Storage - Craftsman 944.364780 Owner's Manual

Immediately prepare your lawn mower for
storage at the end of the season or if the
unit will not be used for 30 days or more.
LAWN MOWER
When lawn mower is to be stored for a
period of time, clean it thor oughly, remove
all dirt, grease, leaves, etc. Store in a
clean, dry area.
1. Clean entire lawn mower (See
"CLEANING" in the Maintenance sec-
tion of this manual).
2. Lubricate as shown in the Main te-
nance section of this manual.
3. Be sure that all nuts, bolts, screws,
and pins are securely fas tened. In-
spect moving parts for damage, break-
age and wear. Replace if necessary.
4. Touch up all rusted or chipped paint
surfaces; sand lightly before painting.
HANDLE
You can fold your lawn mower han dle for

storage.

1. Move operator presence control bar
forward to unlock the handle.
2. Lift handle to storage position.
• When setting up your handle from the
storage position, the lower han dle will
require manually locking into the mow-
ing position.
IMPORTANT: When folding the handle
for storage or transportation, be sure to
fold the handle as shown or you may
damage the control cables.
Handle
Operator
presence
control bar
(MOVE
FORWARD TO
UNLOCK)
STORAGE
ENGINE
FUEL SYS TEM
IMPORTANT: It is important to prevent
gum deposits from forming in essential
fuel system parts such as carburetor, fuel
filter, fuel hose, or tank during storage.
Alcohol blended fuels (called gasohol or
using ethanol or methanol) can attract
moisture which leads to separation and
formation of acids during storage. Acidic
gas can damage the fuel system of an
engine while in storage.
• Empty the fuel tank by starting the en-
gine and letting it run until the fuel lines
and car bu re tor are empty.
• Never use engine or carburetor cleaner
prod ucts in the fuel tank or permanent
damage may occur.
• Use fresh fuel next season.
NOTE: Fuel stabilizer is an acceptable
alternative in min i miz ing the formation of
fuel gum deposits during stor age. Add
stabilizer to gasoline in fuel tank or stor-
age container. Always follow the mix ratio
found on stabilizer container. Run engine
at least 10 min utes after adding stabilizer
to allow the stabilizer to reach the car-
buretor. Do not empty the gas tank and
carburetor if using fuel stabilizer.
ENGINE OIL
Drain oil (with engine warm) and replace
with clean engine oil. (See "ENGINE" in
the Maintenance section of this man ual).
CYLINDER
1. Remove spark plug.
2. Pour one ounce (29 ml) of oil through
spark plug hole into cylinder.
3. Pull starter handle slowly a few times
to dis trib ute oil.
4. Replace with new spark plug.
Storage
position
18