Craftsman 917.377425 owner manual Mulchingmowingtips, mow slowly

MULCHINGMOWINGTIPS

IMPORTANT: For best performance, keep mower housing free of built-up grass and

trash. See =Cleaning" in MAINTENANCE section of this manual.

•The speciaJmulching blade will recut the grass clippings many times and reduce them in size so that as they fall onto the lawn they will disperse into the grass and not be noticed. Also, the mulched grass will biodegrade quickly to provide nutrients for the lawn. Always mulch with your highest engine (blade) speed as this will provide the best recutting action of the blades,

•Avoid cuttingyour lawn when it is wet. Wet grass tends to form clumps and interferes with the mulching action. The best time to mow your lawn is the early aftemoon. At this time the grass has dried and the newly cut area will not be exposed to the direct sun.

•For best results, adjust the lawn mower cutting height so that the lawn mower cuts off only the top one-thirdof the grass blades. If the lawn is overgrown it will be necessary to raise the height of cut to reduce pushing effort and to keep from overloading the engine and leaving clumps of mulched grass. For extremely heavy mulching, reduce your width of cut

by overlapping previouslycut path and

mow slowly.

•Certain types of grass and grass conditions may require that an area be mulched a second time to completely hide the clippings. When doing a second cut, mow across or perpendicular to the first cut path.

•Change your cuttingpattern from weak to week. Mow north to south one week then change to east to west the next week. This

will help prevent matting and graining of the lawn.

8