Mowing Tips - Craftsman 917.377960 Owner's Manual

octane. (L of loaded gasoline will
increase carbon and lead oxide deposits
and reduce valve life). Do not mix oil with
gasoline. Purchase fuel in quantities that
can be used within 30 days to as.sum fuel
freshness.
WARNING: Experience indicates that alcohol
blended fuels (called gasohol or using ethanol
or methanol) can attract moisture which leads
to separation and formation o,fadds during
storage. Acidic gas can damage the fuel
system of an engine while in storage. To avoid
engine problems, the fuel system should be
emptied before storage of 30 days or longer.
Drain the gas tank, start the engine and let it
run until the fuel lines and carburetor are
empty. Use fresh fuel next season. See
Storage Instructions for additional information.
Never use engine or carburetor cleaner
products in the fuel tank or permanent
damage may occur.
Gasoline
filler cap
TO START ENGINE
• To start a cold engine, push primer three
(3) times before trying to start. Use a
firm push. This step is not usually
necessary when starting an engine
which has already run for a few minutes.
• Hold operator presence control bar
down to the handle and pull starter
handle quickly. Do not allow starter
rope to snap back.
• To stop engine, release operator
presence control bar.
NOTE: In cooler weather it may be
necessary to repeat priming steps. In
warmer weather over priming may cause
flooding and engine _'ill not start. If you do
flood engine, wait a few minutes before
attempting to start and do not repeat
priming steps.
MOWING TIPS
• For most cutting conditions and better
bag ng performance, theenojno speed
should be set in the fast pos_an.
• Under certain conditions, such as when
mowing very tall grass, raise the mower
height on the first cut to reduce pushing
effort, to avoid overheating the engine, and
to avoid leaving clumps of grass clippings.
Make the second cut to the desired height.
For extremely heavy cutting, reduce the
width of cut.
Pores in cloth grass catchers can become
tilled with dirt and dust with use and the
catcher will collect loss grass. To prevent
this, regularly hose catcher off with water
and lot dry before use.
MULCHING MOWING TIPS
IMPORTANT: For best performance, keep
mower housing free of built-up grass and
trash. See "Cleaning" in MAINTENANCE
section of this manual.
• The special mulching blade will recut the
grass clippings 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 wil
biodegrade quickly to provide nutrients for
the lawn. Always mulch with your highest
engine (blade) speed as this will provide the
best recutting action of the blades.
• Avoid c,,utting your lawn when it is wet. Wet
grass tends to form dumps and interferes
with the mulching action. The best time to
mow your lawn is the early aftemoon. At
this time the grass has dried and the newly
cut area will not be exposed to the direct
sun.
• For best results, adjust the lawn mower
cutting height so that the lawn mower cuts
off only the top one-third of the grass blade
If the lawn is overgrown it will be necessanj
to raise the height of cut to reduce pushing
effort and to keep from overloading the
engine and leaving dumps of mulched
grass. For extremely heavy mulching,
reduce your width of cut by overlapping
previously cutpathandmowslowiy.
• Certain types of grass and grass conditio_
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
• Change your cutting pattem from weekto
week. Mow north to south one week then
change to east to west the next week. Th_
will help prevent matting and graining of th
lawn.
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