Craftsman 917.252711 Owner's Manual page 16

t OW NG
T PS
Tire chains cannot be used when the mower housing
is attached to tractor.
o 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 trim-
ruing.
Drive so that clippings are discharged onto the area
that has been cut. Have the cut area to the right of the
rnaehine. This will resu!t in a more even distribution d
clippings and mere uniform cutting,,
o When mowing large areas, start by turning to the right
so that clippings will discharge away from shrubs,
fences, dnveways, etc. After one or two rounds, mow
in the opposite direction making left hand turns until
finished (See Fig, 11 ).
If grass is extrernely tall, it should be mowed twice to
reduce load and possibte fire hazard from dried clipo
pings. Make first cut relatively high; the second to the
desired height.
• Do net mow grass when it is wet, Wet grass will plug
mower and leave undesirable clumps. Allow grass io
dry before mowing.
• Always operate engine at full throttle when mowing to
assure better mowing performance and proper dis-
charge of material. Regulate ground speed by select o
ing a low enough gear to give the mower cutting
performance as well as the quality of cut desired.
When operating attachments, select a ground speed
that will suit the terrain and give best performance of
the attachment being used°
( ,-
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MULCHING MOWING TNPS
_MPORTANT': FOR BEG"[ PERFORMANCE, KEEP
MOWER HOUSING FREE OF BUILT-.UP GRASS AND
TRASH. CLEAN AFTER EACH USE.
-[he special muiching blade will recut the grass clip °
pings many times and reduce them in size so that as
they fall onto the lawn they wilt disperse into the grass
and not be noticed. Atso, the mutched grass will
biodegrade quickly to provide nutrients for the !awn.
Always mulch with your highest engine (b!ade) speed
as this will provide the best recutting action of the
blades.
o Avoid cutting your lawn when it is wet. Wet grasstends
to form clumps and interferes with the
muJchhlg
action.
The best time to mow your lawn is the early afternoon.
At this time the grass has dried and the newly cut area
will not be exposed to [he direct sun.
o For best results, adjust the mower cutting height sothat
the mower cuts off only the top one4hird of the grass
blades (See Fig. 12). For extremely heavy mulching,
reduce your width of cut on each pass arid mow slowly.
o Certain types of grass and grass conditions may re-
quire that an area be mulched a second time to com-
pletely hide the ciippings. When doing a second cut,
mow across or perpendicular to the first cut path.
o Change your cutting pattern from week to week, Mow
north to south one week then change to east to west the
ne_ week, This wilJ help prevent matting and graining
of the lawn.
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