Stopping The Riding Mower; Driving On Slopes; Operating The Pto; Using The Mower Deck - Craftsman 247.204191 Operator's Manual

Stopping the Ridingmower
1. Movebothdrivecontrol l eversto the neutralposition(parkingbrake on)to
stopthe motionof the ridingmower.
2. Push the PTO switchdownwardto the DISENGAGED position.
3. Use the decklift handleto raisethe deck to its highestposition.
4. If dismounting the tractor,movethe drivecontrol h andles fullyoutward
inthe neutralpositionwhichalsoengages the parkingbrake,movethe
throttle/choke controlleverto the FAST,/_ position, t urn the ignition
switchto STOP _ andremove the keyfromthe switch.
Donot leavethe seatof the ridingmower without disengagingthe PTO,
moving drive control leversfully outward inthe neutral position(parking
brake on). If leavingthe ridingmowerunattended, turn the ignitionkey
off and removekey.
DrivingOnSlopes
Referto the slopegaugeinthe SafeOperation Section to helpdetermineslopes
whereyoumaynot operate safely.
Donot operateon inclineswith aslope inexcess of 15degrees(a riseof
I approximately 2-½feet every10 feet).Theriding mower couldoverturn
and causeseriousinjury.
2.
3.
Always driveacross s lopes, n everupanddown.Control t he speed and
directionof the ridingmowerusingprimarilythe controlleveron the
downhillsideofthe ridingmower, w ith the uphillcontrolleverremaining
essentially i na fixedposition.
Avoidturningdownhill if possible. S tartatthe bottomof aslopeandwork
upward. A lwaysslowdownbefore turning.
Use extracareandgo slowlywhenturningdownhill.
OperatingThePTO
Operate the PTO clutchasfollows:
1. Movethe throttle/chokecontrol l everto approximately t he mid throttle
position.
2. Pullthe PTO switchupwardto the ENGAGED position.
3. Advance thethrottle/chokeleverto the FAST _ position(full throttle).
4. Theoperator mustremaininthe ridingmowerseatat all times.If the
operator shouldleave the seatwithout turningoff the powertake-off
switch, t he ridingmower's enginewill shutoff.
5. ThePTO clutchcannotbeoperated whenthe tractorisdrivinginthe reverse
direction, u nless the REVERSE CAUTION MODE hasbeenactivated.Unless
activated, t he PTO will disengage w henbothdrivecontrolleversaremoved
to the reverse position. T ore-engage the PTO, the leversmustbe inthe
neutralor forwarddrivepositionandthe PTO switchmustbe placed in the
OFF (disengaged) positionandthenreturnedto the ON(engaged) p osition.
Tomowinreverse, s eethe instructions for REVERSE CAUTION MODE earlierin
thissection.
Usingthe MowerDeck
Makecertain the area to be mowedisfree of debris,sticks,stones,wire or
other objectsthat can bethrown bythe rotatingblades.
NO?E: D onot engage the mowerdeckwhenloweredingrass. P remature wearand
possible failureofthe 'V" beltandPTO clutchwill result.Fullyraisethe deckor move
to a non-grassy a reabefore engaging the mowerdeck.
1. Mowacross s lopes, notupanddown. I fmowing aslope, start a tbottomandwork
upward toensure t urns aremade uphill.
2. Onthefirstpass p ickapointontheopposite s ide ofthearea to bemowed.
3. Engage thePTO clutch using the PTO switch andmove thethrottle/choke control to
theFAST _ V position.
4. Lower themowerdeckto t hedesired height s ettingusing thelift handle.
5. Slowly andevenly push theRH andLH drive control l evers f orward tomove the
ridingmower f orward, andkeep theridingmower h eaded d irectly toward the
alignment point.
NO/_:The s peed o ftheridingmower w ill affect t hequality ofthemower c ut.
Mowing atfullspeed willadversely affect t hecutquality. Control theground speed
withthecontrol l evers.
6. When approaching theotherend ofthestrip,slowdown orstopbefore t urning. A
U-turn isrecommended unless a zero turnisrequire&
7. Align themower w ithanedge ofthemowed s tripandoverlap approximately 3".
8. Direct theridingmower o neach subsequent striptoalign withapreviously cutstrip.
9. Toprevent ruttingorgrooving o ftheturf,if possible, change t hedirection t hatthe
strips aremowed byapproximately 45 ° forthenextandeach subsequent mowing.
Becareful when crossinggravel pathsor driveways.Disengage t he PTO and
raisethe deckto the highest position beforecrossing.
NOTE: Whenstoppingthe ridingmowerfor anyreasonwhileon agrass
surface, a lways:
Place the control l eversin neutral(parkingbrake on),
Shutengineoff andremove the key.
Doing sowill minimizethe possibility of havingyourlawn
"browned"byhot exhaust f rom yourridingmower'srunning
engine.
Checkingthe Safety InterlockCircuits
Periodically c heck the safetyinterlock circuitsto ensure they areworkingproperly.If
asafetycircuitisnot workingasdesigned, c ontactyouCub Cadet d ealerto havethe
tractorinspected. D O NOT operatethe tractorif anysafetycircuitisnot functioning
properly. T ocheck the safetycircuits,proceed asfollows:
1. Pullthe PTO switchupwardto the engaged position.Momentarily turn the
ignitionswitchto the start_ position; t he engineshouldnot crank.
2. Movebothcontrol l eversfully inwardinthe neutralposition;thenlift
upwardfromthe operator's seat.Theengineshouldstop.
3. With bothcontrollevers fully outwardinthe neutral/parking brakeengaged
position,engage the PTO. Lift upwardfrom the operator's seat;the engine
shouldstop.
4. Startthe tractorandmovethe controlleversinwardto the neutraloperating
position.Engage the PTO andmovebothcontrolleverslowlyintothe slow
reverse position; t he PTO shoulddisengage a ndthe mowerdeckshouldstop.
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