Craftsman 917.374541 owner manual Engine Speed

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

_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 hold- ing the operator presence control bar down to the handle and pulling the drive control lever rearward to the handle. The further toward the handle the lever is pulled, the faster the unit will travel.

. Forward motion will stop when either the operator presence control bar or drive control lever are released. To stop forward motion without stopping engine, release the 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 Drive control

TOlever

ENGAGEDRIVE

DRIVECONTROL

CONTROLDISENGAGED

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

All four wheels are adjusted by a single lever.

. Pul! adjuster lever toward wheel. To raise mower, move lever forward to

desired position. To lower mower, move the lever toward the rear.

Height adjuster lever

LEVER

BACKWARD

TO LOWER

MOWER

LEVER

FORWARD

TO RAISE

MOWER

8