Craftsman 917.374111 manual HOW to USE Your Lawn Mower

The operation of any lawn SAFETVG'ASSESmower can result in foreign

objects thrown into the eyes, which can result in severe

eye damage. Always wear safety glasses or eye shields while oper- ating your lawn mower or performing any adjustments or repairs. We recommend a standard safety glasses orwide vision safety mask worn over spectacles.

HOW TO USE YOUR LAWN MOWER

ENGINE SPEED

Engine speed was set at the factory for optimum performance. It is not adjustable.

ENGINE ZONE CONTROL

_I,CAUTION: Federal regulations require an engine control to be installed on this lawn mower in order to minimize the

risk of blade contact injury. Do not under any circumstances attempt to defeat the function of the operator control. The blade turns when the engine is running.

•Your lawn mower is equipped with an operator presence control bar which

requires the operator to be positioned behind the lawn mower handle to start

and operate the lawn mower.

DRIVE CONTROL

•Self-propelling is controlled by holding the operator presence control bar down

to the handle and pulling either drive control lever rearward to the handle. The further toward the handle a lever is

pulled, the faster the unit will travel.

. Forward motion will stop when either the operator presence control bar or a drive control lever are released. To stop forward motion without stopping engine, release a drive control lever only. Hold operator presence control bar down against handle to continue mowing without self-propelling.

NOTE: If after releasing the drive control the mower will not roll backwards, push the mower forward slightly to disengage drive wheels.

Operator presence control bar

become "loose", resulting in decreased speed. There is a turnbuckle on the drive control housing to increase tension on the drive cable. Proceed as follows:

1.Turn unit off and disconnect spark plug wire from spark plug.

2.Rotate turnbuckle on drive control to increase drive speed.

3.Operate mower to test drive speed. Readjust as required.

4.If condition fails to improve after the above steps (forward speed remains the same), your drive belt is worn and should be replaced.

ustment

turnbuckle

TO ADJUST CUTTING HEIGHT

Both front wheels are adjusted by a single lever on the left front wheel. Likewise,

both rear wheels are adjusted by a single lever on the left rear wheel.

•Pull adjuster lever toward wheel. To raise mower, move lever forward to

desired position. To lower mower, move the lever backward to desired position.

Be sure to adjust both front and		rear wheels
to the same height.	Height	_djuster lever

LEVER BACKWARD

TO LOWER MOWER

\ \

\

\

/

LEVER FORWARD

TO RAISE MOWER

TO CONVERT MOWER

control levers

TO ENGAGE DRIVE CONTROL

DRIVE CONTROL DISENGAGED

DRIVE CONTROL ADJUSTMENT

Over time, the drive control system may

Your lawn mower was shipped ready to be used as a mulcher. To convert to rear

bagging or side discharging:

REAR BAGGING

Remove knob securing mulcher door to lawn mower housing.

Open mulcher door and insert tabs of discharge chute into hinge bracket opening and position rear of chute over

9threaded stud.