Craftsman 900.370511 Instruction Manual page 11

MOWING PROCEDURE
• Inspect area where mower is to be used
and remove all stones, sticks, wire,
bones, and other debris which might be
thrown by the rotating blades.
• Place most of the extension cord close
to the electrical outlet, out of the path of
the mower.
CAUTION: Do not plug extension
cord into receptacle outlet while standing
in water or when hands are wet.
• Begin mowing in the area closest to the
outlet. Always mow forward in a back
and forth pattern across the lawn. Keep
the cord on the cut portion of the lawn.
MOWING TIPS
• Mow across the face of slopes, never
up-and-down. Exercise extreme caution
when changing direction on slopes. Do
not mow excessively steep slopes.
Always maintain good footing.
• Release switch to turn mower "OFF" and
wait for blade to stop before crossing
any graveled area (stones can be thrown
by the blade).
• Set mower at highest cutting height
when mowing in rough ground or in tall
weeds.
• From time to time turn off mower and
wait for the blade to come to a complete
stop. Then unplug the power cord and
turn mower on its side. Using an object
such as a stick, wipe out any
accumulation of grass in the blade area.
Be careful of the sharp edges of the blade.
• If a grasscatcher is used during the fast
growing season, the grass may tend to
clog up at the discharge opening. Turn
the mower "OFF", wait for the blade to
stop and disconnect the power cord
plug. Remove the catcher and shake the
grass down to the back end of the bag.
Also clean out any grass or debris which
may be packed around the discharge
opening. Replace the grass catcher.
Clean often in wet, spring grass.
• If mower should start to vibrate
abnormally, turn mower "OFF" and
unplug power cord. Check immediately
for cause. Vibration is a warning of
trouble. Do not operate mower until a
service check has been made.
• ALWAYS turn the mower "OFF" and
unplug the mower when leaving it
unattended even for a short period of
time.
MULCHING
• Your new mower is designed to re-cut
the grass clippings many times and
reduce them in size so that, as they fall
into the lawn, they will disperse into the
grass and not be noticed. Also, the
mulched grass wil! biodegrade quickly to
provide nutrients to the lawn.
• Your mower was shipped with the Mulch
Insert installed.
MULCHING MOWING TIPS
• For best performance, keep the mower
housing free of built-up grass and debris.
Clean after each use. See CLEANING in
the maintenance section of this manual.
• Avoid cutting the lawn when it is wet.
Wet grass tends to form clumps which
interfere with the mulching action. The
best time to mow your lawn is in the
early afternoon. At this time the grass is
dried and the newly cut area will not be
exposed to the direct sun. For best
results, adjust the mower cutting height
so that the mower cuts off only the top
one third of the grass blades. If the lawn
is overgrown it will be necessary to
increase the cutting height to reduce the
pushing effect and reduce overloading
the motor. For extremely heavy mulching
make narrower cuts and mow slowly.
• Certain types of grass and grass
conditions may require that an area be
mulched a second time to completely
hide the clippings. When doing a second
cut, mow across or perpendicular to the
first cut path. DO NOT mow
perpendicular to the first path if it
would require you to mow across a
hill.
• Change your cutting pattern from week
to week. Mow north to south one week
and east to west the next week. This will
help prevent matting and graining of the
lawn.
TO REMOVE MULCH INSERT
• Shut the mower off, wait until the blade
stops and unplug the mower.
• Raise the rear door and hotd it up.
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