Service; Safe Handling Of Gasoline - Craftsman 247.290000 Operator's Manual

On slopes, theweight o fthetowed equipment may cause loss oftraction and
loss ofcontrol.
Always useextracautionwhentowing with amachine capable of making
tight turns(e.g. " zero-turn"ride-onmower).Makewideturnsto avoid
jack-knifing.
Travel s lowlyandallowextradistance to stop.
Donot coastdownhill.
SERVICE
Safe Handling of Gasoline:
Toavoid personalinjury or property damageuseextreme carein handling
gasoline. G asolineisextremelyflammable and the vapors areexplosive.
Seriouspersonalinjury canoccurwhen gasoline is spilled on yourself or your
clotheswhich canignite. Washyourskinand change clothes immediately.
Use onlyan approved gasoline container.
Never f ill containers insideavehicleoron atruckor trailer bedwith aplastic
liner.AIways place containers on the groundawayfromyourvehicle before
filling.
Whenpractical, r emove gas-powered e quipmentfromthe truckor
trailerandrefuel i t on the ground.If thisisnot possible, t henrefuelsuch
equipment o n atrailer witha portablecontainer, r atherthanfroma gasoline
dispenser nozzle.
Keep the nozzle in contact w ith the rim of the fueltank or container o pening
at all timesuntil fuelingiscomplete. D onot useanozzlelock-open device.
Extinguish all cigarettes, c igars, p ipesandothersources o f ignition.
Never f uel machine indoors.
Never r emove gascapor addfuelwhilethe engineis hotor running. A llow
engineto coolat leasttwo minutesbeforerefueling.
Never o verfill fuel tank.Filltankto no morethan1/2 inchbelowbottomof
filler neckto allowspace forfuel expansion.
Replace g asoline capandtightensecurely.
If gasoline isspilled, w ipeit off theengineandequipment. M ovemachine to
anotherarea.Wait5 minutes beforestartingthe engine.
Toreduce fire hazards, k eepmachine freeof grass, l eaves, or otherdebris
build-up.Clean upoil or fuel spillage andremove anyfuel soaked debris.
Never s torethe machine orfuel container i nsidewherethereis anopen
flame,sparkor pilotlight ason awaterheater, s pace heater, f urnace, c lothes
dryeror othergasappliances.
Allowamachine to coolat leastfiveminutesbeforestoring.
General Service
Never r unan engineindoorsor inapoorlyventilated area.Engine exhaust
contains carbonmonoxide, a nodorless, anddeadlygas.
Before cleaning, r epairing, o rinspecting, makecertain the blade(s) andall
moving partshavestopped. D isconnect the sparkplugwireandgroundagainst
theenginetoprevent u nintended starting.
Periodically c heck to makesurethe bladescometo complete stopwithin
approximately (5)fiveseconds a fter operating the bladedisengagement
control.If the blades do not stopwithin thethistime frame,yourmachine
shouldbeserviced professionally b ya Sears or otherqualifiedservice dealer.
Check brakeoperationfrequentlyasit issubjected to wearduringnormal
operation. A djustandservice asrequired.
Check the blade(s) a ndenginemountingboltsat frequentintervalsfor
propertightness.Also, v isuallyinspectblade(s) f or damage (e.g., e xcessive
wear,bent,cracked). Replace the blade(s) w ith the originalequipment
manufacturer's ( O.E.M.) blade(s) o nly,listedinthismanual. U seof parts
whichdonot meetthe originalequipmentspedfications mayleadto
improperperformance a ndcompromise safety!
Mowerblades aresharp. W rapthe bladeor weargloves, a nduseextra
cautionwhenservicingthem.
Keep all nuts,bolts,andscrews tight to besurethe equipmentisinsafe
workingcondition.
Nevertamperwith the safetyinterlock systemor othersafetydevices. C heck
their properoperationregularly.
Afterstrikingaforeignobject,stopthe engine, d isconnect the sparkplug
wire(s)andgroundagainstthe engine.Thoroughly inspectthe machine for
anydamage. R epair t he damage before startingandoperating.
Neverattemptto makeadjustments or repairs to the machine whilethe
engineis running.
Grass c atcher c omponents a ndthe discharge c overaresubjectto wear
anddamage whichcouldexpose movingpartsor allowobjectsto be
thrown.Forsafetyprotection, f requentlycheck components a ndreplace
immediately with originalequipmentmanufacturer's ( O.E.M.) partsonly,
listedinthis manual. U se of partswhichdonot meetthe originalequipment
specifications m ayleadto improperperformance andcompromise safety!
Donot change the enginegovernorsettingsor over-speed t he engine.The
governorcontrols the maximum safeoperatingspeed of the engine.
Maintainor replace safetyandinstructionlabels, a snecessary.
Observe properdisposal l awsandregulations forgas,off,etc.to protectthe
environment.
According tothe Consumer Products Safety Commission ( CPSC) andthe U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this product h asan Average Useful
Lifeof seven (7) years, o r 270hours of operation. A tthe endof the Average
Useful L ife,buya newmachine or havethe machine inspected annually by
a Sears or otherqualifiedservice dealerto ensure that all mechanical and
safetysystems a reworkingproperlyandnot wornexcessively. Failure to do
socanresultin accidents, i njuriesordeath.
DO NOT MODIFY ENGINE
Toavoid seriousinjuryordeath,do not modifyengineinanyway.Tampering
with the governorsetting can leadto a runawayengineandcauseit to
operate at unsafespeeds. N evertamper with factory setting of engine
governor.