Side-To-Side - Craftsman 536.257670 Owner's Manual

OPERATION
MOWING TiPS
e Do not use tire chains when mower housing is attached to
unit
e Run the engine at FAST speed position.
Control forward ground speed with shift control lever in
accordance with type and quantity of grass being
mowed. The more grass to be cut, a slower forward
ground speed should be used When cutting light grass,
forward ground speed can be increased By observing
cutting action of your mower, you can determine the
forward ground speed
Your mower may tend to leave unmowed strips when long
and tender grass is being mowed Tender grass has a high
internal moisture content and is easily depressed by lawn
tractor wheels, and may not always spring back in time to
be cut To overcome this condition, we advise mowing lawn
in a counterclockwise direction, overlapping previous cut,
which allows lifting action of rotating blades to lift grass into
cutting path
When mowing large areas, start in a clockwise direction so
clippings will discharged away from shrubs, fences,
driveways, etc. After one or two rounds, mow in coun-
terclockwise direction until finished (see Fig 10).
e Be sure your mower is adjusted properly,front-to-rear and
side-to-side, (see To Level Mower Deck in Service
and Adjustments section).
e Only cut grassthat is dry.
e Mow grass often. Short grass clippings will decay fast
e Keep blades sharp Sharp blades will cut better,
e Your tractor is very maneuverable and can be reversed to
back out of dead ends
MULCHING MOWING TiPS
To mulch grass with a mulching mower, you will need to do
several things differently than with a conventional mower.
You must change your mowing habits in order to maximize
effectiveness of your mulching mower. This could mean slowing
down the pace that you currently use to mow your lawn to allow
the mulchar extra time to cut and recur the clippings into a fine
mulch. The volume of grass that is under the deck of a mulcher
is greater at any time than it is with a conventional lawn mower
WHEN MULCHING LAWN FOR THE FIRST TIME-
• Set cutting height at highest setting and mow in one
direction.
@ Upon completion of first mowing, lower the cutting height to
middle setting and mow a second time at 90 ° to first
cut or in a criss-eross pattern. You can also recut in
same direction by overlapping the center of the mower over
the wheel tracks of the first cut
CAUTION: Look down and behind before
and while backing,, Disengage mower
blades before backing up.
I
FIG. 10
RETRAINING LAWN TO BE CUT WITH MULCHING MOWER-
e Mow your lawn frequently,
@
For a mulching mower to perform best, we recom m end that
you remove about 1"to 1-1/2" of grass with each cut If your
grass is very thick or lush, you may want to remove as little
as 1/2" on final cut to produce the best possible result. This
could mean that you must mow your lawn every 3-5 days
under certain growing conditions.
@
If the height of the grass should get out of control, we
recommend that you follow instructions for first time mulch-
ing to bring lawn back to a manageable height The optF
mum grass height is dependenton grass type and immediate
local growing conditions Consult your local agricultural
extension office for this information
Keep your engine running at full speed (throttle at fast). If
you slow down the engine running speed you will slow blade
speed as well, which will impair the ability of the mower to
cut grass properly
After mowing your lawn, check under the mower deck to be
sure it is clean and free of grass buildup Do not allow the
grass to build up because it will impair ability of mower to cut
properly
e Keep the blade sharp It needs to be kept sharp and free
from nicks to keep from damaging the grass tips while
cutting grass quickly and efficiently
e Keep your lawn watered,fertilized frequently, and free of
debris.
• Mulching mower will not perform properly in wet grass Cut
only when it is dry
NOTE: To convert from mulching to conventional lawnmowing
see TO REMOVE MULCHING PLUG in CUSTOMER
RESPONSIBILITIES section of this manual
15