Stopping The Engine; Driving The Tractor - Craftsman 247.288851 Operator's Manual

5. Turnthe ignitionkey clockwiseto the STARTposition.After the
enginestarts,releasethe key.It will returnto the ON (or Normal
Mowing)position.
Do NOThold the key in the STARTpositionfor longer thanten
secondsat a time.Doingso maycause damageto yourengine's
electricstarter.
6. Afterthe engine starts,deactivatethe chokecontroland placethe
throttlecontrolin the FASTposition.
NOTE: Do NOTleavethechokecontrol on whileoperatingthe tractor.
Doingso will resultin a "rich" fuel mixtureand causethe engineto run
poorly.
STOPPING THE ENGINE
If youstrikea foreignobject,stop the engine,disconnectthe spark
plug wire(s)and groundagainstthe engine.Thoroughlyinspectthe
machinefor anydamage.Repairthe damagebeforerestartingand
operating
1. If the bladesare engaged,placethe PTO(Blade Engage)leverin
thedisengaged(OFF) position.
2. Turnthe ignitionkey counterclockwise to the STOPposition.
3. Removethe keyfrom the ignitionswitchto preventunintended
starting.
DRIVING THE TRACTOR
Avoidsuddenstarts,excessivespeedand suddenstops.
Donot leavethe seat of the tractorwithoutfirst placingthe PTO
(Blade Engage)leverin the disengaged(OFF)position,depressing
the brakepedaland engagingthe parkingbrake.If leavingthe tractor
unattended,also turnthe ignitionkeyoff and removethe key.
Alwayslook downand behindbeforeand while backingup to avoida
back-overaccident.
1. Depressthe brakepedalto releasethe parkingbrakeand then let
the pedal up.
2. Movethethrottleleverintothe FAST(rabbit)position.
3. Placethe shift leverin eitherthe FORWARD or REVERSE
position.
IMPORTANT: Do NOTuse the shiftleverto changethedirection
of travel whenthe tractoris in motion.Alwaysusethe brakepedalto
bring the tractorto a completestop beforeshifting.
4. Graduallybeginto applypressureto the drivepedal.Thefurther
downthe pedal is pushed,thefasterthe tractorwilltravel in the
desireddirectionbasedon the positionof the shift lever.
5. The lawntractoris broughtto a stop by releasingthedrive pedal
and then depressing the brakepedal.
Beforeleavingthe operator'spositionfor any reason,disengagethe
blades,placethe shift leverin neutral,engagethe parkingbrake,
shut engineoff and removethe key.
Whenstoppingthetractorfor any reasonwhileon a grass surface,
always:
1. Placethe shift leverin neutral,
2. Engagethe parkingbrake,
3. Shutengine off and removethe key.Doingso will minimizethe
possibilityof havingyour lawn"browned" byhot exhaustfrom
yourtractor'srunningengine.
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