Craftsman 917.273761 Owner's Manual page 16

• The attachmentsand ground drive can
nowbe used. If the enginedoes not
accept the load, restartthe engineand
allow it to warm up for one minute using
the choke as describedabove.
COLDWEATHERSTARTING( 50° F and
below)
7. When enginestarts, allow engine
to run with the throttle control in the
choke positionuntil the engine runs
roughly,then movethrottle control
to fast position.This may requirean
enginewarm-up period from several
secondsto several minutes,depending
on the temperature.
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONWARMUP
Beforedriving the unit in cold weather,
the transmissionshould be warmed up as
follows:
1. Be sure the tractor is on level ground.
2. Placethe motioncontrol leverin
neutral.Releasethe parking brake
and let the clutch/brakeslowly return
to operatingposition.
3. Allow one minutefor transmissionto
warm up.This can be done during
the enginewarm up period.
• The attachmentscan also be used dur-
ingthe enginewarm-up period after the
transmissionhas been warmed up.
NOTE: If at a high altitude (above3000
feet)or in cold temperatures(below32 F)
the carburetorfuel mixturemay need to
be adjustedfor best engineperformance.
(See "TOADJUST CARBURETOR"in the
Serviceand Adjustmentssection of this
manual.)
PURGE TRANSMISSION
_,CAUTION: Never engage or dis-
engage freewheel lever while the engine
is running.
To ensure proper operation and per-
formance, it is recommended that the
transmission 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 reinstall-
ation before operating the tractor.
1. Place tractor safely on level surface
with engine off and parking brake set.
2. Disengage transmission by placing
freewheel control in disengaged posi-
tion (See "TO TRANSPORT" in this
section of manual).
3. Sitting in the tractor seat, start engine.
After the engine is running, move
throttle control to slow position. With
motion control lever in neutral (N)
position, slowly disengage clutch/brake
pedal.
4. Move motion control lever to full for-
ward position and hold for five (5) sec-
onds. Move lever to full reverse position
and hold for five (5) seconds. Repeat
this procedure three (3) times.
NOTE: During this step there will be no
movement of drive wheels. The air is being
removed from hydraulic drive system.
5. Move motion control lever to neutral (N)
position. Shutoff engine and set park-
ing brake.
6. Engage transmission by placing free-
wheel control in engaged position (See
"TO TRANSPORT" in this section of
manual).
7. Sitting in the tractor seat, start engine.
After the engine is running, move
throttle control to half (1/2) speed.
With motion control lever in neutral (N)
position, slowly disengage clutch/brake
pedal.
8. 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
procedure with the motion control lever
three (3) times.
Your transmission is now purged and now
ready for normal operation.
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