Engaging The Blades; Mulching; Using The Deck Lift Lever; Mowing - Craftsman 247.203721 Operator's Manual

Engaging the Blades
Engaging t he PTO (BladeEngage) transferspowertothe cuttingdeckor other
(separately a vailable) a ttachments. T oengage the blades, p roceed asfollows:
I. Movethe throttle/choke controlleverto the FAST ( rabbit)position.
2. Grasp the PTO (BladeEngage) l everandpivotit all the wayforwardintothe
engaged (ON) p osition.
3. Keep the throttleleverinthe FAST ( rabbit)positionfor the mostefficientuse
of thecutting deck or other(separately a vailable) a ttachments.
NOTE: Theenginewill automatically shutoff if the PTO isengaged with
the shiftleverin positionfor reverse travelwith the ignitionkeyinthe ON
position.
Mulching
Amulchkit isavailableasanattachment. M ulchingisa process o f recirculating
grassclippings repeatedly beneath the cuttingdeck.Theultra-fineclippings are
thenforcedbackintothe lawnwherethey actasanaturalfertilizer.
Amulchkit canbepurchased t hroughthe retaillocationinwhichyou purchased
thistractor.Formoreinformation,simplycontactSears a t 1-800-659-5917.
Usingthe DeckLift Lever
Toraise the cuttingdeck,movethe decklift leverto the left, then placeit inthe
notchbestsuitedfor yourapplication. R efer t o SettingTheCuttingHeightearlierin
thissection.
Mowing
Tohelp avoid bladecontactor athrown object injury,keepbystanders,
helpers,children andpets at least 75feet from the machinewhile it is in
operation. Stopmachineif anyoneentersthe area.
Thefollowing informationwill behelpfulwhenusingthe cuttingdeckwith your
tractor:
Planyour mowing pattern to avoiddischargeof materialstoward roads,
sidewalks,bystandersandthe like.Also,avoiddischargingmaterial against
awall or obstruction which may causedischargedmaterialto ricochet back
toward the operator.
Donot mowat highgroundspeed, e specially ira mulchkit or grasscollector
isinstalled.
Forbestresultsit isrecommended t hatthe first two laps be cutwith the
discharge throwntowardsthe center. A fterthe first two laps,reverse the
directionto throwthe discharge t o the outsideforthe balance of cutting.
Thiswill giveabetterappearance t o the lawn.
Donot cutthe grasstoo short.Shortgrassinvitesweedgrowth andyellows
quicklyindry weather.
Mowingshouldalwaysbedonewith the engineatfull throttle.
Under heavier c onditions it maybenecessary t o gobackoverthe cutareaa
second timeto get acleancut.
DoNOT attemptto mowheavybrushandweedsandextremely tall grass.
Yourtractorisdesigned to mowlawns,NOT clearbrush.
Keep the bladessharpandreplace the blades when worn.Refer t o Cutting
Blades i n the Service s ectionof thismanual f orproperbladesharpening
instructions.
Headlights
ThelampsareON whenever the tractor'sengineisrunning.
Thelampsturn OFF whenthe ignitionkeyis moved to the STOP p osition.
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