Craftsman 917.273404 Owner's Manual page 14

• For best cuttingperformance,grass over
6 inches in height should be mowed
twice. Makethe first cut relativelyhigh;
the second to desired height.
TO OPERATEMOWER
Yourtractor is equippedwith an operator
presencesensingswitch. Any attempt
by the operatorto leave the seat with the
enginerunning and the attachmentclutch
engagedwill shut off the engine.Youmust
remain fully and centrallypositionedin the
seat to preventthe enginefrom hesitating
or cuttingoff when operatingyour equip-
ment on rough, rollingterrain or hills.
1. Select desired heightof cut.
2. Start mowerblades by engagingat-
tachmentclutch control.
TO STOP MOWERBLADES-
disengageattachmentclutch control.
_CAUTION: Do not operate the mower
without either the entire grass catcher,
on mowersso equipped,or the deflector
shield in place.
Attachment Attachemnt
Clutch LiftLever
"Engaged" High
Position Position
/
Low
/ .... "/_4" Position
'uisengaged _._.__'° _:::::: S/ /_
Position __/_._ Deflector
__Shield
TO OPERATE ON HILLS
_WARNING: Do not drive up or down
hills with slopes greater than 15 ° and do
not drive across any slope. Use the slope
guide at the back of this manual.
• Choose the slowest speed before start-
ing up or down hills.
• Avoid stopping or changing speed on hills.
• If slowing is necessary, move throttle
control lever to slower position.
• If stopping is absolutely necessary,
push clutch/brake pedal quickly to brake
position and engage parking brake.
• Move motion control lever to neutral (N)
position.
IMPORTANT: The motion control lever
does not return to neutral (N) position
when the clutch/brake pedal is depressed.
• To restart movement, slowly release
parking brake and clutch/brake pedal.
• Slowly move motion control lever to
slowest setting.
• Make all turns slowly.
TO TRANSPORT
When pushing or towing your tractor, be
sure to disengage transmission by placing
freewheel control in freewheeling position.
Freewheel control is located at the rear
drawbar of tractor.
1. Raise attachment lift to highest posi-
tion with attachment lift control.
2. Pull freewheel control out and down
into the slot and release so it is held in
the disengaged position.
• Do not push or tow tractor at more than
two (2) MPH.
• To re-engage transmission, reverse
above procedure.
Transmission Engaged
Transmission Disengaged
NOTE: To protect hood from damage
when transporting your tractor on a truck
or a trailer, be sure hood is closed and
secured to tractor. Use an appropriate
means of tying hood to tractor (rope, cord,
etc.).
TOWING CARTS AND OTHER ATTACH-
MENTS
Tow only the attachments that are recom-
mended by and comply with specifications
of the manufacturer of your tractor. Use
common sense when towing. Too heavy
of a load, while on a slope, is dangerous.
Tires can lose traction with the ground and
cause you to lose control of your tractor.
BEFORE STARTING THE ENGINE
CHECK ENGINE OIL LEVEL
The engine in your tractor has been
shipped, from the factory, already filled
with summer weight oil.
1. Check engine oil with tractor on level
ground.
2. Remove oil fill cap/dipstick and wipe
clean, reinsert the dipstick and screw
cap tight, wait for a few seconds, re-
move and read oil level. If necessary,
add oil until "FULl" mark on dipstick is
reached. Do not overfill.
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