Craftsman 88998 Starting The Engine, Engaging The Blades, Operating On Slopes, Engaging The Drive

STARTING THE ENGINE

Referto the Serviceand Maintenancesectionof thismanualfor GasolineandOilfill-up instructions.

1.Disengageallcontrolsonthe mower.

2.Movethe gearshiftleverinto the neutral(N) position.

3.Insertthe keyintothe ignitionswitch.

4.If startinga cold engine,placethe throttle/chokecontrolallthe wayforward,intothe CHOKE1'_position,1.If restartinga warm engine,placethe throttle/chokecontrolintothe Fast'_ position.

5.Turnthe ignitionkeyclockwiseto the START___ position.After theenginestarts,releasethe key.Itwill returnto the RUN(_q) position.

6.Movethe keyto the RUN/LIGHT_-:i'positiontoi: operatethe mowerusingthe headlight.

Do NOTholdthe keyinthe STARTpositionfor longerthan five secondsat a time.Doingso maycausedamageto yourengine's electricstarter.

7.Movethe throttle/chokecontrolintothe FAST_ position. NOTE: Neverleavethe throttle/chokecontrolinthe CHOKEI_,1

positionwhileoperatingthemower.Doingso will resultin a "rich"fuel mixtureandcausetheengineto runpoorly.

Stopping the Engine

Totravelin REVERSE,

a.Checkthatthe areabehindis clear.

b.Placethe gearshift leverinReverse(R).

c.Slowlysqueezethe DriveControlagainstthelefthandlegrip andthemowerwill move.Releaseitanddrivemotionwillstop.

DoNOTattemptto changethe directionof travelwhenthe moweris in motion.Alwaysreleasethedrivecontrolandbringthe mowerto a completestopbeforerepositioningthegearshift leverfromaforward gearinto Reverse.Failuretodo so mayresultin seriousdamageto rourtransmission.

Donot leavethe operator'spositionwithoutfirst releasingthe Blade Control.Ifleavingthe mowerunattended,also turnthe engineoffand removethe ignitionkey.

ENGAGING THE BLADES

Tohelpavoidbladecontactora thrownobjectinjury,keepbystand-

lets, helpers,childrenandpetsat least75feetfromthe machinewhile lit is inoperation.Stopmachineif anyoneentersthe area.

1.Movethethrottle/chokecontrolto the FAST_ position.

2.Slowlysqueezethe BladeControlagainstthe righthandlegrip andthe bladeswill engage.Releaseit andthe bladeswill stop.

OPERATING ON SLOPES

ebeforerestartinc

1.Ifthe bladesareengaged,releasethe BladeControl.

2.Movethe throttle/chokecontrolintothe STOPI_ position.

3.Turnthe ignitionkeycounterclockwiseto the STOP0 position.

4.Removethe keyfromthe ignitionswitchto preventunintended starting.

ENGAGING THE DRIVE

Avoidsuddenstarts,excessivespeedandsuddenstops.

Startthe engineas instructedearlierin thissectionandmovethe throttle/chokecontrolintothe FAST'_ position.

TotravelFORWARD:

a.Placethegearshift leverin anyof the fourforwardground speeds.Selecta speedappropriatefor the conditionsanda paceyou'recomfortablewith.

b.Slowlysqueezethe DriveControlagainstthe lefthandlegrip andthe mowerwillmove.Releaseitanddrivemotionwillstop.

Referto the SLOPEGUIDEon page5 to helpdetermineslopeswhere you mayoperatethemowersafely.

Donot mowon inclineswitha slopeinexcessof 15degrees(a rise of approximately2-1/2feetevery 10feet).The mowercouldoverturn andcauseseriousinjury.

•Mowacrossthefaceof slopes;neverupanddown.

•Exerciseextremecautionwhenchangingdirectionon slopes.

•Watchfor holes,ruts, rocks,hiddenobjects,or bumpswhichcan causeyou to slip ortrip. Tallgrasscan hideobstacles.

•Alwaysbesureof yourfooting.A slipandfall can causeserious personalinjury.Ifyou feelyou arelosingyourbalance,release the bladecontrolhandleimmediatelyandthe bladewillstop rotatingwithinthree (3) seconds.

•Donot mowneardrop-offs,ditchesor embankments,you could lose yourfootingor balance.

•Donot mowslopesgreaterthan 15degreesas shownon the slopegauge.

•Donot mowon wetgrass.Unstablefootingcouldcauseslipping.

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