Craftsman 1450 Series Engine - Manual (Page 13)

OPERATION
J
NOTE: A noise will be heard when finding the start of the compression
cycle. This noise is caused by the flails and fingers, which are part of
the shredding mechanism, and it should be expected until the impeller
reaches full speed.
7. Pull the rope with a rapid, continuous, full arm stroke. Keep a firm
grip on the starter handle. Let the rope rewind slowly.
8. Repeat, if necessary, until engine starts. When engine starts,
move choke control gradually toward the RUN m position..
9. It engine falters, move choke control back toward the CHOKE
N
position and repeat steps 5 though 8.
10. ALWAYS keep the throttle control in the START/RUN position
when operating the chipper shredder.
TO STOP ENGINE
1
.
Move throttle control lever to slow (turtle) position.
Whenever possible, gradually reduce engine speed before
stopping engine.
Move throttle control lever to STOP or OFF position.
Turn the fuel shut-off valve to the OFF position.
Disconnect spark plug wire and ground it against the engine to
prevent accidental starting while the equipment is unattended.
SHREDDING
Yard waste such as leaves and pine needles can be placed in the
hopper for shredding. After material has been processed by the shred­
der blade and flails, it will be forced out of the chute deflector, and, it
attached, into a debris collection bag.
Observe the following guidelines when shredding yard debris:
• Never attempt to shred material other than normal yard debris
(leaves, twigs, pine cones, etc.).
• Avoid shredding fibrous plants such as tomato vines, palm fronds,
etc., until they are thoroughly dried out. Fresh vines do not shred
well and tend to wrap themselves around the impeller and flails.
• Place reasonable amounts of debris into the hopper at a time. Do
not overload the hopper.
• Allow the material in the hopper to be drawn into the blades and
shredded before adding additional debris to the hopper. Failure to
due so may result in a clogged hopper, clogged chute deflector or
a stalled engine.
CHIPPING
Branches up to 3” in diameter can be fed into the chipper chute.
Observe the following guidelines when chipping branches:
• Keep both hands firmly on the branch as you feed it into the
chipper chute.
• Never feed more than one branch into the chipper chute at a time.
• Never feed anything other than branches (or wood) into the
chipper chute.
• Apply intermittent pressure (force, in short pulses) while feeding
larger (3-inch diameter) branches into the chipper chute, to avoid
bogging or stalling the engine.
IMPORTANT: Never feed branches with a diameter greater than
three (3) inches into the chipper chute. Doing so can result in serious
damage to your unit's chipper blades, flails or impeller.
NOTE: For best performance, always operate the unit with sharp
chipper blades. If a noticeable loss in performance is encountered
while chipping branches, the chipper blades should be replaced.
LOWERING THE HOPPER ASSEMBLY
1. With one hand grasp the handle at the top of the hopper assem­
bly and lift slightly.
2. With the other hand pull out on the release rod and lower the
hopper assembly to the ground.
TO EMPTY BAG
1. Un-clip drawstring and loosen bag from chute deflector opening.
2. Empty bag and reattach to the discharge chute opening. Pull on
the drawstring until the bag is tight around the chute opening and
clip the drawstring tight against the chute deflector.
IMPORTANT: The flail screen is located inside the housing in the
discharge area. If the flail screen becomes clogged, remove and
clean as instructed in the Service and Maintenance section. For best
performance, it is also important to keep the chipper blades sharp.
13