Craftsman 917.374360 owner 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 pres- ence 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.

. To keep drive control engaged when

turning corners, push down on the handle to lift the front wheels off the

ground while turning lawn mower. Operator presence control bar

DRIVE CONTROL ADJUSTMENT

Over time, the drive control system may 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.

Adjustment turnbuckle

TO ADJUST CUTTING HEIGHT

Raise wheels for low cut and lower wheels for high cut, adjust cutting height to suit your requirements. Medium position is best for most lawns.

•To change cutting height, pull up on adjuster lever, move wheel up or down to suit your requirements and release

adjuster lever. Be sure all wheels are in the same setting.

NOTE: Adjuster is properly positioned when lever inserts into hole in plate.

LEVER BACKWARD	4 i
TO LOWER MOWER

Plate

	Drive
	control
	levers	LEVER
TO ENGAGE	DRIVE CONTROL	FORWARD
DRIVE CONTROL	DISENGAGED	9 TO RAISE MOWER