Craftsman 917.375622 Owner's Manual page 12

LAWN MOWER
Alwaysobservesafety ruleswhen per-
formingany maintenance.
TIRES
• Keep tires free of gasoline,oil, or insect
controlchemicalswhichcan harmrubber.
• Avoid stumps,stones, deep ruts, sharp
objectsand other hazardsthat may
causetire damage.
DRIVEWHEELS
Checkfront drivewheels eachtime before
you mow to be sure they movefreely.
The wheelsnot turningfreely means
trash, grasscuttings,etc. are in the drive
wheel area and mustbe cleanedto free
drive wheels.
If necessaryto clean the drive wheels, be
sure to clean both frontwheels.
1. Removehubcaps,Iocknuts& washers.
2. Removewheelsfrom wheel adjusters.
3. Removeany trash or grass cuttings
from insidethe dust cover,pinionand/
or drive wheelgear teeth.
4. Putwheels back in place.
NOTE: If after cleaning,the drivewheels
do not turn freely, contacta Sears or other
qualifiedservicecenter.
GEARCASE
• Tokeep your drivesystemworking
properly,the gearcase and area around
the drive shouldbe kept clean and free
of trash build-up. Cleanunder the drive
covertwice a season.
• The gear case is filled with lubricantto
the proper level at the factory. The only
time the lubricantneedsattentionis if
servicehas been performedon the gear
case.
• If lubricantis required,use only ELF
Multis EP00. Do not substitute.
BLADE CARE
Forbest results,mowerblademustbe kept
sharp. Replacea bent or damagedblade.
A CAUTION: Useonly a replacement
bladeapprovedby the manufacturerof
your mower. Usinga blade not approved
by the manufacturerof your moweris
hazardous,could damageyour mowerand
void your warranty.
TO REMOVEBLADE
1. Disconnectspark plug wire fromspark
plug and placewire where it cannot
come in contactwith plug.
2. Turn lawn moweron its side. Make
sure air filter andcarburetorare up.
3. Usea wood blockbetweenbladeand
mowerhousingto preventbladefrom
turningwhen removingbladebolt.
NOTE: Protectyour handswith gloves
and/orwrap bladewith heavycloth.
4. Removeblade bolt by turningcounter-
clockwise.
5. Removeblade and attachinghardware
(bolt, lock washer,hardenedwasher).
NOTE: Removethe bladeadapter and
checkthe key inside hubof blade adapter.
The key must be in good conditionto work
properly.Replaceadapter if damaged.
TO REPLACEBLADE
1. Positionthe bladeadapter on the en-
gine crankshaft.Be sure key in adapter
and crankshaftkeywayare aligned.
2. Positionbladeon the blade adapter
aligningthe two (2) holes in the blade
with the raised lugson the adapter.
3. Be surethe trailingedgeof blade(oppo-
site sharp edge) is up towardengine.
4. Installthe bladebolt with the lock
washer and hardenedwasher into
blade adapterand crankshaft.
5. Use blockof wood betweenbladeand
lawn mowerhousingand tightenthe
blade bolt, turningclockwise.
• The recommendedtighteningtorque is
35-40ft. Ibs.
IMPORTANT: Blade bolt is heat treated.
If bolt needs replacing,replaceonly with
approvedbolt shown in the RepairParts
sectionof this manual.
Blade adapter Key
Lockwasher
_ _
o
Hardened
_
washer
TO SHARPEN BLADE
Crankshaft
i
Crankshaft
NOTE: We do not recommend sharpening
blade - but if you do, be sure the blade is
balanced. Care should be taken to keep the
blade balanced. An unbalanced blade will
cause eventual damage to mower or engine.
• The blade can be sharpened with a file
or on a grinding wheel. Do not attempt
to sharpen while on the mower.
• To check blade balance, drive a nail into
a beam or wall. Leave about one inch of
the straight nail exposed. Place center
hole of blade over the head of the nail.
If blade is balanced, it should remain in
a horizontal position. If either end of the
blade moves downward, sharpen the
heavy end until the blade is balanced.
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