Craftsman 917.37658 manual

Model No . 917.37658 CA UTION: Read and f ollow all Saf ety Rules and In struc tions bef ore operating this equipment Owner’ s Manual R O T AR Y LA WN MO WER 6.75 Horsepo wer P o wer-Propelled 22" Multi-Cut Sears, Roeb uck and Co ., Hoffman Estates, IL 60179 U .S .A. Visit our Craftsman website: www .sears.com/craftsman[...]

2 W arranty ................................................... 2 Saf e ty Rules .......................................... 2-4 Prod uct Spec i fi ca tions .............................. 4 Assembly / Pre-Oper ation ........................ 6 Op er a tion ............................................. 7-11 Maintenance Sched ule .....................[...]

3 I. GENERAL OPERA TION • Read, understand, and f ollow all in str uc tions on the machine and in the manual(s) bef ore star ting. Be thor ough ly f amiliar with the controls and the proper use of the machine bef ore star ting. • Do not put hands or f eet near or under rotating par ts. K eep clear of the dis- charge opening at all times. • On[...]

4 • Ne ver fi ll containers inside a vehicle , on a truck or trailer bed with a plastic liner . Alwa ys place containers on the ground aw a y from your v ehicle before fi lling. • Remov e gas-pow ered equipment from the truck or trailer and refuel it on the ground. If this is not possib le, then refuel such equipment with a por table containe[...]

5 A CCESSORIES These accessories were av ailable when this la wn mow er was produced. They are not shipped with y our mower . They are also a vailab le at most Sears retail outlets and ser vice centers . Some of these accessor ies ma y not apply to your la wn mow er . Congratulations on making a smart pur- chase. Y our new Cr aftsman® product is d[...]

6 ASSEMBL Y / PRE-OPERA TION Read these instructions and this manual in its entirety bef ore you attempt to assemb le or operate y our new la wn mower . IMPORT ANT : This lawn mo wer is shipped WITHOUT OIL OR GASOLINE in the engine. Y our new lawn mo wer has been as sem bled at the f actor y with the e xception of those par ts left unassembled f or[...]

7 Wheel adjuster (on each wheel) IMPORT ANT : This lawn mo wer is shipped WITHOUT OIL OR GASOLINE in the engine. KNO W Y OUR LA WN MO WER READ THIS OWNER'S MANU AL AND ALL SAFETY R ULES BEFORE OP ER AT ING Y OUR LA WN MO WER. Compare the illustrations with your la wn mower to f amiliar iz e yourself with the location of v ar ious controls and [...]

8 DRIVE CONTROL ADJUSTMENT Ov er time, the drive control system ma y become “loose”, resulting in decreased speed. There is a tur nbuc kle on the un der side of the dr iv e control housing to increase tension on the drive cab le. Pro- ceed as follo ws: 1. T ur n unit off and disconnect spark plug wire from spark plug. 2. T ur n nut on underside[...]

9 T O CONVERT MO WER Y our lawn mow er was shipped ready to be used as a mulcher . T o con ver t to bagging or discharging: REAR BA GGING • Open rear door and remov e mulcher plug. Store mulcher plug in a saf e place. • Y ou can now install the grass catcher or optional clipping defl ector . • T o conv er t to mulching or discharging operati[...]

10 BEFORE ST AR TING ENGINE ADD OIL Y our lawnmow er is shipped without oil in the engine. F or type and grade of oil to use, see “EN GINE” in the Maintenance section of this manual. CA UTION: DO NO T ov erfi ll engine with oil, or it will smoke hea vily from the muffl er on star tup . 1. Be sure lawnmo wer is le vel. 2. Remov e oil dipstick [...]

11 MULCHING MO WING TIPS IMPORT ANT : F or best performance, keep mo wer housing free of b uilt-up grass and tr ash. See “CLEANING” in the Maintenance section of this manual. • The special mulching b lade will recut the grass clip pings many times and reduce them in size so that as the y f all onto the lawn the y will disperse into the grass [...]

12 Check f or Loose F asteners Clean / Inspect Grass Catcher * Check Tires Check Driv e Wheels *** Clean Lawn Mo wer **** Clean under Drive Cov er *** Check Driv e Belt / Pulleys *** Check / Sharpen / Replace Blade Lubrication Clean and Recharge Batter y ** Check Engine Oil le vel Change Engine Oil Clean Air Filter Inspect Muffler Replace Spark Plu[...]

13 LA WN MO WER Alwa ys obser ve saf ety r ules when per- fo r m ing any main te nance . TIRES • K eep tires free of gasoline, oil, or insect control chemi cals which can harm rubber . • A v oid stumps, stones, deep ruts, sharp objects and other hazards that ma y cause tire damage. DRIVE WHEELS Check front driv e wheels each time be f ore you m[...]

14 ENGINE LUBRICA TION Use only high quality detergent oil rated with API ser vice classifi cation SG–SL. Select the oil's SAE viscosity grade according to y our e xpected operating temperature . TEMPERATURE RANGE ANTICIPATED BEFORE NEXT OIL CHANGE SAE VISCOSITY GRADES -20 0 30 40 80 100 -30 -20 0 20 30 40 F C 32 -10 10 60 5W-30 SAE 30 Cont[...]

15 CA UTION: Disconnect spar k plug wire from spark plug and place wire where it cannot come in contact with plug. • Clean the underside of your la wn mow er by scr aping to remov e build-up of gr ass and trash. • Clean engine often to keep tr ash from accumulating. A clogged engine runs hotter and shor tens engine lif e. • K eep fi nished s[...]

16 ENGINE ENGINE SPEED Y our engine speed has been factory set. Do not attempt to increase en gine speed Low er handle R O TAT E or it ma y result in personal injur y . If you belie ve that engine is running too f ast or too slow , tak e your mo wer to a Sears or other qualifi ed service cen ter for repair and ad just ment. CARBURET OR Y our carbu[...]

17 ENGINE FUEL SYS TEM IMPORT ANT : It is impor tant to pre vent gum deposits from f or ming in essential fuel system par ts such as carburetor , fuel fi lter , fuel hose, or tank during storage . Alcohol blended fuels (called gasohol or using ethanol or methanol) can attract moisture which leads to separation and f or mation of acids during stora[...]

18 Loss of power 1. Rear of mow er housing or 1. Raise cutting height. blade dr agging in grass . 2. Cutting too much gr ass. 2. Raise cutting height. 3. Dir ty air fi lter . 3. Clean/replace air fi lter . 4. Buildup of grass , leav es, 4. Clean underside of mower and trash under mo wer . housing. 5. T oo much oil in engine. 5. Check oil le vel. [...]

19 NO TES[...]

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