Mowing Tips; Mulching Mowing Tips - Craftsman EZ3 917.259570 Owner's Manual

OPERATION
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MOWING TIPS MULCHING MOWING TIPS
• Tire chains cannot be used when the mower housing is
attached to tractor.
• Mower should be propedy levered 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 trim*
mtngo
• Ddve so that cfipplnge are dfscharged onto the area
that has been cut. Have the cut area to lhe right of Ihe
tractor. This witf result in a more even distribution of
cflppings and more uniform cutting..
• When mowing fargo areas, start by turning to the right
so that clippings will discharge away lrom shrubs,
fences, driveways, etc. After one ortwo rounds, mow
tn the opposite direction makfng left hand turns untll
finished (See Fig. 11 )o
• If grass {s extremely tall, it should be mowed twice to
reduce toad and possible fire hazard from dded clip-
pings. Make first cut relatively high; the second to the
desired hefghto ,,
• Do not mow grass when it is wet. Wet grass wii} plug
mower end leave undesirable clumps° Allow grass to
dry tpefore mowing.
• Always operate engine at full throttle when mowing to *
assure better mowing perlormance and proper dis-
charge of material, Regulate ground speed by select*
ing a low enough gear to give the mower cutting
performance as well as the quality of cut des{i'edo
• When operating attachments, select a ground speed
that wi)l suit the terrain and give best performance of
the attachment being used_
f
'_,, , , _ __=J
IMPORTANT= FOR BEST PERFORMANCE, KEEP
MOWER HOUSING FREE OF {3UfLT-UP GRASS AND
TRASH CLEAN AFTER EACH USE.
° The special muEchlng blade will recul the grass clip*
pings many times and reduce them in size so that as
they fat! onto the lawn they will disperse into the grass
and not be noticed. Also, the mulched grass will
blodegrade quickly to provide nutrients for the lawn.
Aiways mulch with your highest engine (bfade) speed
as this wtfi provide the best recurring action of the
blades.
• Avoid cutting your lawn when tt is wet Wet grass tends
to form dumps 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
wt{{ not be exposed to the dlrecf sun.
Forbest resutts, adjust the mower cutting height so that
the mower cuts off only the top one-third of the grass
blades (See Fig. 12). For extremely heavy mutohtng
reduce your w dth of cut and mow slowly
Certain types of grass and grass conditions may re-
quire that an area be mulched a second time to com-
pletely hide the clipplngs_ When doing a second cut,
mow across or perpendicular to the iirst cut path
Change your culling 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 graining
of the lawn_
MAX 113
FIG, 12
FIG, 11
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