Craftsman 917.388320 Owner's Manual page 9

TO START ENGINE
= Turn fuel valve to ON position.
° To start a cold engine, move handle
mounted throttle/choke control lever to
choke position.
o Hold operator presence control bar
down to the handle and pull starter
handle quickly. Do not allow starter
rope to snap back.
o Slowly move throttle control lever to
fast position after engine starts.
= To start a warm engine, move throttle
control lever to fast or slow position
then follow steps above.
• To stop engine, release operator
presence control bar. Wait until blade
and all moving parts have stopped and
turn fuel valve to OFF position if you do
not intend to restart the engine soon.
OI3
Fuel Valve lever
MOWINGTIPS
• 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 engine and
leaving clumps of grass clippings, it may
also be necessary to reduce ground speed
and/or runthe lawn mower over the area a
second time.
• For extremely heavy cutting, reduce the
width of cut by overlapping previously cut
path and mow slowly.
° For better grass bagging and most cutting
conditions, the engine speed should be set
in the fast position.
° Pores in cloth grass catchers can become
fitled with dirt and dust with use and
catchers will collect less grass. To prevent
this, regularly hose catcher off with water
and let dry before using.
° Keep top of engine around starter clear
and clean of grass clippings and chaff.
This will help engine air flow and extend
engine life.
MULCHING MOWING TIPS
IMPORTANT; For best performance, keep
mower housing free of built-up grass and
trash. Clean UNDERSIDE OF MOWER
HOUSING after each use° See "Cleaning" in
MAINTENANCE 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 w?[hyour highest
engine (blade) speed as this will provide
the best recutting 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 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. 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
weeP,.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.
Max I/3
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