Craftsman 917.373231 Owner's Manual page 11

3one convertible
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OPERATIO
MOWING
TraPS
o
Under certain conditions,
such as very tall grass, it
may be necessary to raise the height of cut to reduce
pushing effort and to keep from overloading
the en-
gine and leaving dumps of grass clipping&
°
For extremely heavy cutting, reduce the width of cut
and raise the rear of the lawn mower housing one (1)
wheel adjuster setting higher than the front for better
discharge of grass.
o
For better grass bagging and most cutting conditions,
the engine speed should be set in the fast (,_) posi-
tion°
o
When using a rear discharge
lawn mower in moist,
heavy grass, clumps of cut grass may not enter the
grass catcher. Reduce ground speed (pushing speed)
and/or run the lawn mower over the area a second
time°
If a trail of grass clippings is ieft on the right side of a
rear discharge
lawn mower,
mow in a clockwise
direction with a small overlap to collect the clippings
on the next pass°
Keep top of engine around starter clear and clean of
grass clippings and chaff.
This will help engine air
flow and extend engine life.
°
Pores in cloth grass catchers can become filled with
dirt and dust with use and catchers will collect less
grass.
To prevent this, regularly hose catchers off
with water and let dry before using°
MULCHING
MOWING
TIPS
IMPORTANT,'
FOR BEST
PERFORMANCE,
KEEP
MOWER HOUSING
FREE OF BUILT-UP GRASS AND
TRASH.
CLEAN AFTER EACH USE.. SEE "CLEANING"
IN CUSTOMER RESPONSIBILITIES
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
biodegrade quickly to provide nutrients for the lawn..
Always mulch with your highest engine (blade) speed
as this will provide the best recutting action of the
blades.
MAX 1/3
FIG. 11
°
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 and the
newly cut area will not be exposed to the direct sun°
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
(See Fig° 11).
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 mulching, reduce your width of cut,
mow slowly and raise the rear of the lawn mower one
wheel adjuster setting higher than the front.
°
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_
11

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