Craftsman 917.374160 owner manual Mulching Mowing Tips

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MOWING TIPS

CAUTION: Do not use de-thatcher blade attachments on your mower. Such attachments are hazardous, will damage your mower and could void your warranty.

Under certain conditions, such as very tall grass, it may be necessary to raise the height of cut to reduce pushing effort and to keep from overloading the engine and leaving clumps of grass clippings.

It may also be necessary to reduce

ground speed and/or run the lawn mower over the area a second time.

For extremely heavy cutting, reduce the width of cut by overlapping previously cut path and mow slowly.

For better grass bagging and most cut- ting conditions, the engine speed should be set in the FAST position.

Pores in cloth grass catchers can become filled with dirt and dust with use

and catchers wil! collect less grass. To prevent this, regularly hose catcher off with water and let dry before using.

Keep top of engine around starter clear and clean of grass clippings and chaff. This will help engine air flow and extend engine life.

MULCHING MOWING TIPS

IMPORTANT: For best performance, keep mower housing free of built-up

grass and trash. See "CLEANING" in the Maintenance section of this manual.

The special mulching blade will recut the grass clippings many times and reduce them in size so that as they fall onto the lawn they will disperse into the grass and not be noticed. Also, the mulched grass will biodegrade quickly to provide nutrients for the lawn. Always mulch with your highest engine (blade) speed as this will provide the best recut- ting action of the blades.

Avoid cutting your lawn when it is wet. Wet grass tends to form clumps and interferes with the mulching action. The best time to mow your lawn is the early afternoon. At this time the grass has dried, yet the newly cut area will not be exposed to direct sunlight.

For best results, adjust the lawn mower cutting height so that the lawn mower cuts off only the top one-third of the grass blades. If the lawn is overgrown

it will be necessary to raise the height of cut to reduce pushing effort and to keep from overloading the engine and leaving clumps of mulched grass. For extremely heavy grass, reduce your width of cut by overlapping previously cut path and mow slowly.

Certain types of grass and grass conditions may require that an area be mulched a second time to completely hide the clippings. When doing a sec- ond cut, mow across (perpendicular) to the first cut path.

Change your cutting pattern from week to week. Mow north to south one week

then change to east to west the next week. This will help prevent matting and graining of the lawn.

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Craftsman Your Safety is Involved Yearfull Warranty on Craftsman Lawn MowerDo not General OperationIV. Safe Handling of Gasoline RJ19LM General ServiceLawn Mower Performance Lawn Mower MaintenanceMowing To Remove Mower from CartonTo Unfold Handle To Assemble Grass Catcher Know Your Lawn Mower Meets Cpsc Safety RequirementsHOW to USE Your Lawn Mower ADD OIL Before Starting EngineTo Empty Grass Catcher For Rear BaggingTo Start Engine To Stop EngineMowing Tips Mulching Mowing TipsBefore After Every General RecommendationsBefore Each USE LubricationDrive Wheels Lawn MowerEngine To Clean AIR FilterGrass Catcher Gear CaseSpark Plug CleaningClean Under Drive Cover MufflerTo Replace Drive Belt To Adjust HandleRear Deflector To Remove Drive BeltHandle EngineCarburetor Cylinder OtherFuel System Engine OILNeed More HELP? ProblemCause CorrectionSU Seguridad Esta Comprometida Sears, Roebuck and Co., Hoffman Estates, ILHacer OperacionIII. Ninos II. Operacion Sobre LAS CuestasRJ19LM SAEMantenimiento DE LA Segadora Rendimiento DE LA SegadoraComo Preparar SU Segadora Cumple CON LOS Requisitos DE Seguridad DE LA Cpsc Producto. Aprenda y comprenda sus significadosVelocidad DEL Motor Como Usar SU SegadoraImportante Antes DE Hacer Arrancar EL MotorPara Parar EL Motor Para Hacer Arrancar EL MotorConsejos Para Segar Y ACOL- Char Onsejos Para SegarTabla DE Lubricacion Recomendaciones GeneralesAntes DE Cada USO LubricacionSegadora Motor Lubricacion Limpie Debajo DE LA Cubierta DE LA IMPULSI6N LimpiezaPara Ajustar EL Mango Para Ajustar LA Altura DE CorteDesviador Trasero Para Remover Correa DE ImpulsionSegadora MotorVelocidad DEL Motor CarburadorOtros Problema CausaCilindro Causa ProblemaLvl Iii m Iii a ILli O8 oOg o \ / \ Iii Briggs & Stratton 4-CYCLE Engine Operators Manual I 11329REPLACEMENTENGINE209,+Jf2o2 305 334 585 KEY Part Description Lever 957 796577 Serifs