Craftsman 247.776150 Operator's Manual page 11

NOTE: You will hear a noise as the engine finds the start of the compression cycle.
The noise is caused by the chipping and shredding flails, and you will hear it until
the engine impeller reaches full speed.
1. Pull the rope with a rapid, continuous, full arm stroke. Keep a firm
grip on the starter handle. Let the rope rewind slowly.
2. Repeat, if necessary, until engine starts. When engine starts,
move choke control gradually toward the RUN
3. If engine falters, move choke control back toward the CHOKE
and repeat steps 5 though 8.
4. ALWAYS keep the throttle control in the START/RUN position when operating
the chipper shredder.
To Stop Engine
1. Move throttle control lever to slow (turtle)
possible, gradually reduce engine speed before stopping engine.
2. Move throttle control lever to STOP
3. Turn the fuel shut-off valve to the OFF position.
4. Disconnect spark plug wire and ground it against the engine to prevent
accidental starting while the equipment is unattended.
Shredding
Yard waste such as leaves and pine needles can be placed in the hopper for
shredding. After material has been processed by the shredder blade and flails, it will
be forced out of the chute deflector, and, if attached, into a debris collection bag.
Observe the following guidelines when shredding yard debris:
• Never attempt to shred material other than normal yard debris (leaves,
twigs, pine cones, etc.).
• Avoid shredding fibrous plants such as tomato vines, palm fronds, etc., until
they are thoroughly dried out. Fresh vines do not shred well and tend to
wrap themselves around the impeller and flails.
• Place reasonable amounts of debris into the hopper at a time. Do not
overload the hopper.
• Allow the material in the hopper to be drawn into the blades and shredded
before adding additional debris to the hopper. Failure to due so may result in
a clogged hopper, clogged chute deflector or a stalled engine.
• Always wear eye protection, hearing protection, and leather work gloves
when operating the machine.
• Adhere to all safety precautions in the operation portion of the safety
insructions in this manual.
Chipping
Branches up to 3" in diameter can be fed into the chipper chute. Observe the
following guidelines when chipping branches:
• Keep both hands firmly on the branch as you feed it into the chipper chute.
• Never feed more than one branch into the chipper chute at a time.
• Never feed anything other than branches (or wood) into the chipper chute.
• Apply intermittent pressure (force, in short pulses) while feeding larger (3-
inch diameter) branches into the chipper chute, to avoid bogging or stalling
the engine.
OPERATION
position..
position
position. Whenever
or OFF position.
11
• Use the tamper to safely feed material into the chipper chute.
• Always wear eye protection, hearing protection, and leather work gloves
when operating the machine.
• Adhere to all safety precautions in the operation portion of the safety
insructions in this manual.
IMPORTANT: Never feed branches with a diameter greater than three (3) inches
into the chipper chute. Doing so can result in serious damage to your unit's chipper
blades, flails or impeller.
NOTE: For best performance, always operate the unit with sharp chipper blades. If a
noticeable loss in performance is encountered while chipping branches, the chipper
blades should be replaced.
Lowering The Hopper Assembly
1. With one hand grasp the handle at the top of the hopper assembly and lift
slightly.
2. With the other hand pull out on the release rod and lower the hopper
assembly to the ground.
To Empty Bag
1. Un-clip drawstring and loosen bag from chute deflector opening.
2. Empty bag and reattach to the discharge chute opening. Pull on the
drawstring until the bag is tight around the chute opening and clip the
drawstring tight against the chute deflector.
IMPORTANT: The flail screen is located inside the housing in the discharge area. If
the flail screen becomes clogged, remove and clean as instructed in the Service and
Maintenance section. For best performance, it is also important to keep the chipper
blades sharp.