Craftsman 247.28911 manual Stopping the Engine, Driving the Tractor, Driving on Slopes, Mulching

STOPPING THE ENGINE

If youstrikea foreignobject,stopthe engine,disconnectthe spark plugwire(s)andgroundagainstthe engine.Thoroughlyinspectthe machinefor anydamage.Repairthe damagebeforerestartingand operating

1.Ifthe bladesareengaged,placethe PTO(BladeEngage)leverin thedisengaged(OFF)position.

2.Turnthe ignitionkeycounterclockwiseto the STOPposition.

3.Removethe keyfromthe ignitionswitchto preventunintended starting.

DRIVING THE TRACTOR

Avoidsuddenstarts,excessivespeedandsuddenstops.

Do notleavethe seatof thetractorwithoutfirstplacingthe PTO (BladeEngage)leverinthe disengaged(OFF)position,depressing I the brakepedalandengagingthe parkingbrake.Ifleavingthe tractor [ unattended,alsoturn the ignitionkeyoffand removethe key.

Alwayslookdownandbehindbeforeandwhilebackingupto avoida back-overaccident.

1.Depressthe clutch-brakepedalto releasethe parkingbrakeand thenlet the pedalup.

2.Movethe throttleleverintothe FAST(rabbit)position.

3.Placethe shiftleverin eitherthe FORWARDor REVERSE position.

IMPORTANT: Do NOTusethe shift leverto changethe directionof travelwhenthe tractorisin motion.Alwaysusethe clutch-brakepedal to bringthetractorto a completestopbeforeshifting.

4.Releasethe parkingbrakeby depressingthe clutch-brakepedal andpositioningthe speedcontrolleverinthe desiredposition.

IMPORTANT: First-timeoperatorsshouldusespeedpositions1or

2.Becomecompletelyfamiliarwiththe tractor'soperationandcontrols beforeoperatingthe tractorinhigherspeedpositions.

5.Releaseclutch-brakepedalslowlyto put unit intomotion.

6.The lawntractoris broughtto a stopbydepressingthe clutch- brakepedal.

NOTE: Whenoperatingthe unit initially,therewill be littledifference betweenthe highesttwospeedsuntil afterthe beltshaveseated themselvesintothe pulleysduringthe break-inperiod.

WARNING!Beforeleavingthe operator'spositionfor any reason, disengagethe blades,placethe shift leverinneutral,engagethe parkingbrake,shutengineoff andremovethe key.

IMPORTANT: Whenstoppingthe tractorfor any reasonwhileona grasssurface,always:

1.Placethe shift leverinneutral,

2.Engagethe parkingbrake,

3.Shutengineoffand removethe key.Doingso will minimizethe possibilityof havingyour lawn"browned"byhot exhaustfrom yourtractor'srunningengine.

Ifunit stallswithspeedcontrolin highspeed,orif unitwill not operate withspeedcontrolleverin a lowspeedposition,proceedas follows:

1.Placeshift leverin NEUTRAL.

2.Restartengine.

3.Placespeedcontrolleverin highestspeedposition.

4.Releaseclutch-brakepedalfully.

5.Depressclutch-brakepedal.

6.Placespeedcontrolleverin desiredposition.

7.Placeshift leverineither FORWARDor REVERSE,andfollow normaloperatingprocedures.

DRIVING ON SLOPES

Referto the SLOPEGAUGEinthe SafetyInstructionssectionof the manualto helpdetermineslopeswhereyoumayoperatethistractor safely.

Donot mowon inclineswitha slopeinexcessof 15degrees(a rise of approximately2-1/2feetevery10feet).The tractorcouldoverturn andcauseseriousinjury.

•Mowupanddown slopes,NEVERacross.

•Exerciseextremecautionwhenchangingdirectionon slopes.

•Watchfor holes,ruts,bumps,rocks,orother hiddenobjects.

Uneventerraincouldoverturnthe machine.Tallgrasscan hide obstacles.

•Avoidturnswhendrivingon a slope.If a turnmustbe made,turn downthe slope.Turningupa slopegreatly increasesthe chance of a rollover.

•Avoidstoppingwhendrivingup a slope.If itis necessaryto stop whiledrivingupa slope,start upsmoothlyandcarefullyto reduce the possibilityof flippingthe tractoroverbackward.

ENGAGING THE BLADES

Engagingthe PTO(BladeEngage)transferspowerto the cuttingdeck or other(separatelyavailable)attachmentsTo. engagethe blades, proceedasfollows:

1.Movethethrottle/chokecontrolleverto the FAST(rabbit)position.

2.Graspthe PTO(BladeEngage)leverandpivotit all theway forwardinto theengaged(ON) position.

3.Keepthethrottleleverin the FAST(rabbit)positionfor the most efficientuseof the cuttingdeckorother(separatelyavailable) attachments.

NOTE: The enginewill automaticallyshutoff if the PTOisengaged withthe shift leverinpositionfor reversetravelwiththe ignitionkey in the NORMALMOWINGposition.

MULCHING

A mulch kit isavailableasan attachment. Mulching isa processof

recirculating grass clippings repeatedly beneath the cutting deck. The ultra-fineclippings are then forcedbackinto the lawnwhere they act asa naturalfertilizer.

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