Craftsman 38819 Owner's Manual page 8

The operation of any lawn
mowercan resultin foreign
objectsthrownintotheeyes,
which can result in severe
eye damage. Always wear
safety glasses or
eye shields while oper-
ating your lawn mower or performing any
adjustments or repairs. We recommend a
standard safety glasses o r wide vision safety
mask worn over spectacles°
HOW TO USE YOUR LAWN
MOWER
ENGINE SPEED
Engine speed was set at the factory for
optimum performance. It is not adjustable.
ENGINE ZONE CONTROL
,_CAUTION: Federal regulations require
an engine control to be installed on this
lawn mower in order to minimize the risk
of blade contact injury, Do not under
any circumstances attempt to defeat the
function of the operator control. The blade
turns when the engine is running,
• Your lawn mower is equipped with an
operator presence control bar which
requires the operator to be positioned
behind the lawn mower handle to start
and operate the lawn mower.
TO ADJUST CUTTING HEIGHT
Raise wheels for low cut and lower wheels
for high cut, adjust cutting tteight to suit
your requirements. Medium position is
best for most lawns°
o To change cutting height, squeeze ad-
juster lever toward wheel. Move wheel
up or down to suit your requirements.
Be sure all wheels are in the same set-
ting.
NOTE: Adjuster is properly positioned
when plate tab inserts into hole in lever_
Also, 9-position adjusters (if so equipped)
allow lever to be positioned between the
plate tabs.
LEVER BACKWARD
TO LOWER MOWER
LEVER FORWARD TO RAISE MOWER
8
TO CONVERT MOWER
Your lawn mower was shipped ready to be
used as a mulchero To convert to bagging:
o Lift rear door of the lawn mower and
place the grass catcher frame hooks
onto the door pivot pins.
• To convert to mulching operation, re-
_kmove grass catcher and close rear door_
CAUTION: Do not run your lawn mower
without rear door closed, clipping deflector
or approved grass catcher in place° Never
attempt to operate the lawn mower with
the rear door removed or propped open,
_t "
Catcher frame hook
Rear Grass
catcher
handle
TO EMPTY GRASS CATCHER
1, Lift up on grass catciler using the
frame handle,
2 Remove grass catcher with clippings
from under lawn mower handle.
3. Empty clippings from bag.
NOTE: Do not drag the bag when empty-
ing; it will cause unnecessary wear.
Grass
catcher
frame
BEFORE STARTING ENGINE
ADD OIL
Your lawnmower is shipped without oil in
the engine_ For type and grade of oil to
use, see "ENGINE" in the Maintenance
section of this manual.
_, CAUTION: DO NOT overfill engine with
oil, or it will smoke heavily from the muffler
on startup.