Before Starting Engine - Craftsman 917.371881 Owner's Manual

The operation of any lawn
SAFETVG'ASSES mower can result
in foreign
objects thrown into the eyes,
which can result in severe
eye damage. Always wear
safety glasses or eye shields while oper-
ating your lawn mower or performing any
adjustments or repairs. We recommend a
standard safety glasses orwide vision safety
mask worn over spectacles.
HOW TO USE YOUR LAWN
MOWER
ENGINE SPEED
Engine speed was set at the factory for
optimum performance. It is not adjustable.
TO CONVERT MOWER
Your lawn mower was shipped ready to be
used as a mulcher. To convert to bagging:
• Lift rear door of the lawn mower and
place the grass catcher frame hooks
onto the door pivot pins.
• To convert to mulching operation, re-
move grass catcher and close rear door.
• I,CAUTION" Do not run your lawn mower
without rear door closed, clipping deflector
or approved grass catcher in place. Never
attempt to operate the lawn mower with
the rear door removed or propped open.
Pivot pins Rear
Grass
catcher
handle
ENGINE ZONE CONTROL
,II_CAUTION" Federal regulations require
an engine control to be installed on this
lawn mower in order to minimize the risk
of blade contact injury. Do not under
any circumstances attempt to defeat the
function of the operator control. The blade
turns when the engine is running.
• Your lawn mower is equipped with an
operator presence control bar which
requires the operator to be positioned
behind the lawn mower handle to start
and operate the lawn mower.
TO ADJUST CUTTING HEIGHT
Raise wheels for low cut and lower wheels
for high cut, adjust cutting height to suit
your requirements. Medium position is
best for most lawns.
• To change cutting height, squeeze ad-
juster lever toward wheel. Move wheel
up or down to suit your requirements.
Be sure all wheels are in the same set-
ting.
NOTE: Adjuster is properly positioned
when plate tab inserts into hole in lever.
Also, 9-position adjusters (if so equipped)
allow lever to be positioned between the
plate tabs.
LEVER BACKWARD
TO LOWER MOWER
Plate
LEVER FORWARD TO RAISE MOWER
Catcher frame hook
TO EMPTY GRASS CATCHER
1. Lift up on grass catcher using the
frame handle.
2. Remove grass catcher with clippings
from under lawn mower handle.
3. Empty clippings from bag.
NOTE: Do not drag the bag when empty-
ing; it will cause unnecessary wear.
Grass
catcher
frame
handle
8
BEFORE STARTING ENGINE
ADD OIL
Your lawnmower is shipped without oil in
the engine. For type and grade of oil to
use, see "ENGINE" in the Maintenance
section of this manual.
Al_ CAUTION: DO NOT overfill engine with
oil, or it will smoke heavily from the muffler
on startup.