Cold Weather Starting; Stopping The Engine; Driving The Tractor - Craftsman 247.204201 Operator's Manual

ColdWeather Starting
When startingthe engine at temperatures nearor belowfreezing, e nsure the correct
viscosity m otoroii isusedinthe engine andthe batteryisfullycharged. Startthe
engine asfollows:
I. Besurethe batteryisingoodcondition. A warmbatteryhasmuchmore
startingcapacity thanacoldbattery.
2. Usefreshwintergradefuel.Wintergradegasoline hashighervolatilityto
improvestarting.Donot usegasoline left overfrom summer.
3. Followthe previous instructionfor Startingthe Engine.
Using Jumper Cables ToStart Engine
Batteriescontain sulfuric acidandproduceexplosivegasses. M akecertain
the area iswell ventilated, wear glovesand eyeprotection, andavoid
sparksor flamesnear the battery.
Ifthe batterycharge isnotsufficient t o crank the engine, r echarge thebattery.Ifa
batterycharger i s unavailable a ndthetractormustbestarted, t he aidof abooster
batterywill benecessary. Connect the booster b atteryasfollows:
1. Connect the endof onecabletothe disabled tractorbattery'spositive
terminal;thenconnectthe otherendof thatcableto the booster battery's
positiveterminal.
2. Connect o neendof the othercableto the booster battery'snegative
terminal;thenconnectthe otherendof thatcableto the frameof the
disabled tractor,asfarfrom the batteryaspossible.
3. Startthedisabled tractorfollowingthe normal s tartinginstructions previously
provided; t hendisconnect thejumpercables inthe exactreverse o rder of their
connection.
4.
Have thetractor'selectrical s ystem checked andrepairedassoonaspossible
to eliminatethe needforjump starting.
Stopping the Engine
I. Place the PTO switchinthe OFF (down)position.
2. MoveRH andLH drivecontrol l evers fullyoutwardinthe neutral p osition
engaging the parking brake.
3. Movethe throttle control(ifequipped)or throttle/choke control(if
equipped) t o the SLOW _ positionandallowtheengineto idlefor about
oneminute.
4.
Turnthe ignitionkeyto the STOP 6 positionandremove the keyfrom the
ignitionswitch.
NOTE: Alwaysremove the keyfrom the ignitionswitchto preventaccidental
startingor batterydischarge if the equipmentisleft unattended.
PracticeOperation (Initial Use)
Operating azero-turntractorisnot likeoperatinga conventional type ridingtractor.
Althoughandbecause azeroturn tractoris moremaneuverable, getting usedto
operatingthe controllevers takessomepractice.
Westronglyrecommend thatyoulocatea reasonably l arge,levelandopen"practice
area"wheretherearenoobstructions, p edestrians, oranimals. Y oushouldpractice
operatingthe tractorfora minimumof 30minutes.
Carefully move(orhavemoved) the tractorto the practice area.Whenperforming
the practice session, the PTO shouldnot beengaged. W hilepracticing, o peratethe
tractorat approximately 1 /2-3/4 throttleandat less thanfull speed in bothforward
andreverse.
Use protective equipmentforeyes,hands, h earing, f eet,legs,headandotherareas
of the bodyif needed -- safetyeyeglasses, gloves,earplugs, b oots,hats,etc.
Hearing Protection isrequired for all operatorexposureexceedingtwo (2)
hours.
Carefully practicemaneuvering t he tractorusingthe instructionsinthe following
section"Drivingthe Tractor." P ractice until youareconfident t hat youcansafely
operatethe tractor.
Driving the Tractor
Avoidsuddenstarts, excessive speedandsuddenstops.
1. Adjusttheoperator's s eatto themostcomfortable position thatallowsyouto
operate the controls. See seatadjustment inthe Assembly & Set-Up section.
2. Movethe RHandLHdrivecontrolleversinwardinthe neutralposition.Refer
to Figure 10.
Control Lever M oved
Inward andin Neutral
o o
16
k,_ j
Figure 10
NOTE: If the control l eversarenoteveninthe neutralposition,referto
Service a ndMaintenance f or instructions to adjustthe levers sothat theyare
even.