Craftsman 944.365470 Owner's Manual page 9

Engine
oil cap
TO STOP ENGINE
• To stop engine, release operator pres-
ence con trol bar.
TO START ENGINE
NOTE: Due to protective coatings on the
engine, a small amount of smoke may be
present during the initial use of the product
and should be considered normal.
1. To start a cold engine, push primer three
(3) times before trying to start. Use a fi rm
push. This step is not usually necessary
when starting an engine which has al-
ready run for a few minutes.
2. Hold operator presence control bar down
to the han dle and pull starter handle quick-
ly. Do not allow starter rope to snap back.
NOTE: In cooler weather it may be necessary
to repeat priming steps. In warmer weather
over priming may cause fl ooding and engine
will not start. If you do fl ood engine, wait a
few minutes before attempting to start and
do not repeat priming steps.
MOWING TIPS
CAUTION: Do not use de-thatcher
blade attachments on your mower. Such
attachments are hazardous, will damage
your mower and could void your warranty.
• Under certain conditions, such as very
tall grass, it may be nec es sary to raise
the height of cut to reduce pushing effort
and to keep from overloading the engine
and leaving clumps of grass clippings.
It may also be necessary to re duce
ground speed and/or run the lawn
mower over the area a sec ond time.
• For extremely heavy cutting, re duce the
width of cut by over lap ping previously
cut path and mow slowly.
• For better grass bagging and most cut-
ting conditions, the engine speed should
be set in the FAST po si tion.
• Pores in cloth grass catchers can be-
Gasoline
come fi lled with dirt and dust with use
fi ller cap
and catchers will collect less grass. To
prevent this, reg u lar ly hose catcher off
with water and let dry before using.
• Keep top of engine around starter clear and
clean of grass clippings and chaff. This will
help engine air fl ow and extend engine life.
MULCHING MOWING TIPS
IMPORTANT: For best performance,
keep mower housing free of built-up
grass and trash. See "CLEANING" in the
Maintenance section of this manual.
• The special mulching blade will recut the
grass clip pings 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
bio de grade quick ly to provide nu tri ents 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 in ter feres
with the mulch ing action. The best time to
mow your lawn is the early afternoon. At this
time the grass has dried, yet the newly cut
area will not be exposed to direct sunlight.
• For best results, adjust 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 over grown
it will be nec es sary to raise the height of
cut to reduce pushing effort and to keep
from over load ing the engine and leaving
clumps of mulched grass. For ex tremely
heavy grass, reduce your width of cut by
overlapping previously cut path and mow
slowly.
• Certain types of grass and grass con di tions
may re quire that an area be mulched a sec-
ond time to com pletely hide the clip pings.
When doing a sec ond cut, mow across
(perpendicular) to the fi rst 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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