Craftsman 917.272281 - Manual (Page 17)

MOWING UPS
• Mower should be property leveled for
best mowing performance. See TO
LEVEL MOWER HOUSING” in the
Service and Adjustments section of
this manual.
• The ieft hand side of mower shouid be
used for trimming.
• Drive so that ciippings are discharged
onto the area that has aiready been
cut. Have the cut area to the right of
the tractor. This wiii result in a more
even distribution of ciippings and more
uniform cutting.
• When mowing iarge areas, start by
turning to the right so that ciippings wili
discharge away from shrubs, fences,
driveways, etc. After one or two
rounds, mow in the opposite direction
making ieft hand turns untii finished.
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• if grass is extremely tall, it should be
mowed twice to reduce load and
possible fire hazard from dried clip­
pings. Make first cut reiatively high; the
second to the desired height.
• Do not mow grass when it is wet. Wet
grass wili piug 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 discharge of
materiai. Reguiate ground speed by
selecting a iow 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
IMPORTANT; For best performance,
keep mower housing free of buiit-up
grass and trash. Ciean after each use.
• The speciai 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. Also, the
mulched grass will biodegrade quickly
to provide nutrients for the iawn.
Always mulch with your highest engine
(blade) speed as this will provide the
best recutting action of the blades.
• Avoid cutting your iawn when it is wet.
Wet grass tends to form dumps and
interferes with the muiching action.
The best time to mow your lawn is the
eariy afternoon. At this time the grass
has dried and the newly cut area will
not be exposed to the direct sun.
• For best results, adjust the mower
cutting height so that the mower cuts off
only the top one-third of the grass
blades. For extremely heavy grass,
reduce your width of cut on each pass
and mow slowly.
Max 1/3
Certain types of grass and grass
conditions may require that an area be
muiched a second time to compieteiy
hide the clippings. When doing a
second cut, mow across or perpendicu­
lar 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 will help prevent matting
and graining of the lawn.
17