Craftsman 944.363211 Owner's Manual page 7

DRIVE CONTROL
• Self-propelling is controlled by hold-
ing the operator presence control bar
down to the handle and pulling the drive
control lever rearward to the handle.
The farther toward the handle the lever
is pulled, the faster the unit will travel.
• Forward motion will stop when either
the operator presence control bar or
drive control lever are released. To stop
forward motion without stop ping engine,
re lease the drive control lever only. Hold
op er a tor presence control bar down
against handle to con tin ue mowing
without self-propelling.
NOTE: If after releasing the drive control the
mower will not roll backwards, push the mow-
er forward slightly to disengage drive wheels.
• To keep drive control engaged when
turning corners, push down on the
handle to lift the front wheels off the
ground while turning lawn mower.
Operator presence control bar
TO
Adjustment ENGAGE
button (on DRIVE
underside) CONTROL
DRIVE CONTROL ADJUSTMENT
Over time, the drive control system may be-
come "loose", resulting in decreased speed.
There is a button on the un der side of the drive
control housing to increase tension on the
drive cable. Pro ceed as follows:
1. Turn unit off and disconnect spark plug
wire from spark plug.
2. Pull drive control lever ALL THE WAY
BACK to the handle.
3. Push button on underside of drive
control. While holding button in, return
drive control lever to dis en gaged posi-
tion ALL THE WAY FORWARD.
NOTE: Do not ratchet the adjustment.
4. Release button.
5. Operate mower to test drive speed.
If con di tion be comes worse after
the above steps (forward speed has
become slower), your system was not
"loose". Re peat ing the above steps will
return your unit to the proper adjust-
ment and speed.
6. If condition fails to improve after the
above steps (forward speed remains
the same), your drive belt is worn and
should be re placed.
TO ADJUST CUTTING HEIGHT
Raise wheels for low cut and lower wheels
for high cut, adjust cutting height to suit
your requirements. Me di um position is
best for most lawns.
•
NOTE: Adjuster is properly positioned when
plate tab inserts into hole in lever. Also, 9-
position adjusters (if so equipped) allow lever
to be positioned between the plate tabs.
LEVER BACKWARD
TO LOWER MOWER
LEVER FORWARD TO RAISE MOWER
TO CONVERT MOWER
Your lawn mower was shipped ready to be
used as a mulcher. To convert to bagging
Drive
or discharging:
control lever
REAR BAGGING
DRIVE
CONTROL
• Lift rear door of the lawn mower and
DISENGAGED
place the grass catcher frame hooks
onto the door pivot pins.
• To convert to mulching or dis charg ing
operation, remove grass catch er and
close rear door.
Catcher frame hook
SIDE DISCHARGING
• Rear door must be closed.
• Open mulcher door and install dis-
charge defl ector under door as shown.
• Mower is now ready for discharging
operation.
• To convert to mulching or bagging opera-
tion, dis charge defl ector must be removed
and mulcher door must be closed.
7
To change cutting height, squeeze ad-
juster lever to ward wheel. Move wheel
up or down to suit your re quire ments. Be
sure all wheels are in the same setting.
Pivot pins
Plate tab
Lever
Rear Grass
catcher
door
handle