Mulching Mowing Tips; Maintenance Schedule - Craftsman 917.376692 Owner's Manual

• Poresin cloth grass catcherscan be-
come filled with dirt and dust with use
and catcherswill collectless grass.To
preventthis, regularlyhose catcheroff
with water and let dry beforeusing.
• Keeptopofenginearoundstarterclearand
cleanofgrassclippingsandchaff.Thiswill
helpengineairflowandextendenginelife.
MULCHING MOWING TIPS
IMPORTANT: For best performance, keep
mower housing free of built-up grass and
trash. See "CLEANING" in the Mainte-
nance section of this manual.
• The special mulching blade will recut
the grass clippings 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 biodegrade quickly
to provide nutrients for the lawn. Always
mulch with your highest engine (blade)
speed as this will provide the best recut-
ting action of the blades.
• Avoid cutting your lawn when it is wet.
Wet grass tends to form clumps and
interferes with the mulching 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 overgrown it
will be necessary to raise the height of
cut to reduce pushing effort and to keep
from overloading the engine and leaving
clumps of mulched grass. For extremely
heavy grass, reduce your width of cut
by overlapping previously cut path and
mow slowly.
MAX 1/3
• Certain types of grass and grass
conditions may require that an area be
mulched a second time to completely
hide the clippings. When doing a second
cut, mow across or perpendicular to the
first 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.
MAINTENANCE
BEFORE AFTER EVERY EVERY EVERY BEFORE
EACH EACH 10 25 HOURS 100 STORAGE
SCHEDULE USE USE HOURS O R SEASOH H OURS
Check for Loose Fasteners
_ Clean / Inspect Grass Catcher *
Check Tires
_ Check Drive Wheels
Clean Lawn Mower ....
M Clean under Drive Cover ***
O Check Drive Belt / Pulleys ***
_ Check / Sharpen / Replace Blade
R Lubrication
Clean and Recharge Battery **
Check Engine Oil level
E Change Engine Oil
N Clean Air Filter
Inspect Muffler
N Replace Spark Plug
E Replace Air Filter Paper Cartridge
Empty fuel system or add Stabilizer
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* (if so equipped)
** Electric_Start mowers
*** PoweFPropelled mowers
**** Use a scraper
to clean under deck
1 - Change more often if operating under a heavy load or in high outdoor temperatures.
2 - Service more often if operating in dirty or dusty conditions,
3 - Replace blades more often when mowing in sandy soil,
4 - Charge 48 hours at end of season.
5 - And after each 5 hours of use.
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