Sears 917.258542 owner manual To Start Engine See Fig, Mulching Mowing Tips

OPERATION

TO START ENGINE (See Fig. X)

When starting the engine for the first time or if the engine has run out of fuef, it will take extra cranking time to move fuel from the tank to the engine.

. Sit on seat in operating position, depress clutch/brake pedal and set parking brake.

-Place gear shift _ever in neutral (N) position.,

o Move attachment clutch to "DISENGAGED" position,,

•Move throttle control to choke (N) position.

Note: Before starting, read the warm arid cold starting procedures below

oinsert key into ignition and turn key clockwise to"START' position and release key as soon as engine starts,, Do not run starter continuously for more than fifteen sec* onds per minute. If the engine does not start after several attempts, move throttle control to fast (,_) dPOSition,wait a few minutes and try again, if engine still

oes not start, move the throttle control back to the choke (N) position and retry.

WARM WEATHER STARTING (50 ° F and above)

. When engine starts, movethe throttle control to the fast (.t._) position.

. The attachments and ground drive can now be used if the engine does not accept the load, restart the engine and allow it to warm up for one minute using the choke as described above

COLD WEATHER STARTING ( 50° F and below)

-When engine starts, allow engine to run with the th rottle control in the choke ( \ ) position until the engine runs rough y, then move thrott e control to fast (,f_) post on. This may require an engine warm-up period from several seconds to several minutes, depending on the temperature.

°The attachments can also be used during the engine warm-up period.

NOTE: tf at a high altitude (above 3000 feet) or in cold temperatures (below 32 F) the carburetor fuel mixture may need to be adjusted for best engine performance. See"TO ADJUST CARBURETOR" in the Service and Adjustments section of this manual

MOWUNG TiPS

°Mower should be properly leveled for best mowing performance. See "TO LEVEL MOWER HOUSING" in the Service and Adjustments section of this manual,,

oThe left hand side of mower should be used for trim- ming,

oDrive so that clippings are discharged onto the area that has been cut. Have the cut area to the right of the machine. This will result in a more even distribution of clippings and more uniform cutting.

oWhen mowing large areas, start by turning to the right so that clippings will discharge a,_ay from shrubs, fences, driveways, etco After one ortwo rounds, mow in the opposite direction making left hand turns until finished (See Fig. 11 ).

oIf grass is extremely tail, it should be mowed twice to reduce load and possible fire hazard from dried clip- pings. Make first cut relatively high; the second to the desired heightr

•Do not mow grass when it is wet. Wet grass will plug mower and leave undesirable clumps. Allow grass to dry before mowing.

•Always operate engine at full throttle when mowing to assure better mowing performance and proper dis- charge of material Regulate ground speed by select- ing a low enough gear to give the mower cutting performance as well as the quality of cut desired.

•When operating attachments, select a ground speed that wili suit the terrain and give best performance of the attachment being used.

f

T

FIG. 11

MULCHING MOWING TIPS

IMPORTANT: FOR BEST PERFORMANCE, KEEP MOWER HOUSING FREE OF BUILT-UP GRASS AND

TRASH, CLEAN AFTER EACH USE°

•The special mulching blade wilt recut the grass clip- pings 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 witl 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 blade&

•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 early afternoon At this time the grass has dried and the newly cut area will not be exposed to the direct sun

. For best resufts, adjust the mower cutting height so that the mower cuts off only the top one-third of the grass blades (See Fig, 12), For extremely heavy mulcl_ing, reduce your width of cut and mow slowly.

•Certain types of grass and grass conditions may re- quire that an area be mulched a second time to com- pletely hide the clippings, When doing a second cut, mow across or perpendicular 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.

MAX 1/3

FIG, 12

14