Craftsman EZ3 917.387280 Owner's Manual page 9

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 CUSTOMER
RESPONSIBILITIES 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 theywilt disperse intothe 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.
, Avoid cutting your lawn when it iswet. Wet
grass tends to form ciumps and interferes
with the mulching action. The best time to
mow your lawn is the early afternoon. At this
timethe grass has dried and the ne_,Ay cut
area wilt not be exposed to the direct sun.
,, For best results, adjust the lawn mower
cutting height so thatthe fawn mower cuts
off only the top one-third of the grass blades.
If the lawn is overgrown it wilt be necessary
to raise the height of cut to reduce pushing
effort and to keep from overloading the
engine and leaving clumps of mulc_ed
grass. For extremely heavy mulching,
reduce your width of cut, mow slowly and
raise the rear of the lawn mower onewheel
adjuster setting higher than the front.
o 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 grainingof the
lawn.
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