Craftsman 917.377792 Owner's Manual page 8

The operationof any lawn
mowercan result in foreign
objects thrown into the
eyes, which can result in
severe eye damage.Always
wear safety glasses or eye shields while
operating your lawn mower or performing
any adjustments or repairs. We recom-
mend a standard safety glasses or wide
vision safety mask worn over spectacles.
HOW TO USE YOUR LAWN MOWER
THROTTLE/ENGINE CONTROL
The engine is controlled by a throttle con-
trol located on the side of the upper handle.
CHOKE position is for starting a cold engine;
FAST position is for starting a warm engine,
normal cutting, trimming and better grass
bagging; SLOW position is for light cutting,
trimming and fuel economy, STOP position
is for stopping the engine.
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F ,AST "-.--.STOP
CHOKE/-'-4. ,#-",,-_";.
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BLADE CONTROL
ACAUTION: When the blade control is
engaged, the blade turns. When blade
control is disengaged, the blade stops.
• Your lawn mower has a blade/brake
clutch fastened to the engine crankshaft,
which starts or stops the blade. To start
the blade, hold the operator presence
control bar down to the handJe and push
the blade/brake control lever forward un-
til it latches. To stop the blade, release
the operator presence control bar.
NOTE: Allow a cold engine to warm up for
one minute before starting the blade. Do
not start the blade in deep, uncut grass.
Move lawn mower out of uncut grass
,_fore starting blade.
CAUTION: Federal regulations require
this blade/brake control to minimize the
risk of blade contact injury. Do not under
any circumstances attempt to defeat the
function of this control.
Operator presence control bar Blade/brake
control lever
TO
ENGAGE
BLADE
DRIVE CONTROL
• Self-propelling is controlled by hold-
ing the operator presence control bar
down to the handle and pulling the drive
control lever rearward to the handle.
The farther 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 blade,
release the drive control lever only. Hold
operator 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.
presence control bar
Drive
control
TO
lever
Adjustment ENGAGE DRIVE
button (on DRIVE CONTROL
underside) CONTROL DISENGAGED
DRIVE CONTROL ADJUSTMENT
Over time, the drive control system may be-
come "loose", resulting in decreased speed.
There is a button on the underside of 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. Pull drive control lever ALL THE WAY
BACK to the handle.
3. Push button on underside of drive
control. While holding button in, return
drive control lever to disengaged posi-
tion ALL THE WAY FORWARD.
NOTE: Do not ratchet the adjustment.
4. Release button.
5. Operate mower to test drive speed.
If condition becomes worse after
the above steps (forward speed has
become slower), your system was not
"loose". Repeating the above steps will
return your unit to the proper adjust-
ment and speed.
6. If condition fails to improve after the
above steps (forward speed remains
the same), your drive belt is worn and
should be replaced.