali, it should be mowed twice to
reduce load and possible fire hazard from dried clip­
pings. Make first cut relatively high; the second to the
desired height.
® Do not mow grass when it is wet. Wet grass will plug
mower and leave undesirable clumps. Allow grass to
dry before mowing,
« Always operate engine at full throttle when mowing to
assure better mowing performance and proper dis­
charge of material. Regulate ground speed by select­
ing a low enough gear to give the mower cutting
performance as well as the quality of cut desired.
" When operating attachments, select a ground speed
that will suit the terrain and give best performance of
the attachment being used
MULCHING MOWING TIPS
fMPORTANT: FOR BEST PERFORMANCE, KEEP
MOWER HOUSING FREE OF BUfLT-UP GRASS AND
TRASH, CLEAN AFTER EACH USE,
» The special mulching blade will recut the grass clip­
pings many times and reduce them in size so that as
they fail onto the lawn they wiil disperse into the grass
and not be noticed. Also, the mulched grass will biode­
grade quickly to provide nutrients for the lawn. Always
mulch with your highest engine (blade) speed as this
will provide the best recuttlng action of the blades.
” Avoid cutting your lawn when it is wet. Wet grass tends
to form clumps and interferes with the mulching action.
The best time to mow your lawn is the early afternoon.
At this time the grass has dried and the newly cut area
will not be exposed to the direct sun,
® For best results, adjustthemowercuttlngheightsothat
the mower cuts off only the top one-third of the grass
blades (See Fig. 12). For extremely heavy mulching,
reduce your width of cut on each pass and mow slowly.
' Certain types of grass and grass conditions may re­
quire that an area be mulched a second time to
completely hide the clippings. When doing a second
cut, mow across or perpendicular to the first cut path.
» Change your cutting pattern from week to week. Mow
north to south one week then change to east to west the
next week. This wiil help prevent matting and graining
of the lawn.
FIG, 12
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