Craftsman 917.388191 Alwaysobsewe safetyruleswhenper, Formingany maintenance, Causetiredamage

LAWN MOWER	IMPORTANT:		Blade	bolt is heat treated°
Alwaysobsewe safetyruleswhenper-	If bolt needs		replacing,	replace only	with
formingany maintenance.	approved	bolt	shown	in the Repair	Parts
TIRES	section	of this	manual.

•Keeptires free of gasoline,oil, or insect TO SHARPEN BLADE controlchemicalswhichcanharmrubber. NOTE: We do not recommend sharp-

= Avoidstumps,stones,deepruts,sl_arp

ening

the

blade

- but

if you

do,

be

sure

objectsand otherhazardsthat may

the blade

is balanced.

An unbalanced

blade

will

cause

eventual

damage

to

lawn

causetiredamage°

BLADE CARE

mower

or engine,

Forbestresults,mowerblademustbe kept

o The blade can be sharpened with a file

or on a grinding wheel. Do not attempt

,_arp.

Replace

bent

or damaged

blades.

to sharpen while on the mower.

CAUTION:

Use

only

a replacement

o To check blade balance, drive a nail into

blade approved by the manufacturer of

a beam or wall. Leave about one inch of

your mower. Using a blade not approved

the straight nail exposed. Place center

by

the

manufacturer

of your

mower

is

hole

of

blade

over

the

head of the

nail.

hazardous, could damage your mower and

If blade is balanced, it should remain in

void your

warranty.

a horizontal position,, if either end of the

TO

REMOVE

BLADE

blade

moves

downward,

sharpen

the

1. Disconnect spark plug wire from spark

heavy end until the blade is balanced.

plug and place wire where it cannot

GRASS

CATCHER

come

in contact

with

plug_

2. Turn lawn mower on its side° Make

° The

grass

catcher may be hosed with

sure air filter and carburetor

are

up.

water,

but

must

be

dry

when

used.

3.

Use

a wood

block

between blade and

° Check

your grass

catcher

often

for

dam-

mower

housing

to

prevent

blade

from

age

or

deterioration.

Through

normal

turning

when

removing

blade

bolto

use

it will wear.

If catcher

needs

replac-

NOTE:

Protect

your

hands with

gloves

ing,

replace

only

with

approved

replace-

and/or

wrap

blade

with

heavy

cloth.

ment

catcher

shown

in

the Repair

Parts

4.

Remove

blade

bolt by

turning

counter-

section

of this

manual°

Give

the

lawn

clockwise°

mower' model number when ordering°

5. Remove blade and attaching hardware

(bolt, lock washer and hardened washer).

ENGINE

TO REPLACE

BLADE

LUBRICATION

1. Position blade on the blade adapter

Use only high quality detergent oil rated

aligning the two (2) holes in the blade

with AP1 service classification SG-SL.

with the raised lugs on the adapter.

Select the oil'sSAE viscosity grade

2. Be sure the trailing edge of blade (oppo-

according to your expected operating

site sharp edge) is up toward the engine,,

temperature.

3.

Install

the blade

bolt

with

the

lock

washer

and

hardened

washer

into

SAE VISCOSITY GRADES

blade

adapter

and

crankshaft.

4.Use block of wood between blade and

lawn mower housing and tighten the

1

blade

bolt,

turning

clockwise.

C -30

-20

qD

0

10

20

30

40

• The

recommended

tightening

torque is

TEMPERATURE

RANGE ANTICIPATED

BEFORE

NEXT OIL CHANGE

35-40

ft. Ibs.

NOTE:

Although rnulti-viscosity oils

Blade

adapter

Ke_

Crankshaft

(5W30, 10W30 etc.) improve starting in

Lockwasher

cold weather, these multi-viscosity oils will

result in increased oil consumption when

Blade

used above

32°R

Check

your

engine

oil

level more frequently to avoid possible

engine damage from running low on oil.

Check the crankcase oil level before

Blade

starting the engine and after each five (5)

hours of continuous use. Tighten oil plug

bolt

Hardened

securely each time you check the oil level,

washer

Trailing edge

Crankshaft

'12