Craftsman 247.887330 I',1

Theoperationofany lawnmowercan resultinforeignobjectsbeing

thrownintotheeyes, whichcandamageyoureyesseverely.Always

wearsafetyglasseswhileoperatingthemower,orwhile performing

anyadjustmentsorrepairson it.

Useextremecarewhenhandlinggasoline.Gasolineisextremely

flammableandthevaporsareexplosive.Neverfuel machineindoors

orwhilethe engineis hotor running.Extinguishcigarettes,cigars,

pipes,andothersourcesof ignition.

GAS AND OIL FILL-UP

Gas Fill

Useof Alcoholblendedfuels(calledgasoholor usingethanolor

methanol)canattractmoisturewhichleadsto separationandforma-

tionofacids duringstorage.Acidicgascandamagethe fuelsystem

ofan enginewhilein storage.

Toavoidengineproblems,thefuel systemshouldbe emptiedbefore

storagefor30 daysor longer.Drainthe gastank, start the engine

andlet it run until thefuel lines andcarburetorareempty. Usefresh

Ifuelnext season.SeeSTORAGEInstructionsforadditionalinforma-

[tion.

)ermanentdamagemayoccur.

IMPORTANT:Themowerisshippedwithoutgasinthe fueltank.

• Neverfill the fueltankcompletely.Fillthe tankto nomore than

1/2-inchbelowbottomoffiller neck to providespaceforfuel

expansion.

• Alwaysuseclean,fresh,unleadedgradeautomotivegasoline.

Fillthefuel tank outdoorsandusea funnel or spouttoprevent

spilling.Makesurethatthe containerfromwhichyoupourthe

gasolineiscleanand free fromrust or otherforeignparticles.

Makesuretowipe offany spilledfuelbeforestartingtheengine.

• At theend of thejob, empty the fueltank if the moweris not

goingto beused for 30days or longer.Storegasolinein a clean

containerandkeepthecap in placeon the container.SeeSTOR-

AGEinstructionsforadditionalinformation.

Besure noone otherthan the operatorisstandingnearthe lawn

mowerwhilestartingengineoroperatingmower.Neverrunengine

indoorsorin enclosed,poorlyventilatedareas.Engineexhaust

containscarbonmonoxide,anodorlessanddeadlygas.Keephands,

feet,hair,andloose clothingawayfromanymovingparts

Oil Fill

IMPORTANT:Themowerisshippedwithmotoroil inthe engine;

however,youMUSTchecktheoil levelbeforeoperating.Oil shouldbe

changedonceafterthe first twohours of operationandevery25 hours

ofoperationthereafter.Usethegrade ofengineoil specifiedin the

Maintenancesection.

Removetheoilfill cap/dipstickfromthe oil fill tube.

Checkthatthe levelof oil isup to the FULL markonthe dipstick.

Ifneeded,pouroil slowlyinto theoil fill tubeuntil a FULLoil level

is achieved.

3. Replacetheoilfill cap/dipstick.

STARTING THE MOWER

1. Releaseall controlson themowerto preventwheelsor blades

fromrotating.

2. Movegearshiftleverto neutral(N) position.

3. Movethethrottle/chokecontrolleverfullyupwardtochoke setting

I',1to starta cold engineorto fast (rabbit)setting_ to starta

warmengine.

4. Tostartengineusingrecoilstarter:

a. Standonleftside (as viewedfrombehind handlebars)ofma-

chine.Besure yourfeetare safelyawayfrom theunderside

ofthe mowerdeckand all mowercontrolsarereleased.

b. Graspstarterropehandleand pullslowlyuntil ropepulls

slightlyharder.Letrope rewindslowly.Thenpullropewitha

rapid,fullarm stroke.Let ropereturnslowly.If enginefailsto

startafter threepulls,repeatinstructions(trysetting throttle

atfast setting).

c. Whenenginestarts,operatein fastthrottlesetting_lf

(movethrottle/chokecontrolleverfromchokesettingto fast

setting).

Lookbehindthemowerbeforeand duringreverseoperation.Stop

themowerbladesbeforeoperatingin reverse.

Ifyou strikea foreignobject,stop theengine. Removewirefromthe

sparkplug,thoroughlyinspectmowerforanydamage,and repair

damagebeforerestartingandoperating.Extensivevibrationof

mowerduringoperationisanindicationof damage.Theunit should

bepromptlyinspectedandrepaired.