DRiViNG ON SLOPES
Referto theSLOPEGAUGEin the ImportantSafeOperationPractices
sectionof themanualto helpdetermineslopeswhereyoumayoperate
the tractorsafely.
Do notmowon inclineswitha slopein excessof 15degrees(a rise
of approximately2-1/2feetevery10feet). Thetractorcouldoverturn
andcauseseriousinjury.
• Mowupanddownslopes,NEVERacross.
Exerciseextremecautionwhenchangingdirectionon slopes.
Watchfor holes,ruts,bumps,rocks,or otherhiddenobjects.
Uneventerraincouldoverturnthemachine.Tallgrasscan hide
obstacles.
Avoidturnswhendrivingona slope.Ifa turn mustbemade,turn
downtheslope.Turningupa slopegreatlyincreasesthechance
of a rollover.
Avoidstoppingwhendrivingupa slope.Ifit is necessaryto stop
whiledrivingupa slope,start up smoothlyandcarefullyto reduce
the possibilityofflippingthetractoroverbackward.
ENGAGING THE BLADES
EngagingthePTO(BladeEngage)transferspowertothe cuttingdeck
orother(separatelyavailable)attachments.Toengagethe blades,
proceedas follows:
1. Movethe throttle/chokecontrolleverto the FAST(rabbit)position.
2. GraspthePTO(BladeEngage)leverandpivotit all theway
forwardintotheengaged(ON)position.
3. Keepthe throttleleverinthe FAST(rabbit)positionforthemost
efficientuseof thecuttingdeckor other(separatelyavailable)
attachments.
NOTE: Theenginewill automaticallyshutoff if the PTO(Blade
Engage)is engagedwiththe shiftleverinpositionfor reversetravel
withtheignitionkeyin the NORMALMOWINGposition.
MULCHING
A mulchkit isavailableasanattachment.Mulching isa processof
recirculating grass clippings repeatedly beneaththe cutting deck.
Theultra-fine clippings are then forced backinto the lawn where
they act asa naturalfertilizer.
A mulchkit canbe purchasedthroughthe retaillocationinwhichyou
purchasedthistractor.For more information,simply contactSears
at 1-800-4-MY-HOME®.
MOWING
Tohelpavoidbladecontactora thrownobjectinjury,keepbystand-
ers,helpers,childrenandpetsat least75feetfromthe machine
while itisin operation.Stopmachineif anyoneentersthe area.
The followinginformationwillbe helpfulwhenusingthecuttingdeck
withyourtractor:
Planyourmowingpatternto avoiddischargeofmaterialstoward
roads,sidewalks,bystandersandthe like.Also,avoiddischarging
materialagainstawall or obstructionwhichmaycausedischarged
materialto ricochetbacktowardthe operator.
• Donotmowat highgroundspeed,especiallyifa mulchkit or
grasscollectoris installed.
• Forbestresultsitis recommendedthatthe first twolaps becut
withthedischargethrowntowardsthe center.Afterthe firsttwo
laps,reversethedirectionto throwthe dischargeto theoutside
for thebalanceof cutting.Thiswill givea betterappearancetothe
lawn.
Donotcutthe grasstoo short.Shortgrassinvitesweedgrowth
andyellowsquicklyin dry weather.
• Mowingshouldalwaysbedonewiththe engineat fullthrottle.
• Underheavierconditionsit maybe necessarytogo backoverthe
cut areaa secondtimeto get a cleancut.
• Do NOTattemptto mowheavybrushandweedsandextremely
tall grass.Yourtractorisdesignedto mowlawns,NOTclear
brush.
• Keepthe bladessharpand replacethe bladeswhenworn.Refer
to CuttingBladesinthe Servicesectionofthismanualfor proper
bladesharpeninginstructions.
HEADLIGHTS
• The lampsare ONwheneverthetractor'sengineis running.
• The lampsturnOFFwhenthe ignitionkeyismovedto the STOP
position.
USING THE DECK LIFT LEVER
Toraisethe cuttingdeck,movethe decklift levertothe left,thenplace
it in the notchbestsuitedfor yourapplication.Referto SettingThe
CuttingHeightearlierinthis Operationsection.
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