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Owner's Manual
CRnFTSMFIN °
ROTARY LAWN MOWER
6.5 Horsepower
Power-Propelled
21" Multi-Cut
Model No.
917.370741
• Espa_ol, p. 20
CAUTION:
Read and follow all
Safety Rules and Instructions
before operating this equipment
Sears, Roebuck and Co., Hoffman Estates, IL 60179 U.S.A.
Visit our Craftsman website:www.sears.com/craftsman
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Maintenance ..................................... 13-16 Warranty .................................................. 2 Safety Rules ......................................... 2-4 Service and Adjustments .................. 16-17 Product Specifications ........................... 4 Storage ............................................. 17-18 Assembly/Pre-Operation ...................... 6-7 Troubleshooting ................................ 19-20 Operation ............................................ 8
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I. GENERAL OPERATION • Always wear safety goggles or safety glasses with side shields when oper- • Read, understand, and follow all ating mower. instructions on the machine and in the manual(s) before starting. Be thoroughly II. SLOPE OPERATION familiar with the controls and the proper Slopes are a major factor related to slip & use of the machine before starting. fall accidents which can result in severe • Do not put hands or feet near or under injury. All slopes require extra caution. If rotat
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• Neverfill containersinsidea vehicle,on • Keepnutsand bolts,especiallyblade a truck or trailer bedwitha plasticliner. attachmentbolts,tight and keepequip- Always placecontainerson the ground mentin goodcondition. awayfrom yourvehiclebeforefilling. • Nevertamperwithsafetydevices.Check • Removegas-poweredequipmentfrom theirproperoperationregularly. thetruck or trailerand refuel it on the • Keepmachinefree of grass, leaves,or ground. Ifthis is notpossible,then otherdebrisbuild-up.Cleanoil or fuel
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Repair Protection Agreements Congratulations on making a smart pur- • Fast help by phone- phone sup- chase. Your new Craftsman® product is port from a Sears representative on designed and manufactured for years of products requiring in-home repair, plus dependable operation. But like all prod- convenient repair scheduling. ucts, it may require repair from time to Once you purchase the Agreement, a time. That's when having a Repair Protec- simple phone call is all that it takes for you tion Agree
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Read these instructions and this manual in MOWING Operator its entirety before you attempt to assemble POSITION or operate your new lawn mower, control bar IMPORTANT: This lawn mower is shipped //i// // WITHOUT OIL OR GASOLINE in the engine. Your new lawn mower has been assembled at the factorywith the exception of those parts Upper left unassembled for shipping purposes. All UP handle parts such as nuts, washers, bolts, etc., necessary to complete the assembly have been placed in the parts bag.
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TO ASSEMBLE GRASS CATCHER TO PREPARE BATTERY NOTE: Your battery must be charged 1. Putgrass catcherframeinto grass bagwith rigid part of bag on the bottom. Make sure before you can start your lawn mower. the frame handle is outside of the bag top. 1. Connect battery charger connector 2. Slip vinyl bindings over frame. (male) to harness connector (female). 2. Plug battery charger into 110 volt A.C. NOTE: If vinyl bindings are too stiff, hold outlet. them in warm water for a few minutes. If 3. Lea
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KNOW YOUR LAWN MOWER READ THIS OWNER'S MANUALANDALL SAFETY RULES BEFORE OPERATING YOUR LAWN MOWER. Compare the illustrations with your lawn mower to familiarize yourself with the location of various controls and adjustments. Save this manual for future reference. These symbols may appear on your lawn mower or in literature supplied with the product. Learn and understand their meaning. CAUTION ENGINE ENGINE FAST SLOW CHOKE FUEL OIL DANGER, KEEP HANDS OR WARNING ON OFF AND FEET AWAY Drive control
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2. Loosen nut, move drive control hous- The operationof anylawn ing down handle to the next hole and mowercan resultin foreign retighten nut. objectsthrown intothe 3. Operate mower to test drive speed. eyes,whichcan resultin 4. If condition fails to improve after the severeeyedamage.Always above steps (forward speed remains wear safetyglassesor eyeshieldswhile the same), your drive belt is worn and operatingyourlawnmoweror performing should be replaced. anyadjustmentsor repairs.We recom- mendsta
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Pivot SIDE DISCHARGING Rear Grass door • Mulcher plug must be installed into rear catcher discharge opening of mower. handle • Open mulcher door and install dis- charge deflector under door as shown. • Mower is now ready for discharging operation. • To convert to mulching or bagging operation, discharge deflector must be removed and mulcher door closed. Catcher frame hook TO EMPTY GRASS CATCHER 1. Lift up on grass catcher using the frame handle. 2. Remove grass catcher with clippings from under
