Purge Transmission; Mowing Tips - Craftsman EZ3 917.270840 Owner's Manual

AUTOMATIC I RANSMISSION WARM-UP
• Before driving the unit in cold weather,
the transmission should be warmed up
as follows:
• Be sure the tractor is on level ground.
• Place the motion control lever in neu-
tral. Release the parking brake and
let the clutch/brake slowly retum to
operating position.
• Allow one minute for transmission to
warm up. This can be done during the
engine warm up period.
• The attachments can be used during
the engine warm-up period after the
transmission has been warmed up and
may require the choke control be pulled
out slightly.
NOTE: 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 Adjustments section of this
manual.
PURGE TRANSMISSION
A, CAUTION: Never engage or disen-
gage freewheel lever while the engine is
running,
To ensure proper operation and perfor-
mance, it is recommended that the trans-
mission be purged before operating tractor
for the first time. This procedure will
remove any trapped air inside the trans-
mission which may have developed during
shipping of your tractor.
IMPORTANT: Should your transmission
require removal for service or replace-
ment, it should be purged after reinstalla-
tion before operating the tractor.
• Place tractor safely on level surface with
engine off and parking brake set.
• Disengage transmission by placing free-
wheel control in freewheeling position
(See "TO TRANSPORT" in this section
of manual).
• Sitting in the tractor seat, start engine.
After the engine is running, move throt-
tle control to slow 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
procedure three (3) times.
NOTE: During this procedure there will be
no movement of drive wheels. The air is
being removed from hydraulic drive sys-
tem.
• Move motion control lever to neutral (N)
position. Shut oft engine and set parking
brake.
• Engage transmission by placing free-
wheel control in driving position (See
"TO TRANSPORT" in this section of
manual).
• Sitting in the tractor seat, start engine.
After the engine is running,move throt-
tle control to half (1/2) speed. With
motion control lever in neutral (N) posi-
tion, slowly disengage clutch/brake
pedal.
• Slowly move motion control lever for-
ward; after the tractor moves approxi-
mately five (5) feet, slowly move motion
control lever to reverse position. After
the tractor moves approximately five (5)
feet return the motion control lever to
the neutral (N) position. Repeat this pro-
cedure with the motion control lever
three (3) times.
• Your tractor is now purged and ready for
normal operation.
MOWING TIPS
• Tire chains cannot be used when the
mower housing is attached to tractor.
• Mower should be properly leveled for
best mowing performance. See "TO
LEVEL MOWER HOUSING" in the
Service and Adjustments section of this
manual.
• The left hand side of mower should be
used for trimming.
• 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 distribu-
tion of clippings and more uniform cut-
ting.
• When mowing large areas, start by turn-
ing to the right so that clippings will dis-
charge away from shrubs, fences, drive-
ways, etc. After one or two rounds, mow
in the opposite direction making left
hand turns until finished.
• If grass is extremely tall, it should be
mowed twice to reduce load and possi-
ble fire hazard from dried clippings.
Make first cut relatively high; the second
to the desired height.
17