Craftsman 917.374102 owner manual Mulching Mowing Tips

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MOWING TIPS

A CAUTION: Do not use de-thatcher blade attachments on your mower. Such attachments are hazardous, wil! 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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Contents Craftsman Yearfull Warranty on Craftsman Lawn Mower Your Safety is InvolvedGeneral Operation IV. Safe Handling of GasolineDo not General Service RJ19HXLawn Mower Maintenance Lawn Mower PerformanceTo Remove Mower from Carton To Unfold HandleMowing PositionTo Prepare Battery To Install AttachmentsTo Assemble Grass Catcher Meets Cpsc Safety Requirements Know Your Lawn MowerEngine Speed Rear Bagging Side DischargingFor Rear Bagging To Convert MowerBefore Starting Engine Mulching Mowing Tips Mowing TipsGeneral Recommendations Before Each USELubrication Before After EveryLawn Mower Drive WheelsTo Clean AIR Filter Grass CatcherGear Case Engine LubricationCleaning Clean Under Drive CoverWater Washout Feature MufflerTo Adjust Handle Rear DeflectorTo Remove Drive Belt To Replace Drive BeltCarburetor HandleEngine Speed Fold Forward for Storage Mowing PositionBattery Problem Cause CorrectionOther Fuel SystemProblem CauseSears, Roebuck and Co., Hoffman Estates, IL SU Seguridad Esta ComprometidaOperacion III. NinosII. Operacion Sobre LAS Cuestas HacerSAE RJ19HXRendimiento DE LA Segadora Mantenimiento DE LA SegadoraComo Preparar SU Segadora Para Remover LA Segadora DE LA Caja DE CartonPara Montar EL Recogedor DE Para Instalar LOS AccesoriosFamiliaricese CON SU Segadora Producto. Aprenda y comprenda sus significadosComo Usar SU Segadora Control DE LA IMPULSI6NAjuste DEL Mando ATRA.SPARA Bajar Palancahacia EL CORTAC¢SPEDPara Convertir LA Segadora Segadoras CON Descarga TraseraSegadoras CON Descarga Lateral Para Ensacamiento TraseroPara Vaciar EL Recogedor DE Cosped Antes DE Hacer Arrancar EL Motor Agregue AceiteAgregue Gasolina Onsejos Para Segar Consejos Para Segar Y ACOL- CharRecomendaciones Generales Antes DE Cada USOSegadora LlantasRuedas DE IMPULSI6N Cuidado DE LA CuchillaRecogedor DE Cosped Caja DE EngranajesPara Cambiar EL Aceite DEL Motor Filtro DE AireLimpieza Derrubio DEL AguaLimpie Debajo DE LA Cubierta DE LA Impulsion Segadora LA Altura DE CorteDesviador Trasero Para Remover Correa DE ImpulsionVelocidad DEL Motor CarburadorProblema Causa MotorAceite DEL Motor CilindroCausa CorreccionOJ i co ONm Cxl C.l BSm Iss2 Briggs & Stratton 4-CYCLE Engine188 969i6o81 Engine Gasket SET Briggs & Stratton Cycle Engine KEY PartBriggs & STRATTON4-CYCLE Engine Service Notes Service Notes Serifs