Craftsman 247.203690 Operator's Manual page 18

AvoidSeriousinjuryor Death
Knowlocationandfunctionof all controls.
Remove o bjectswhichcouldbethrown bythe blades.
Goupanddown slopes, n otacross.
Use extracautiononslopes.Donot mowslopes greaterthan12degrees.
Avoidsuddenturns.Use low speed.
Donot operate machine whereitcouldtip or slip.
If machine stopsgoinguphill,stopbladesandbackdownslowly.
Beforeleavingoperator's position, d isengage blades, e ngage parking
brake, s hutoff andremove key.
Besurebladesandenginearestoppedbeforeplacinghands or feetnear
blades.
Keep safetydevices (guards, s hields, s witches, e tc.)inplaceandworking.
Keep bystanders a way.
Allow machine to coolbeforefuelingor storing.
Keep machine freeof debris.
ReadOperator'sManual
Engagingthe ParkingBrake
Toengage the parking brake:
1. Fullydepress t he brake pedalandholdit downwith yourfoot.
2. Movethe parkingbrakelever d ownintothe parkingbrakeposition.
3. Release t he brakepedalto allowthe parkingbrake to engage.
Toreleasethe parkingbrake:
1. Depress t he brakepedal a ndmovethe speed controlleverout of the parking
brakeposition.
Setting the Catting Height
Select t he heightpositionofthe cuttingdeckby placing the decklift leverinanyof
the differentcuttingheightnotches on the rightsideof the fender.
Startingthe Engine
Donot operatethe tractor if the interlock systemismalfunctioning. This
systemwasdesigned for yoursafety andprotection.
NOTE: R efer t o the Assembly s ectionof thismanual f orgasoline andoil fill-up
instructions.
1. Insertthe tractorkeyinto the ignition switch.
2. Place the PTO (Blade Engage) l ever inthe disengaged (OFF) position.
3. Engage the tractor'sparkingbrake.
4. Activatethe chokecontrol.
5. Turn the ignition keyclockwise to the START p osition. A fterthe enginestarts,
release the key.It will returnto the ONposition.
IMPORTANT: DoNOT hold the keyin the START p osition for longerthan ten
seconds at atime. Doing somay causedamageto your engine'selectric
starter.
6. Afterthe enginestarts,deactivate the chokecontrolbyplacingthe throttle
controlinto the FAST p osition.
NOTE: D oNOT leavethe chokecontrol o nwhileoperatingthe tractor.Doing sowill
resultina"rich"fuel mixtureandcause the engineto run poorly.
Stopping the Engine
If youstrike a foreign object,stop the engine,disconnectthe sparkplug
wire(s) andground againstthe engine.Thoroughly i nspect t he machinefor
anydamage.Repairthe damagebeforerestarting andoperating.
1. Ifthe bladesareengaged, p lacethe PTO (BladeEngage) l ever i n the
disengaged (OFF) p osition.
2. Turnthe ignition keycounterclockwise to the STOP p osition.
3. Remove t he keyfromthe ignition switchto preventunintended starting.
Keephandsandfeet awayfrom the dischargeopeningof the cutting deck.
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