Using The Mower Deck; Checking Safety Interlock Circuits - Craftsman 247.25002 Operator's Manual

USING THE MOWER DECK
l Makecertainthe area to be mowedisfree of debris,sticks, stones,
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wireor other objectsthat can be thrownby the rotatingblades. ]
NOTE: Donot engagethe mowerdeck whenloweredin grass.
Premature wearand possiblefailureof the 'V" beltand PTOclutch
will result.Fullyraisethe deck or move toa non-grassyarea before
engagingthe mowerdeck.
1. Mowacrossslopes,not up and down. If mowinga slope,startat
bottomand work upwardto ensureturns are madeuphill.
2. On the first passpick a pointon the oppositesideof the areato
be mowed.
3. Engagethe PTOclutchusingthe PTOswitchand movethe
throttle/chokecontrolto the FAST_ position.
4. Lowerthe mowerdeck to the desiredheightsettingusingthe lift
handle.
5. Slowlyand evenlypushthe RH and LH drivecontrollevers
forwardto movethe ridingmowerforward,and keepthe riding
mowerheadeddirectlytowardthe alignmentpoint.
NOTE:The speedof the ridingmowerwill affectthe qualityof the
mowercut. Mowingat full speedwilladverselyaffect thecut quality.
Controltheground speedwith the control levers.
6. Whenapproachingtheotherend of thestrip, slowdownor stop
beforeturning.A U-turnis recommended unlessa zeroturn is
required.
7. Alignthe mowerwith an edgeof the mowedstrip and overlap
approximately 3".
8. Directthe ridingmoweron each subsequentstripto alignwith a
previouslycut strip.
9. Topreventruttingor groovingof theturf, if possible,changethe
directionthat the stripsare mowedby approximately 450for the
next and eachsubsequentmowing.
Be carefulwhencrossinggravelpathsor driveways.Disengage the
PTOand raisethe deck to the highestpositionbeforecrossing.
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NOTE:Whenstoppingthe ridingmowerfor any reasonwhileon a
grass surface,always:
• Placethecontrol leversinneutral,
• Engagethe parkingbrake8,
• Shutengineoff and removethe key.
• Doingso will minimizethe possibilityof havingyourlawn
"browned" by hotexhaustfrom yourriding mower'srunning
engine.
CHECKING SAFETY iNTERLOCK CiRCUiTS
Periodically checkthe safetyinterlockcircuitsto ensuretheyare
workingproperly.If a safetycircuitis notworkingas designed,call
1-800-659-5917 to scheduleridingmowerinspectionservicefrom
Sears Parts& Repair.DO NOToperatethe ridingmowerif any safety
circuitis notfunctioningproperly.Tocheckthe safetycircuits,proceed
as follows:
1. Sitting in the ridingmowerseatwith bothdrivecontrollevers
openedfully outward,DISENGAGE the parkingbrake0 and
momentarily turn the ignitionswitchto the START_ position.
The engineshouldnotcrank.
2. Engagethe parkingbrake0 and pull the PTOswitchupwardto
the ENGAGED position.Momentarily turn the ignitionswitchto
the START_ position;the engineshouldnotcrank.
3. Pushthe PTOswitchdownwardto the DISENGAGED position
and ENGAGE the parkingbrake0. Startthe engine and move
one of the drivecontrol leversfromthe fully outwardneutral
position.Theengineshouldstop running.Repeatthe procedure
with the oppositecontrollever.
4. Movebothcontrolleversfully outwardin the neutralpositionand
DISENGAGE the parkingbrake0; then lift upwardfrom the
operator'sseat.The engineshouldstop.
5. With bothcontrol leversfully outwardin the neutralpositionand
the parkingbrakeENGAGED 0, ENGAGE the PTO.Lift upward
from the operator'sseat;the engineshouldstop.
6. Start the ridingmower,DISENGAGE the parkingbrake0, and
move thecontrol leversinwardto the neutraloperatingposition.
ENGAGE the PTOand movebothcontrolleverslowlyintothe
slow reverseposition;the PTOshoulddisengageand the mower
deck shouldstop untilone or bothof the controlleversis moved
to the neutralor forwardposition.
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