Craftsman 917.387402 - Manual (Page 9)

MULCHING MOWING UPS
IMPORTANT:
For best performance, keep
mower housing free of built-up grass and trash,
Qean UNDERSIDE OF MOWER HOUSING
after each use. See "Cleaning" in
MAINTENANCE section of this manual.
• The special mulching blade will recut the
grass clippings many times and reduce
them in size so that as they fall onto the
lawn they will disperse into the grass and
not be noticed. AJso, the mulched grass will
biodegrade quickly to provide nutrients for
the lawn. Always mulch with your highest
engine (blade) speed as this will provide the
best recutting 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, ac^ust the lawn mower
cutting height so that the lawn mower cuts
off only the top one-third of the grass blades.
If the lawn is overgrown it will be necessary
to raise the height of cut to reduce pushing
effort and to keep from overloading ttie
engine and leaving clumps of mulched
grass. For extremely heavy mulching,
reduce your width of cut, mow slowly and
raise the rear of the lawn mower one wheel
adjuster setting higher than the front
Certain types of grass and grass conditions
may require that an area be mulched a
second time to completely hide the
clippings. When doing a second cut, mow
across or perpendicular to tiie 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
will help prevent matting and graining of the
lawn.
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