Mowing Tips - Craftsman 917.288341 Operator's Manual

IMPORTANT: Should your transmission
require removalfor serviceor replacement,
itshouldbe purgedafterreinstallationbefore
operatingthe tractor.
1. Place tractor safely on a level surface
- that is clear of objects and open - with
engine off and parking brake set.
2. Disengage transmission by placing
freewheel control in disengaged position
(See "TO TRANSPORT" in this section
of manual).
3. Sitting inthetractor seat, start engine.After
theengineisrunning, movethrottlecontrol
to slow position. Disengage parking brake.
,_CAUTION: At any time, during step 4,
there may be movement of the drive wheels.
4. Depress forward drive pedal to full for-
ward position and hold for five (5) seconds
and release pedal. Depress reverse drive
pedal to full reverse position and hold
for five (5) seconds and release pedal.
Repeat this procedure three (3) times.
5. Shutoff engine and set parking brake.
6. Engagetransmission by placing freewheel
control in engaged position (See "TO
TRANS PORT" in this section of manual).
7. Sitting in the tractor seat, start engine.
After the engine is running, move throttle
control to half (1/2) speed. Disengage
parking brake.
8. Drive tractor forward for approximately
five feet then backwards for five feet. Re-
peat this driving procedure three times.
Your transmission is now purged and now
ready for normal operation.
MOWING TIPS
• Tire chains cannot be used when the
mower housing is attached to tractor.
• Mower should be properly leveled for best
mowing performance. See "TO LEVEL
MOWER HOUSING" in the Service and
Adjustments section of this manual.
• The left hand side of mower should be
used for trimming.
• Drive sothat clippings are discharged onto
the area that has already been cut. Have
the cut area to the right of the tractor. This
will result in a more even distribution of
clippings and more uniform cutting.
• When mowing large areas, start byturning
to the right so that clippings will discharge
away from shrubs, fences, driveways,
etc. After one or two rounds, mow in the
opposite direction making left hand turns
until finished.
(
- J
• If grass is extremely tall, it should be
mowed twice to reduce load and possible
fire hazard from dried clippings. Make
first cut relatively high; the second to the
desired height.
• Do not mow grass when it is wet. Wet
grass will plug mower and leave undesir-
able clumps. Allow grass to dry before
mowing.
• Always operate engine at full throttle
when mowing to assure better mow-
ing performance and proper discharge
of material. Regulate ground speed by
selecting a low enough speed to give the
mower cutting performance as well as the
quality of cut desired.
• When operating attachments, select a
ground speed that will suit the terrain and
give best performance of the attachment
being used.
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