General Service - Craftsman 917.98644 Operator's Manual

Remove gas-powered equipment from
thetruckortrailer a ndrefuel it onthe
ground. Ifthis isnot p ossible, then refuel
such equipment with aportable container,
rather thanfroma gasoline d ispenser
nozzle.
Keep thenozzle i ncontact withtherim
ofthefuel t ank orcontainer opening a t
alltimes until fueling i scomplete. Donot
use a nozzle l ock-open device.
Iffuel i sspilled o nclothing, change cloth-
ingimmediately.
N ever o verfill fuel t ank. R eplace gas cap
andtighten s ecurely.
GENERALSERVICE
Never operate machine inaclosed a rea.
Keep a llnuts and bolts t ight tobesure the
equipment is insafe working c ondition.
Never tamper with safety d evices. Check
their p roper operation regularly.
Keep machine freeofgrass, leaves, or
other d ebris b uild-up. Clean oilorfuel
spillage and remove any fuel-soaked de-
bris. Allow machine tocoot before storing.
If youstrike a foreign object, stopand
inspectthe machine. Repair, ifnecessary,
before r estarting.
Never m ake any adjustments orrepairs
with theengine r unning.
Check grass c atcher components and the
discharge chute frequently andreplace
with manufacturer's recommended parts,
when necessary.
Mower blades are sharp. Wrapthe blade
orweargloves, anduseextra caution
when servicing them.
Check b rake o peration frequently. Adjust
and service a srequired.
Maintain orreplace safety a nd instruction
labels, asnecessary.
Besure theareaisclear o fbystanders
before operating. Stop m achine ifanyone
enters t hearea.
Never carry passengers.
Do notmow inreverse unless absolutely
necessary. Always took down a nd behind
before a ndwhile backing.
Never c arrychildren, e venwiththe
blades s hutoff. They may falloffand
beseriously injured orinterfere with safe
machine operation. Children whohave
been g iven r ides i nthe past may suddenly
appear inthemowing a rea foranother
ride andberunover o rbacked o ver b y
themachine.
Keep children o utofthemowing a rea
and inthewatchful care ofaresponsible
adult o ther than theoperator.
Bealert a nd turnmachine offifa child
enters t hearea.
Before andwhile backing, took behind
anddown f orsmall children.
Mow upand down s lopes ( 15 °Max), not
across.
Choose a low ground s peed s othat y ou
will n ot h ave tostop orshift w hile onthe
slope.
Avoid starting, stopping, orturning o na
slope. Ifthetires tosetraction, disengage
theblades a ndproceed s lowly s traight
down theslope.
If machine stopswhilegoinguphill,
disengage blades, shift i nto reverse and
back down slowly.
Donot t urn onslopes u nless n ecessary,
andthen,turnslowlyandgradually
downhill, ifpossible.
When l oading orunloading this machine,
do not exceed t he maximum recom-
mended operation angle of15 °.