Stopping The Engine; Driving The Tractor; Driving On Slopes; Engaging The Blades - Craftsman 247.28901 Operator's Manual

STOPPING THE ENGINE
If youstrikea foreignobject,stop the engine,disconnectthe spark
plug wire(s)and groundagainstthe engine.Thoroughlyinspectthe
machinefor anydamage.Repairthe damagebeforerestartingand
operating
1. If the bladesare engaged,placethe PTO(Blade Engage)leverin
thedisengaged(OFF) position.
2. Turnthe ignition key counterclockwise to the STOPposition.
3. Removethe keyfrom the ignition switchto preventunintended
starting.
DRIVING THE TRACTOR
Avoidsuddenstarts,excessivespeedand suddenstops.
Do notleavethe seat of thetractorwithoutfirstplacingthe PTO
(Blade Engage)leverinthe disengaged(OFF) position,depressing
I the brakepedal and engagingthe parkingbrake.If leavingthe tractor
[ unattended,alsoturn the ignition key off and removethe key.
Alwayslookdownand behindbeforeand whilebackingup to avoida
back-overaccident.
1. Depressthe clutch-brake pedal to releasethe parkingbrakeand
thenlet the pedal up.
2. Movethe throttleleverintothe FAST(rabbit)position.
3. Placethe shiftleverin eitherthe FORWARD or REVERSE
position.
IMPORTANT: Do NOTusethe shift leverto changethe directionof
travelwhenthe tractorisin motion.Alwaysusethe clutch-brakepedal
to bring thetractorto a completestop beforeshifting.
4. Releasethe parkingbrakeby depressingthe clutch-brake pedal
and positioningthe speedcontrol leverinthe desiredposition.
IMPORTANT: First-timeoperatorsshouldusespeedpositions1 or
2. Becomecompletelyfamiliarwith the tractor'soperationand controls
beforeoperatingthe tractorinhigher speedpositions.
5. Releaseclutch-brakepedalslowlyto put unit intomotion.
6. The lawntractoris broughtto a stop bydepressingthe clutch-
brakepedal.
NOTE: Whenoperatingthe unit initially, therewill be little difference
betweenthe highesttwo speedsuntil afterthe beltshaveseated
themselvesintothe pulleysduringthe break-inperiod.
WARNING! B eforeleavingthe operator'spositionfor any reason,
disengagethe blades,placethe shift leverinneutral,engagethe
parkingbrake,shut engineoff and removethe key.
IMPORTANT: Whenstoppingthe tractorfor any reasonwhileon a
grass surface,always:
1. Placethe shift leverin neutral,
2. Engagethe parkingbrake,
3. Shutengine off and removethe key.Doingso will minimizethe
possibilityof havingyour lawn"browned" byhot exhaustfrom
yourtractor'srunningengine.
If unit stallswith speedcontrolin high speed,or if unitwill not operate
with speedcontrol leverin a lowspeedposition,proceedas follows:
1. Placeshift leverin NEUTRAL.
2. Restartengine.
3. Placespeedcontrolleverin highestspeedposition.
4. Releaseclutch-brakepedalfully.
5. Depressclutch-brakepedal.
6. Placespeedcontrolleverin desiredposition.
7. Placeshift leverin either FORWARD or REVERSE, a nd follow
normaloperatingprocedures.
DRIVING ON SLOPES
Referto the SLOPEGAUGEin the SafetyInstructionssectionof the
manualto help determineslopeswhereyoumay operatethis tractor
safely.
Donot mowon inclines with a slopein excessof 15degrees(a rise
of approximately 2-1/2feetevery 10 feet).The tractorcouldoverturn
and cause seriousinjury.
• Mowup and down slopes,NEVERacross.
• Exerciseextremecautionwhenchangingdirectionon slopes.
• Watchfor holes,ruts,bumps,rocks,or other hiddenobjects.
Uneventerraincouldoverturnthe machine.Tallgrass can hide
obstacles.
• Avoidturns whendrivingon a slope.If a turnmustbe made,turn
downthe slope.Turningup a slopegreatly increases t he chance
of a rollover.
• Avoidstoppingwhendrivingup a slope.If itis necessaryto stop
whiledrivingup a slope,start up smoothlyand carefullyto reduce
the possibilityof flippingthe tractoroverbackward.
ENGAGING THE BLADES
Engaging the PTO(BladeEngage)transferspowerto the cuttingdeck
or other(separatelyavailable)attachments. T o engagethe blades,
proceedasfollows:
1. Movethethrottle/chokecontrolleverto the FAST(rabbit)position.
2. Graspthe PTO(Blade Engage)leverand pivot it all theway
forwardinto theengaged(ON) position.
3. Keepthethrottleleverin the FAST(rabbit)positionfor the most
efficient useof the cuttingdeck or other(separatelyavailable)
attachments.
NOTE: The enginewill automaticallyshutoff if the PTOisengaged
with the shift leverin positionfor reversetravel with the ignition key in
the NORMALMOWINGposition.
MULCHING
A mulch kit isavailableasan attachment. Mulching isa processof
recirculating grass clippings repeatedly
beneath the
cutting
deck.
The ultra-fine
clippings are
then forced back into the lawnwhere
they act
asa naturalfertilizer.
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