Craftsman 917.373841 owner manual Mulching Mowing T PS

MOWING T PS

. Under certain conditionS, such as very tall grass, itmay be necessary to raise the height of cut to reduce pushing effort and to keep from overloading the engine and leaving clumps of grass clfppings.

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

oFor better grass bagging and most cutting conditions,

the engine speed should be set in the fast (,,_) posi- tion.

•When using a rear'discharge lawn mower'in moist, heavy grass, clumps of cut grass may not enter the

grass catcher. Reduce ground speed (pushing speed) and/or run the lawn mower overthe area a second time.

°If a trail of clippings is left on the right side of a rear discharge mower, mow in a clockwise direction with a small overlap to collect the clippings on the next pass=

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

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FIG. 11

MULCHING MOWING T PS

IMPORTANT: FOR BEST PERFORMANCE, KEEP MOWER HOUSING FREE OF BUILT-UP GRASS AND

TRASH, SEE "CLEANING" IN CUSTOMER RESPONSIBILITIES SECTION OF THIS MANUAL.

•The special mulching blade wilt recut the grass clip- pings 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 recutting 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 and the newly cut area
	will not be exposed to the direct sun,

oFor best results, adjust the lawn mower cutting height so that the lawn mower cuts off only the top one-third of the grass blades (See Fig. 11). 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 mulching, reduce you r width of cut by overlapping previously cut path and mow slowly.

oCertain types of grass and grass conditions may re- quire that an area be mulched a second time to com- pletely hide the clippings. When doing a second cut, mow across or perpendicular to the first cut path.

•Change your cutting pattern fromweekto 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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