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BEFORE STARTING ENGINE A CAUTION: Wipe off any spilled oil or ADD OIL fuel. Do not store, spill or use gasoline near an open flame. Your lawnmower is shipped without oil in A CAUTION: Alcohol blended fuels the engine. For type and grade of oil to (called gasohol or using ethanol or metha- use, see "ENGINE" in the Maintenance section of this manual. nol) can attract moisture which leads to separation and formation of acids during CAUTION: DO NOT overfill engine with storage. Acidic gas can damage
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MOWING TIPS MULCHING MOWING TIPS A CAUTION: Do not use de-thatcher IMPORTANT: For best performance, blade attachments on your mower. Such keep mower housing free of built-up attachments are hazardous, will damage grass and trash. See "CLEANING" in the Maintenance section of this manual. your mower and could void your warranty. • Under certain conditions, such as very • The special mulching blade will recut the tall grass, it may be necessary to raise grass clippings many times and reduce the hei
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BEFORE AFTER EVERY EVERY EVERY EACH EACH 10 25HOURS 100 BEFORE USE USE HOURS OR SEASON HOURS STORAGE SCHEDULE Check for Loose Fasteners I Clean / Inspect Grass Catcher* _ Check Tires N Check Drive Wheels *** Clean Lawn Mower .... V' M Clean under Drive Cover *** O Check Drive Belt / Pulleys *** v' _ Check / Sharpen / Replace Blade R Lubrication Clean and Recharge Battery ** Check Engine Oil level Change Engine Oil N Clean Air Filter v' _ Inspect Muffler V' N Replace Spark Plug 14 Replace Air Fil
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5. Use block of wood between blade and LAWN MOWER lawn mower housing and tighten the Always observe safety rules when per- blade bolt, turning clockwise. forming any maintenance. • The recommended tightening torque is TIRES 35-40 ft. Ibs. / 47-54 N-m. • Keep tires free of gasoline, oil, or insect IMPORTANT: Blade bolt is heat treated. control chemicals which can harm rubber. If bolt needs replacing, replace only with • Avoid stumps, stones, deep ruts, sharp approved bolt shown in the Repair Part
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• Iflubricantis required,useonlyTexaco 6. Stop adding oil when you reach the StarplexPremium1 Grease,Part No. FULL mark on the dipstick. Wait a 750369. Donot substitute. minute to allow oil to settle. 7. Continue adding small amounts of oil, ENGINE rechecking the dipstick until oil level LU BRICATION settles at FULL. DO NOT overfill, or Use only high quality detergent oil rated engine will smoke heavily from the with API service classification SG-SL. muffler on startup. Select the oil's SAE visc
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CLEANING • Keep finished surfaces and wheels free of all gasoline, oil, etc. IMPORTANT:Forbestperformance,keep • We do not recommend using a garden mowerhousingfreeof built-upgrassand hose to clean lawn mower unless the trash•Cleanthe undersideof yourmower electrical system, muffler, air filter and aftereach use. carburetor are covered to keep water _iLCAUTION: Disconnect spark plug wire out. Water in engine can result in short- from spark plug and place wire where it ened engine life. cannot co
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3. Returnmowerto uprightposition. align hole in handle with desired hole in 4. Installnew drive beltintoidlerarm handle bracket and reassemble bolt and assembly,then aroundthedrive pulley. knob and tighten securely. Besure beltis insideof belt keepers. 3. Align opposite side of handle with 5. Reattachidlerarm assemblywith hex same positioning hole and secure with bolt and knob. nut previouslyremoved. 6. Turnlawn moweron its side.Make Hi _ Bolt sure airfilter andcarburetorareup. / 7. Reattachdebr
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1. Loosenthe two (2) handleknobson Alcohol blended fuels (called gasohol or sides of the upperhandleand allow using ethanol or methanol) can attract handleto fold downto the rear. moisture which leads to separation and 2. Removethe two (2) handleknobsand formation of acids during storage. Acidic carriageboltsonsides of the lower gas can damage the fuel system of an handleand pivotentire handleas- engine while in storage. semblyforwardand allowit to reston • Empty the fuel tank by starting the en
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TROUBLESHOOTING - See appropriate section in manual unless directed to a Sears Parts & Repair Center, PROBLEM CAUSE CORRECTION Does not start 1. Dirty air filter. 1. Clean/replace air filter. 2. Out of fuel. 2. Fill fuel tank. 3. Stale fuel. 3. Empty fuel tank and refill tank with fresh, clean gasoline. 4. Water in fuel. 4. Empty fuel tank and refill tank with fresh, clean gasoline. 5. Spark plug wire is 5. Connect wire to plug. disconnected. 6. Bad spark plug. 6. Replace spark plug. 7. Loose bl
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TROUBLESHOOTING - See appropriate section in manual unless directed to a Sears Parts & Repair Center, PROBLEM CAUSE CORRECTION 1. Rear of lawn mower Loss of power 1. Raise cutting height. housing or cutting blade dragging in heavy grass. 2. Cutting too much grass. 2. Raise cutting height. 3. Dirty air filter. 3. Clean/replace air filter. 4. Clean underside of mower 4. Buildup of grass, leaves, and trash under mower. housing. 5. Check oil level. 5. Too much oil in engine. 6. Walking speed too fas
