Driving On Slopes; Engaging The Blades; Using The Deck Lift Lever; Mowing - Craftsman 247.203791 Operator's Manual

5. Always look down and b ehind before and w hile backing tomake sure no
children are around. After resuming forward motion, return the key t othe
NORMAL MOWING position.
The R EVERSE CAUTION MODE will r emain activated until:
a. The k ey i s placed ineither the NORMAL MOWING position or STOP
position or
b. The o perator leaves the seat.
DrivingOnSlopes
Referto the SLOPE GAUGE i nthe ImportantSafeOperation Practices s ectionofthe
manual t o helpdetermineslopes whereyoumayoperate the tractorsafely.
Donot mowon inclines withaslopeinexcess o f 15degrees (a riseof
approximately 2 -1/2feetevery10feet).Thetractorcouldoverturnandcause
[seriousinjury.
Mowupanddownslopes, N EVER a cross.
Exercise e xtremecautionwhenchanging directiononslopes.
Watch for holes, r uts,bumps,rocks, o r otherhiddenobjects. U neven terrain
couldoverturnthe machine. T allgrass canhideobstacles.
Avoidturnswhendrivingon aslope.Ifa turn mustbemade,turn downthe
slope.Turning up aslopegreatlyincreases t he chance of aroll over.
Avoidstoppingwhendrivingupaslope.If it isnecessary t o stopwhile
drivingupaslope,startup smoothly andcarefully to reduce the possibility
of flippingthe tractoroverbackward.
Engaging the Blades
Engaging t he PTO (BladeEngage) transferspowertothe cuttingdeckor other
(separately a vailable) a ttachments. T oengage 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 or other(separately a vailable) a ttachments.
IM PORTANT: In the Reverse C aution Modethe enginewill automatically shut
off if the PTO isengaged with the speed controlleverin positionfor reverse travel
with the ignitionkeyinthe NORMAL M OWING p osition.
Llsing the DeckLift Lever
Toraise the cuttingdeck,movethe decklift leverto the left, then placeit inthe
notchbestsuitedfor yourapplication. R efer t o SettingTheCuttingHeightearlierin
thissection.
Mowing
Tohelpavoidbladecontact o r athrown objectinjury,keepbystanders, helpers,
[ children andpetsat least75feetfromthe machine whileit is inoperation. S top
[ machine if anyone entersthe area.
Thefollowinginformationwill behelpfulwhen usingthe cuttingdeckwith your
tractor:
Planyourmowingpatternto avoiddischarge o f materials towardroads,
sidewalks, b ystanders a ndthe like.Also, a voiddischarging materialagainst a wall
or obstruction whichmaycause discharged material t o ricochetback towardthe
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 bladessharpandreplace the bladeswhenworn.Refer t o Cutting
Blades i n the Service a ndMaintenence s ectionof thismanual f or proper
bladesharpening instructions.
MovingTheTractorManually
Yourtractor'stransmission i sequipped with a hydrostatic reliefvalveforoccasions
when it isnecessary t o movethe tractormanually. A ctivating thisvalveforces
the fluid inthe transmission to bypass i ts normalroute,allowingthe reartiresto
"freewheel/'Toengage the hydrostatkreliefvalve,proceed asfollows:
1. Locate the hydrostatkbypass r odinthe rearof the tractor.SeeFigure 10.
2. Pullthe hydrostatkbypass rodoutward,thendownto lockit into place.
NOTE: Thetransmission w ill NOT engage whenthe hydrostatkbypass rodispulled
out. Return the rodto its normalpositionpriorto operatingthe tractor.
IMPORTANT: Never a ttemptto movethe tractormanuallywithoutfirst
engaging the hydrostatkreliefvalve.Doing sowill resultinserious damage to the
tractor'stransmission.
Headlights
6
Figure 10
ThelampsareONwhenever t he tractor'sengineisrunning.
Thelampsturn OFF whenthe ignition keyismovedto the STOP
position.