Sears 14.3, 975502, 917.377201 owner manual To Start Engine, GAS See Fig, Mulching Mowing Tips

OP

•Use 20 ozs. of oil. For type and grade of oil to use, see

"ENG{NE" in Customer Responsibilities section of this manuaI.

•Pour oil slowly. Do not over fill.

Check oil level before each use. Add oil if needed. Fill to full line on dipstick.

=To read proper level, tighten engine oil cap each time. Reinstall engine oil cap and tighten.

=Change the oil after every 25 hours of operation or each season You may need to change the oil more often under dusty, dirty conditions.

GAS (See Fig. 6)

oFill gasoline tank with fresh, clean, unleaded gasoline.

DO NOT USE PREMIUM GASOLINE. BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVER FILL TANK,

WARNING: Experience indicates that alcohol blended fuels (called gasohol or using ethanol or methanol) can attract moisture which leads to separation and formation of acids during storage. Acidic gas can damage the fuel system of an engine while in storage. To avoid engine problems, the fuel system should be emptied before stor- age of 30 days or longer. Drain the fuet tank, start the engine and let it run until fuel lines and carburetor are empty. Use fresh fuel next season. See Storage Instruc- tions for additional information. Never use engine or carburetor cleaner products in fuel tank or permanent damage may occur.

TO START ENGINE

•To start a cold engine, push primer five (5) times before trying to start. Use a firm push. This step is not usually

necessary when starting an engine which has already run for a few minutes.

oHold operator presence control bar down to the handle and pull starter handle quickly. DO NOT allow starter rope to snap back.

-To STOP engine, release operator presence control bar.

NOTE: In cooler weather it may be necessary to repeat priming steps. In warmer weather over priming 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.

MOWING TiPS

-Under certain conditions, such as very tall grass, it may be necessary to raise the height of cut to reduce pushing effort and to keep from overloading the engine and leaving clumps of grass clippings.

oFor extremely heavy cutting, reduce thewidth 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.

oFor side discharge lawn mowers, cutting in a counter- clockwise direction, starting at the outside of the area to be cut, spreads grass clippings more evenly and puts less load on the engine. To keep clippings off of walkways, flower beds, etc., make the first cuts in a clockwise direction.

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.

GASOLINE FILLER CAP

/

ENGINE OiL CAP

W/DIPSTICK

FIG, 6

MULCHING MOWING TIPS

IMPORTANT: FOR BEST PERFORMANCE, KEEP MOWER HOUSING FREE OF BUILT-UP GRASS AND TRASH. SEE "CLEANING" JNCUSTOMER RESPONSIBILITIES SECTION OF THIS MANUAL.

•The special mulching blade will 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 will biodegrade quickly to provide nutrients for the lawn.

Always mulch with your highest engine (blade) speed as this wilt provide the best recutting action of the blades.

*Avoid cutting you r 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 results, adjust the lawn mower cutting height so that the lawn mower cuts off only the top one-third of the grass blades (See Fig. 7). tf the lawn is over- grown 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 previously cut path 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 weekthen change to east to west the next week. This will help prevent matting and graining of the lawn.

MAX 1/3

8 FIG. 7