Sears 917.258552 owner manual Erat!On, Mulching Mowng Tips

0 ERAT!ON

MOWING TiPS

-Tire chains cannot be used when the mower housing is attached to tractor.

oMower should be properly teveled for best mow!_g performance. See TO LEVEL MOWER HOUSING n the Service and Adjustments section of this manual,

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

•Drive so that clippings are discharged onto the area that has been cut. Have the cut area to the right of the tractor. This wilt result in a more even distribution of

clippings and more uniform cutting.

=When mowing large areas, staff by turning tO the right so that clippings' will discharge away from shrubs, fences, driveways, etc. After one or two rounds, mow in the opposite direction making left hand turns until finished (See Fig. 12A ),

-if grass is extremely tall, 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 height.

•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 welt as the quality of cut desired.

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

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MULCHING MOWNG TIPS

iMPORTANT: FOR BEST PERFORMANCE, KEEP MOWER HOUSING FREE OF BUILT-UP GRASS AND TRASH. CLEAN AFTER EACH USE,

•The special mu_ching b)ade wiit recur the grass cIip- pings many times and reduce them in size so that as they ta_ onto the _awnthey wi_fdisperse into the grass and not be noticed. Also, the mulched grass will bi0degrade quickly to provide nutrients for the lawn. Always mulch with your highest engine (blade) speed as this will provide the besl recurring action ol the blades.

,Avoid cutting your lawn when it is wet. Wet grass tends to form clumps and intederes 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 wi!t not be exposed to the direct sun.

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

sCertain types of grass and grass conditions may re- quire that an area be mulched a second time to com-

pietefy 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 the nchan ge to east to we stthe next week. This will help prevent matting and graining of the lawn.

MAX 1/3

FIG. 12B

FIG. !2A

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