Craftsman 917.388732 owner manual To Start Engine, To Stop Engine, Mulching Mowingtips

TO START ENGINE

NOTE: Due to protective coatings on the engine, a small amount of smoke may be present during the initial use of the

product and should be considered normal.

1.To start a cold engine, push primer

three (3) times before tryingto start.

Use a firm push. This step is not usually necessary when starting an engine which has already run for a few minutes.

2.Hold operator presence control bar down to the handle and pull starter handle quickly. Do not allow starter rope to snap back.

TO STOP ENGINE

•To stop engine, release operator presence control bar.

NOTE: ta cooler weather it may be necessary to repeat priming steps. In warmer weather over pdming may cause flooding and engine will not start. If you do flood engine, wait a few minutes before attempting to start and do not repeat priming steps.

MOWINGTIPS

•Under certain conditions, such as very tall grass, it may be necessary to raise the height of cut to mduca pushing effort and to keep from overloading the

engine and leaving clumps of grass clippings. It may also be necessary to reduce ground speed and/or run the lawn mower over the area a second time.

•For extremely heavy cutting, reduce the width of cut by overlapping previously cut path and mow slowly.

•For better grass bagging and most cutting conditions, the engine speed should be set in the fast position.

•Pores in cloth grass catchers can become filled with dirt and dust with use and catchers will collect less grass.

To prevent this, regularly hose catcher off with water and let dry before using.

•Keep top of engine around starter clear and clean of grass clippings and chaff. This will help engine air flow and extend engine life.

MULCHING MOWINGTIPS

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

grass and trash, See "CLEANING" in the

Maintenance section of this manual.

•The special mulching blade will recur 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 nutrientsfor the lawn. Always mulch with your highest engine (blade) speed as this will provide the best recuttingaction of the blades.

•Avoid cutting your 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 eady afternoon. At this time the grass has dded 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-third of 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 dumps of mulched grass. For extremely heavy mulching, reduce your width of cut by overlapping previously cut 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 perpendicu- lar to the first cut path.

•Change your cutting pattern from week 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,