How To Use The Mower; Engine Speed; Drive Control; To Adjust Cutting Height - Craftsman 917.370441 Owner's Manual

The operation of any lawn
SAFETYGLASSB mower can result in foreign
objectsthrown intothe eyes,
which canresultinsevereeye
damage.Alwayswear safety
glasses or eye shields while operating your
lawn moweror performing any adjustments
or repairs.Werecommenda standardsafety
glasses or wide vision safety mask worn
over spectacles.
HOW TO USE YOUR LAWN MOWER
ENGINE SPEED
Engine speed was set at the factory for
optimum performance. It is not adjustable.
ENGINE ZONE CONTROL
ACAUTION: Federal regulations require
an engine control to be installed on this
lawn mower in order to minimize the risk
of blade contact injury. Do not under
any circumstances attempt to defeat the
function of the operator control. The blade
turns when the engine is running.
Your lawn mower is equipped with an op-
erator presence control bar which requires
the operator to be positioned behind the
lawn mower handle to start and operate
the lawn mower.
DRIVE CONTROL
• Self-propelling is controlled by holding
the operator presence control bar down
to the handle and pulling the drive control
lever rearward to the handle. The further
toward the handle the lever is pulled, the
faster the unit will travel.
Forward motion will stop when either the
operator presence control bar or drive
control lever are released. To stop forward
motion without stopping engine, release
the drive control lever only. Hold opera-
tor presence control bar down against
handle to continue mowing without self-
propelling.
NOTE: If after releasing the drive control
the mower will not roll backwards, push
the mower forward slightly to disengage
drive wheels.
To keep drive control engaged when
turning corners, push down on the
handle to lift the front wheels off the
ground while turning lawn mower.
Operator presence control bar
'To ENGA(
DRIVE
CONTROL
Drive control
lever
DRIVE
CONTROL
DISENGAGED
DRIVE CONTROL ADJUSTMENT
Over time, the drive control system may
become "loose", resulting in decreased
speed. There is a turnbuckle on the drive
control housing to increase tension on the
drive cable. Proceed as follows:
1. Turn unit off and disconnect spark
plug wire from spark plug.
2. Rotate turnbuckle on drive control to
increase drive speed.
3. Operate mower to test drive speed.
Readjust as required.
4. If condition fails to improve after the
above steps (forward speed remains
the same), your drive belt is worn and
should be replaced.
Adjustment
turnbuckle
TO ADJUST CUTTING HEIGHT
Raise wheels for low cut and lower wheels
for high cut, adjust cutting height to suit
your requirements. Medium position is
best for most lawns.
To change cutting height, pull up on
adjuster lever, move wheel up or down
to suit your requirements and release
adjuster lever. Be sure all wheels are in
the same setting.
NOTE: Adjuster is properly positioned
when lever inserts into hole in plate.
LEVER BACKWARD TO
LOWER MOWER
LEVER
FORWARD
TO RAISE
MOWER
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