Craftsman 987.889 owner manual Toengagethewheels, Makingturns, To Stop the Wheels, Grip

TOENGAGETHEWHEELS

CAUTION

. To avoid damaging the transmission, do not shift gears while in motion.

•To avoid damaging the wheel brake mechanism, do not engage the Wheel Drive

Control without first engaging

the Operator Presence Control.

WARNING

Before engaging the Wheel Drive Lever for the very first time, check that the neutral

(N)position on the Gear Se- lect Lever is properly adjust- ed. See "Neutral Adjust-

ment" in "Service and

Adjustments" Section for the procedureto follow.

Failure to follow this instruc- tion could result in personal injury or property damage.

1.Start engine as described in "To Start the Engine" instructions.

2.FOR FORWARD TRAVEL:

A. Press and hold Operator Pres- ence Control (A, Figure 3-13) against handlebar grip.

B. Put the Gear Select Lever (C, Figure 3-13) into one of the numbered settings (1 - Slow, 2 - Medium and 3 - Fast). When first practicing with the mower, put lever in No. 1 setting. Se- lect forward speeds according to mowing conditions and ter- rain. Use slower speeds on rough terrain or when grass is heavy or thick. The forward speed can be increased on smooth terrain or if the grass cover is light. Allow the wheels to step completely before shift- ing from one forward speed into

:another.

OPERATION

C. To start the wheels, slowly squeeze the Wheel Drive Con- trol (D, Figure 3-13). The hard- er you squeeze, the faster the wheels will turn. To avoid sud- den acceleration, slowly squeeze the lever.

D. TO STOP THE WHEELS:

•To stop drive power to the wheels, release the Wheel

Drive Control. The wheels will gradually slow to a stop.

•To quickly stop the wheels, re- lease both the Wheel Drive

Control and the Operator Pres- ence Control.

WARNING

To avoid injury or property damage:

• Look behind mower before and duringreverse operation.

•Stop the mower blades be- fore operatingin reverse.

3.FOR REVERSE TRAVEL:

A. Stop the mower blades and wheels by releasing the Opera-

tor Presence Control (A, Figure 3-13).

B. Press and hold Operator Pres- ence Control against handlebar

grip.

Co Put the Gear Select Lever (C, Figure 3-13) in R (reverse) set- ting by first moving lever to N (neutral). Then pull lever up,

turn it to R position, and release leve_

D. To start the wheels, slowly: squeeze Wheel Drive Control (D, Figure 3-13). To avoid sud- den acceleration, slowly squeeze the lever.

E. TO STOP THE WHEELS:

•To stop drive power to the wheels, release the Wheel Drive Control. The wheels will

gradually slow to a stop.

•To quickly stop the wheels, re- lease both the Wheel Drive

Control and the Operator Pres- ence Control.

• Return the Gear Select Lever to the N (neutral) position when

you have completed reverse op- eration. Allow the wheels to

stop completely before shifting from R (reverse) into a forward speed.

MAKINGTURNS

The mower turns easily by push- ing the handlebars in the opposite direction that you want to turn. The differential mechanism inside the transaxle will allow the inside turn- ing wheel to stop or slow down while the outside turning wheel is powered by the drive system.

Reduce the wheel speed before turning the mower. For tight turns, disengage the Wheel Drive Control and manually push the mo_,er

through the turn (if needed, put the Gear Select Lever in neutral so the

wheels turn freely).

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