Craftsman 917.378990 Owner's Manual page 10

MOWING TraPS
o Under certain conditions,such as very
tall grass, it may be necessaryto raise
the height of cut to reduce pushing
effort and to keep fromoverloadingthe
engineand leavingclumpsof grass clip-
pings.It mayalso be necessaryto rem
duce groundspeed and/orrun the lawn
mowerover the area a secondtime.
o For extremelyheavycutting, reducethe
width of cut by overlappingpreviously
cut path and mow slowly.
o For better grass bagging and most cutm
ting conditions,the engine speed should
be set in the fast position.
o Pores in cloth grass catchers can be_
come filled with dirt and dust with use
and catcherswill collectless grass.To
preventthis, regularlyhosecatcher off
with water and let dry before using.
o Keeptop of enginearound starter clear
and clean of grass clippings and chaff.
This will help engine air flow and extend
engine life.
MULCHmNG MOWmNG TiPS
iMPORTANT: For best performance,
keep mower housing free of built-up
grass and trash. See "CLEANING" in the
Maintenance section of this manual.
o 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 wilt biodegrade quickly
to provide nutrients for the lawn. Always
mulch with your highest engine (blade)
speed as this will provide the best recut_
ting action of the blades.
o Avoid cutting your lawn when it is wet.
Wet grass tends to form clumps and
interferes with the mulching 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.
o For best results, adjust the lawn mower
cutting height so that the lawn mower
cuts off only the top one4hird of the
grass blades. If the lawn is overgrown it
will be necessary to raise the height of
cut to reduce pushing effort and to keep
from overloading the engine and leaving
clumps of mulched grass. For extremely
heavy grass, reduce your width of cut
by overlapping previously cut path and
mow slowly.
' MAX 1/3
o 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 secm
ond cut, mow across (perpendicular) to
the first cut path.
o 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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