Craftsman 944.365450 Owner's Manual page 7

The operation of any lawn
mower can result in foreign
objects thrown into the
eyes, which can result in
severe eye damage. Always
wear safety glasses or eye shields while
operating your lawn mower or performing
any ad just ments or repairs. We recom-
mend standard safety glasses or a wide
vision safety mask worn over spectacles.
HOW TO USE YOUR LAWN MOWER
ENGINE SPEED
The engine speed was set at the factory
for optimum performance. Speed is not
adjustable.
ENGINE ZONE CONTROL
CAUTION: Federal regulations re quire
an engine control to be installed on this
lawn mower in order to minimize the
risk of blade contact injury. Do not un der
any circumstances attempt to de feat the
func tion of the operator con trol. The blade
turns when the engine is running.
• Your lawn mower is equipped with an
operator pres ence control bar which
requires the operator to be positioned
behind the lawn mower handle to start
and operate the lawn mower.
DRIVE CONTROL
• Self-propelling is controlled by hold-
ing the operator presence control bar
down to the handle and pulling the drive
control lever rearward to the handle.
The farther toward the handle the lever
is pulled, the faster the unit will travel.
• Forward motion will stop when either
the operator presence control bar or
drive control lever are released. To stop
forward motion without stop ping engine,
re lease the drive control lever only. Hold
op er a tor presence control bar down
against handle to con tin ue mowing
without self-propelling.
NOTE: If after releasing the drive control
the mower will not roll backwards, push
the mower forward slightly to disengage
drive wheels.
• To keep drive control engaged when
turning corners, push down on the
handle to lift the front wheels off the
ground while turning lawn mower.
Operator presence control bar
TO
Adjustment ENGAGE
button (on DRIVE
underside) CONTROL
DRIVE CONTROL ADJUSTMENT
Over time, the drive control system may be-
come "loose", resulting in decreased speed.
There is a button on the un der side of the drive
control housing to increase tension on the
drive cable. Pro ceed as follows:
1. Turn unit off and disconnect spark plug
wire from spark plug.
2. Pull out button on underside of drive
control, then push button back in.
3. Operate mower to test drive speed.
If con di tion be comes worse after
the above steps (forward speed has
become slower), your system was not
"loose". Re peat ing the above steps will
return your unit to the proper adjust-
ment and speed.
4. If condition fails to improve after the
above steps (forward speed remains
the same), your drive belt is worn and
should be re placed.
TO ADJUST CUTTING HEIGHT
All four wheels are adjusted by a single
lever.
• Pull adjuster lever toward wheel. To
raise mower, move lever forward to
desired position. To lower mow er, move
the lever toward the rear.
LEVER
BACKWARD
TO LOWER
MOWER
Height
adjuster lever
LEVER
FORWARD
TO RAISE
MOWER
7
Drive
control
lever
DRIVE
CONTROL
DISENGAGED