To Start Engine; To Stop Engine; Using Your Lawn Mower - Craftsman 247.379990 Operator's Manual

Besurenooneother than the operatorisstandingnearthe lawnmower
while starting engine or operating mower.Neverrunengine indoors or
in enclosed,poorly ventilated areas.Engine exhaustcontainscarbon
monoxide,an odorlessanddeadly gas.Keephands, f eet, hairand loose
clothing awayfrom any moving partson engineand lawn mower.
TOSTART ENGINE
Standingbehindthe mower,pullthe bladecontrolhandleback againstthe
drivecontrol.
2. Whileholdingthe bladeanddrivecontrols togetherfirmly,graspthe recoil
starterhandleandpullropeout with arapid,continuous, f ullarmstroke.
SeeFigure14.Keeping afirm griponthe starterhandle, l et the roperewind
slowly.Repeat u ntilenginecranks. L etthe roperewindeachtime slowly.
Keepafirm grip on the starter cordhandle to preventrapidretraction of
starter cord(kickback).Rapidretraction canpull hand andarm toward
engine faster than you canlet go,and result in brokenbones,fractures,
bruisesor sprains.
TOSTOP ENGINE
1. Release b ladecontrolto stopthe engine andblade.
Wait for the bladeto stop completely beforeperforming any work on the
mower or to remove the grasscatcher.
Using YourLawnMower
Besurelawnisclearof stones, s ticks,wire,or otherobjectswhichcoulddamage
lawnmoweror engine.Such objectscouldbeaccidently thrown bythe mowerin
anydirectionandcause serious personal i njury to the operator andothers.
1. Once the engineisrunning andwhilecontinuing to holdthe bladecontrol
down,squeeze either(orboth)drivecontrols against t he upperhandle to
propelmower.SeeFigure 15.
2. Tochange speed, m ovespeed controlto the desired speed.
NOTE: W hen selectingadrivespeed,use the first speed until youare
comfortable andfamiliarwith the operation of the mower.
IMPORTANT: Ifyouareshiftingspeeds whilethe mowerisstationaryit may
be difficult to shiftinto first speed undercertainconditions.Thisiseasily
remediedbybrieflyengaging the drivelever.
Theoperationof any lawn mower canresultin foreign objects being
thrown intothe eyes,which candamageyour eyesseverely.Always
wear safetyglasses while operating the mower,or while performing any
adjustmentsor repairs on it.
E
Figure14
Figure15
NOTE: Yourmowerisequipped with anadvanced internal d rivesystem foreaseof
useandsmoothshifting.Whenturningor pullingthe unit rearward, y oumaynotice
higherthannormalresistance inthe rearwheelsundercertainconditions.Thisis
perfectlynormalandcanberemedied byallowingthe unitto rollforwardslightly
without thedrivelever(s) e ngaged beforepullingbackwards.
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