Craftsman 917.273322 owner manual •Placemotioncontrolleverin neutral N position

•Sit on seat in operatingposition, depressclutch/brakepedal and set parkingbrake.

•Placemotioncontrolleverin neutral

(N) position.

•Moveattachmentclutchto "DISEN- GAGED"position.

•Movethrottlecontrolto fast position

•Pullchokecontroloutfor a cold

enginestart attempt.Fora warm enginestart attemptthe chokecontrol maynot be needed.

NOTE:Beforestarting,readthewarm and cold startingproceduresbelow.

•Insertkeyinto ignitionandturn key clockwiseto "START"positionand

release key as soon as engine starts. Do not run starter continuously for more than fifteen seconds per minute. If the engine does not start after several attempts, push choke control in, wait a few minutes and try again. If engine still does not start, pull the choke control out and retry.

WARM WEATHER STARTING (50 ° F and above)

•When engine starts, slowly push choke control in until the engine begins to run smoothly. If the engine starts to run roughly, pull the choke control out slightly for a few seconds and then continue to push the control in slowly.

•The attachments and ground drive can now be used. If the engine does not accept the load, restart the engine and allow it to warm up for one minute using the choke as described above.

COLD WEATHER STARTING (50 ° F and below)

•When engine starts, slowly push choke control in until the engine begins to run smoothly. Continue to push the choke control in small steps allowing the engine to accept small changes in speed and load, until the choke control is fully in. If the engine starts to run roughly, pull the choke control out slightly for a law seconds and then continue to push the control in slowly. This may require an engine warm-up period from several seconds to several minutes, depending on the temperature.

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WARM UP

•Before driving the unit in cold weather, the transmission should be warmed up as follows:

•Be sure the tractor is on level ground.

•Place the motion control lever in

neutral. Release the parking brake and let the clutch/brake

slowly return to operating position,

•Allow one minute for transmission to

warm up. This can be done during the engine warm up period.

•The attachments can be used during the engine warm-up period after the transmission has been warmed up and may require the choke control be pulled out slightly.

NOTE: If at a high altitude (above 3000 feet) or in cold temperatures (below 32 F) the carburetor fuel mixture may need

to be adjusted for best engine perfor- mance. See "TO ADJUST CARBURE-

TOR" in the Service and Adjustments section ot this manual.

PURGE TRANSMISSION

_CAUTION: Never engage or disen- gage freewheel lever while the engine is

running.

To ensure proper operation and perfor- mance, it is recommended that the transmission be purged before operating tractor for the first time. This procedure will remove any trapped air inside the transmission which may have developed during shipping of your tractor. IMPORTANT: Should your transmission require removal for service or replace- ment, it should be purged after reinstalla- tion before operating the tractor.

•Place tractor safely on level surface with engine off and parking brake set.

•Disengage transmission by placing freewheel control in freewheeling position (See "TO TRANSPORT" in this section of manual).

•Sitting in the tractor seat, start engine. After the engine is running, move throttle control to slow position. With motion control lever in neutral (N) position, slowly disengage clutch/ brake pedal.

•Move motion control lever to full forward position and hold for five (5) seconds. Move lever to full reverse

position and hold for five (5) seconds.

17Repeat this procedure three (3) times.