Craftsman 944.364150 Owner's Manual page 11

HONDA 4-CYCLE ENGINE
MODEL NUMBER GCV160-LAOS3B
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TO STOP ENGINE
• To stop engine, release operator pres-
ence control bar. Wait until blade and
all moving parts have stopped and turn
fuel valve to OFF position if you do not
intend to re start the engine soon.
TO START ENGINE
NOTE: Due to protective coatings on the
engine, a small amount of smoke may be
present during the initial use of the product
and should be considered normal.
1. Be sure fuel valve is in the ON po si-
tion.
2. Hold operator presence control bar
down to the han dle and pull starter
handle quickly. Do not allow starter
rope to snap back.
OFF
ON
Fuel valve lever
MOWING TIPS
CAUTION: Do not use de-thatcher
blade attachments on your mower. Such
attachments are hazardous, will damage
your mower and could void your warranty.
• Under certain conditions, such as very
tall grass, it may be nec es sary to raise
the height of cut to reduce pushing effort
and to keep from overloading the engine
and leaving clumps of grass clippings.
It may also be necessary to re duce
ground speed and/or run the lawn
mower over the area a sec ond time.
• For extremely heavy cutting, re duce the
width of cut by over lap ping previously
cut path and mow slowly.
• For better grass bagging and most cut-
ting conditions, the engine speed should
be set in the FAST po si tion.
• Pores in cloth grass catchers can
become fi lled with dirt and dust with use
and catchers will collect less grass. To
prevent this, reg u lar ly hose catcher off
with water and let dry before using.
• Keep top of engine around starter clear
and clean of grass clippings and chaff.
This will help engine air fl ow and extend
engine life.
MULCHING MOWING TIPS
IMPORTANT: For best performance,
keep mower housing free of built-up
grass and trash. See "CLEANING" in the
Maintenance section of this manual.
• The special mulching blade will recut the
grass clip pings many times and reduce
them in size so that as they fall onto the
lawn they will disperse into the grass
and not be noticed. Also, the mulched
grass will bio de grade quick ly to provide
nu tri ents for the lawn. Always mulch
with your highest engine (blade) speed
as this will provide the best recutting ac-
tion of the blades.
• Avoid cutting your lawn when it is wet.
Wet grass tends to form clumps and
in ter feres with the mulch ing action. The
best time to mow your lawn is the early
afternoon. At this time the grass has
dried, yet the newly cut area will not be
exposed to direct sunlight.
• For best results, adjust the lawn mower
cutting height so that the lawn mower
cuts off only the top one-third of the
grass blades. If the lawn is over grown
it will be nec es sary to raise the height of
cut to reduce pushing effort and to keep
from over load ing the engine and leaving
clumps of mulched grass. For ex tremely
heavy grass, reduce your width of cut
by overlapping previously cut path and
mow slowly.
MAX 1/3
• Certain types of grass and grass
con di tions may re quire that an area be
mulched a second time to com pletely
hide the clip pings. When doing a sec-
ond cut, mow across (perpendicular) to
the fi rst cut path.
• Change your cutting pattern from week
to week. Mow north to south one week
then change to east to west the next
week. This will help prevent matting
and graining of the lawn.
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