Craftsman 917.258694 Owner's Manual page 15

OPERATION
CAUTION: Fill to bottom of gas tan NOTE: If at a high altitude (above 3000 feet) or in cold
temperatures (below 32 F) the carburetor fuel mixture may
filler neck. Do not overfill Wipe off any
spilled oil or fuel. Do not store, spi!l or need to be adjusted for best engine performance. See "TO
use gasoline near an open flame. ADJUST CARBURETOR" in the Service and Adjustments
section of this manual.
TO START ENGINE (See Fig. 8)
When starling the engine for the first time or if the engine
has run out of fuel, it will take extra cranking time to move
fuel from the tank to the engine.
• Be sure freewheel control is in the transmission en-
gaged position.
, Sit on seat in operating position, depress clutch/brake
pedal and set parking brake.
• Ptace motion control lever in neutral (N) position.
, Move attachment clutch to "DISENGAGED" position.
• Move throttle control to fast position
= Pull choke control out for a cold engine start attempt.
For a warm engine start attempt the choke control may
not be needed.
Note: Before starting, read the warm and celd starting
procedures below.
. Insert key intoignition and turn key clockwise to"START"
position and release key as soon as engine starts. Do
not run starter continuously for more than fifteen sec-
onds per minute. If the engine does not start after
several attempts, push choke control in, wait a few
minutes and try again. If engine still does not start, pull
the choke control out and retry.
WARM WEATHER STARTING (50 _;F and above)
, When engine starts, slowly push choke control in until
the engine begins to run smoothly. If the engine starts
to run roughly, pull the choke control out slightly for a
few seconds and then continue to push the control in
slowly.
= The attachments and ground drive can now be used. tf
the engine does not accept the load, restart the engine
and allow it to warm up for one minute using the choke
as described above.
COLD WEATHER STARTING (50 ° F and below)
. When engine starts, slowly push choke control in untit
the engine begins to run smoothly. Continue to push
the choke control in small steps allowing the engine to
accept small changes in speed and load, until the
choke control is fully in. If the engine starts to run
roughly, pull the choke control out slightly for a few
seconds and then continue to push the control in
slowly. This may require an engine warm-up period
from several seconds to several minutes, depending
on the temperature.
HYDROSTATIC TRANSMISSION WARM UP
Before driving the unit in cold weather, the transmis-
sion should be warmed up as follows:
Be sure the tractor is on level ground.
• Place the motion control lever in neutral.
Release the parking brake and let the clutch/brake
slowly return 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 putted out slightly.
PURGE TRANSMISSION
To ensure proper operation and performance, it is recom-
mended that the transmission be purged before operating
tractor for the first time. This procedure 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, H-
SHOULD BE PURGED AFTER REtNSTALLATION
BEFORE OPERATING THE TRACTOR.
, Place tractor safely on level sudace with engine off and
parking brake set.
* Disengage transmission by placing freewheel 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 throttle control to slow position. With
motion centre! 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 witl be no movement of
drive wheels. The air is being removed from hydraulic drive
system.
, Move motion control lever to neutral (N) position. Shut-
off engine and set parking brake.
= Engage transmission by placing freewheel controt in
driving position (See TOTRANSPORT" inthis section
of manual).
, Sitting in the tractor seat, start engine. Afterthe engine
is running, move throttle control to half (1/2) speed.
With motion contro! lever in neutral (N) position, slowly
disengage clutch/brake pedal
o Slowly move motion control lever forward, after the
tractor moves approximately 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 procedure with the motion control lever three (3)
times.
• Your tractor is now purged and now ready for normal
operation.
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