Craftsman 270 Stopping the Vehicle, Emergency Stopping, Using as Mower, Operating the Vehicle

NOTE: Do not hold the key in the START position for longer than ten seconds at a time. Doing so may cause damage to your vehicle engine's electric starter.

7.After the engine starts, press choke control inward, thus closing the choke. See Figure 8.

NOTE: Do not leave the choke control on while operating the unit. Doing so will result in a "rich"fuel mixture and cause the engine to run poorly.

•To move in reverse: Place blade control lever in OFF position. Place shift lever in the (R) position, check that the area behind is clear and then slowly depress the drive pedal.

•To drive on slopes: Refer to Slope Gauge on page 6 to determine slopes or inclines where you can operate your unit safely. Do not operate the vehicle if the gauge indicates a steep incline.

Stopping the Vehicle

1.Release drive pedal and depress broke pedal.

2.When the mower comes to a complete stop, place the shift lever in neutral.

3.Continue to depress the brake pedal while you push the parking brake. Take your foot off the brake pedal when the parking brake is locked.

4.Tum ignition keyto OFF position and remove key.

NOTE: Do not leave key in the ON position when you are not operating the mower. Such action will drain the battery dead.

	Emergency Stopping
Figure 8	To stop the vehicle immediately in an emergency, raise
	your body up and off the seat.

Operating the Vehicle

1.Follow instructions to start the engine.

2.Put the deck at the highest cutting position by sliding the deck lift lever to the appropdate position.

3.Move the blade control lever to ON position.

4.If mowing grass, adjust the deck to the cutting height desired.

5.Depress brake pedal to disengage parking brake.

6.Place shift lever in either (F')or (R) position as you desire. Look to the rear and check before

reversing the vehicle.

IMPORTANT: Do not move the shift lever when the

vehicle is in motion. Always use brake pedal to bdng the vehicle to a complete stop before moving shift lever.

7.Release the brake pedal and gradually depress the ddve pedal.

WARNING:vehicle without Dofirstnotplacingleavethethe bladeseat ofcontrolthe lever in the disengaged (OFF) position, depressing the brake pedal and engaging the parking brake. If leaving the unit unattended, also turn the ignition key off and remove key.

WARNING: Avoid sudden starts, high speed and sudden stops.

To move forward: Place the shift lever in the (F) position, then slowly depress the ddve pedal until the desired speed is achieved.

Using as Mower

•Do not mow at high ground speed, especially if a mulch kit or grass collector is installed.

•For best results, it is recommended that the first two laps be cut with the discharge thrown towards the center. Then reverse the direction to throw rest of the discharge to the outside. This will give a better appearance to the lawn.

•Do not cut grass too short. Short grass invites weed growth and yellows quickly in dry weather.

•Do not attempt to mow heavy brush and weeds and extremely tall grass. Your mower is designed to mow lawns, not clear brush.

Keep the blades sharp and replace blades when worn. Refer to page 14 for blade care instruction.

WARNING: Plan your mowing pattem to avoid discharge of materials toward reads, sidewalks, by-standers and the like. Also, avoid discharging material against a wall or obstruction which may cause discharged material to ricochet back toward the operator.

To Empty Grass Catcher

1.Stop the mower completely, set parking brake and take ignition key out. Get off the seat.

2.Unhook bag straps from the mower frame. Pull up the grass catcher bag by the two handles and carry it to the proper disposal site.

3.Hold bag away from your body while emptying it.

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