Purge Transmission; Mowing Tips; Mulching Mowing Tips - Craftsman 917.256571 Owner's Manual

OPERATION
NOTE: If at a high altitude (above 3000 feet) or in cold
temperatures (below 32°F), the carburetor fuel mixture
may need to be adjusted for best engine performance. See
"TO ADJUST CARBURETOR _'in the Service and Adjust-
ments section of this manual.
PURGE TRANSMISSION
/" _Never engage or disengage-"-_
i & freewheelleverwhiletheengineisrun- !
To ensureproper operation and performance, it is recom-
mended that the transmission be purged before operating
tractor for the first time. This 3rocedure will remove any
trapped air inside the transmission which may have devel-
oped during shipping of your tractor.
IMPORTANT; SHOULD YOUR TRANSMISSION REQUIRE
REMOVAL FOR SERVICE OR REPLACEMENT, IT
SHOULD BE PURGED AFTER REINSTALLATtON
BEFORE OPERATING THE TRACTOR
, Place tractor safely on level surface with engine off and
3arking brake set.
Disengage transmission by placing freewheel control
n freewheeling positio_ (See "TO TRANSPORT" in
this sectron of "nanua0.
• Sitting in the tractor seat, start engine. After the engine
s running, move throttle control to slow (-_1_.)position.
With motion control lever in neutral (N) position, slowly
disengage clutch/brake pedal.
- Move motion control lever to full forward position and
hold for five (5) seconds. Move lever to full reverse
position and hold for five (5) seconds. Repeat this
proceeure three [3) times.
NOTE: During this procedure there witl be no movement of
d rive wheels. The air is being removed from hydraulic drive
system.
- Move motion control lever to neutral (N) position. Shut-
off engine and set _arking brake.
• Engage transmission by placing freewheel control in
driving position (See "TOTRANSPORT" in this section
of manual).
• Sitting in the tractor seat, start engine. After the engine
is running, move throttle control to half (1/2) speed.
With motion control lever in neutral (N) position, slowly
disengage clutch/brake pedal.
• Slowly move motion control lever forward, after the
tractor moves approximately five (5) feet. slowly move
motion control lever to reverse oosition. After the
tractor moves approximately five (5) feet return the
motion control leverto the neutral (N) position. Reoeat
this procedure with the motion control lever three (3)
times.
• Your tractor is now purged and now ready for normal
operation.
MOWING TIPS
- Tire chains cannot be used when the mower housing
,s attached to tractor.
= Mower should be properly leveled for best mowing
3erformance. See "TO LEVEL MOWER HOUSING" in
the Service and Ad. ustments section of this manual•
• The left hand side of mower should be used for trim-
ming.
• Drive so that clippings are discharged onto the area
that has been cut Have the cut area to the right of the
tractor. This will result in a more even distribution of
clippings and more uniform cutting.
- When mowing large areas, start by turning to the right
so that clippings will discharge away from shrubs,
fences, driveways, etc. After one or two rounds, mow
in the opposite direction making left hand turns until
finished (See Fig. 11 ).
!f grass is extremely tall. it should be mowed twice to
reduce load and possible fire hazard from dried clip-
pings. Make first cut relatively high; the second to the
desired height.
. Do not mow grass when it is wet. Wet grass wil! plug
mower and leave undesirable clumps. Allow grass to
dry before mowing.
- Always operate engine at full throttle when mowing to
assure better mowing performance and proper dis-
charge of material. Regulate ground speed by select-
ing a low enough gear to give the mower cutting
performance as well as the quality of cut desired.
- When operating attachments, select a ground speed
that will suit the terrain and give best performance of
the attachment being used.
F{G. 11
MULCHING MOWING TIPS
IMPORTANT: FOR BEST PER=ORMANCE, KEEP
MOWER HOUSING FREE OF BUILT-UP GRASS AND
TRASH. CLEAN AFTER EACH USE.
" The special mulching blade will recut the grass clip-
pings 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 wili
biodegrade quickly to provide nutrients for the :awn.
Always mulch with your highest engine (blade) speed
as this wilt 3rovide the best recutting action of the
blades.
o Avoid cutting your lawn when it is wet. Wet grasstends
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 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 one4hird of the grass
blades (See Fig. 12). =or extremely heavy mulching,
reduce your width of cut and mow slowly.
- Certain types of grass and grass conditions may re-
quire 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.
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 held prevent matting and graining
of the lawn,
MAX 113
14 FIG. 12