Engaging The Blades; Mulching; Using The Deck Lift Lever; Mowing - Craftsman 247.290000 Operator's Manual

Engaging the Blades
Engaging t he PTO (BladeEngage) transferspowertothe cuttingdeck. Toengage
the blades, p roceed asfollows:
1. Movethe throttle/choke controlleverto the FAST ( rabbit)position.
2. Grasp the PTO (BladeEngage) l everandpivotit all the wayforwardintothe
engaged (ON) p osition.
3. Keep the throttleleverinthe FAST ( rabbit)positionfor the mostefficientuse
of thecutting deck.
NOTE: The enginewill automatically shutoff if the PTO (BladeEngage) leveris
movedintothe engaged (ON)positionwith the shift leverinReverse.
Mulching
Amulchkit isavailableasanattachment. M ulchingisa process o f redrculating
grassclippings repeatedly beneath the cuttingdeck.Theultra-fineclippings are
thenforcedbackintothe lawnwherethey actasanaturalfertilizer.Contact t he
nearest P arts & Repair S ervice Center t o purchase a mulchkit forthisunit.
Tolocatethe nearest P arts & Repair S ervice Center, contact1-800-4-MY-HOME ®.
Using the Deck Lift Lever
Toraise the cuttingdeck,movethe decklift leverto the left,then placeit inthe
notchbestsuitedfor yourapplication. R efer t o SettingTheCuttingHeightearlierin
thissection.
Mowing
Tohelpavoid bladecontactor athrown object injury,keepbystanders,
helpers, c hildren andpets at least75feet from the machinewhile it isin
operation. Stopmachineif anyoneentersthe area.
Thefollowing informationwill behelpfulwhenusingthe cuttingdeckwith your
tractor:
Planyour mowing pattern to avoid dischargeof materialstoward roads,
sidewalks,bystandersandthe like.Also,avoid dischargingmaterial against
awall or obstruction which may causedischargedmaterial to ricochetback
toward the operator.
Donot mowat highgroundspeed, e specially ifa mulchkit or grasscollector
isinstalled.
Forbestresultsit isrecommended t hatthe first two laps be cutwith the
discharge throwntowardsthe center. A fterthe first two laps,reverse the
directionto throwthe discharge t o the outsideforthe balance of cutting.
Thiswill giveabetterappearance t o the lawn.
Donot cutthe grasstoo short.Shortgrassinvitesweedgrowth andyellows
quicklyindry weather.
Mowingshouldalwaysbedonewith the engineatfull throttle.
Under heavier c onditions it maybenecessary t o gobackoverthe cutareaa
second timeto get acleancut.
DoNOT attemptto mowheavybrushandweedsandextremely tall grass.
Yourtractorisdesigned to mowlawns,NOT clearbrush.
Keep the bladesharpandreplace the bladewhenworn.Refer t o Cutting
Blade in the Maintenance s ectionof thismanual f or properbladesharpening
instructions.
Thelampsturn OFF whenthe ignitionkeyis moved to the STOP p osition.
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