Craftsman CX Serie Manual Del Operador página 15

• Exercise extreme caution when changing direction on slopes.
• Watch for holes, ruts, rocks, hidden objects, or bumps which can cause you
to slip or trip. Tall grass can hide obstacles.
• Always be sure of your footing. A slip and fall can cause serious personal
injury. If you feel you are losing your balance, release the blade control
handle immediately and the blade will stop rotating within three (3)
seconds.
• Do not mow near drop-offs, ditches or embankments, you could lose your
footing or balance.
• Do not mow slopes greater than 15 degrees as shown on the slope gauge.
• Do not mow on wet grass. Unstable footing could cause slipping.
Using the Deck Height Lever
To raise or lower the cutting deck, move the deck height lever to the left, then place
it in the notch best suited for your application.
Mowing
The following information will be helpful when operating your mower.
Plan your mowing pattern to avoid discharge of materials toward roads,
sidewalks, bystanders. Also, avoid discharging material against a wall or
obstruction which may cause discharged material to ricochet back toward
the operator.
• Do not mow at fast ground speeds, especially if a mulch kit or grass collector
is installed.
• Do not cut the grass too short. Short grass is prone to weed growth and
yellows quickly in dry weather.
• Always operate the mower with the throttle/choke control in the FAST
position while mowing.
• For best results it is recommended that the first two laps be cut with the
discharge thrown towards the center. After the first two laps, reverse the
direction to throw the discharge to the outside for the balance of cutting.
This will give a better appearance to the lawn.
• Do NOT attempt to mow heavy brush and weeds or extremely tall grass. Your
mower is designed to mow lawns, NOT clear brush.
• Keep the blades sharp and replace the blades when worn.
After striking a foreign object, stop the engine, disconnect the spark plug
wire and ground against the engine. Thoroughly inspect the mower for
any damage. Always Inspect the blade timing belt as instructed in the
Maintenance section of this manual. Repair the damage before starting
and operating the mower.
Mulching
The Craftsman CX Wide Cut mower is equipped with a mulch kit (supplied with the
mower), which uses special blades to recirculate grass clippings repeatedly beneath
the cutting deck. The ultra-fine clippings are then forced back into the lawn where
they act as a natural fertilizer. Observe the following points for the best results
when mulching.
OPERATION
WARNING
WARNING
• Never attempt to mulch if the lawn is damp. Wet grass tends to stick to the
underside of the cutting deck preventing proper mulching of the clippings.
• Do NOT attempt to mulch more than 1⁄3 the total height of the grass. Doing
so will cause the clippings to clump up beneath the deck and not be mulched
effectively.
• Maintain a slow ground speed to allow the grass clippings more time to
effectively be mulched.
• Always keep the throttle control lever in the FAST
mowing. Failing to keep the engine at full throttle places strain on the
mower's engine and does not allow the blades to properly mulch the grass
clippings.
Installing/Removing Mulch Baffle
Before installing or removing the mulch baffle, disengage blades, stop the
engine and remove key to prevent unintended starting.
Installing the Mulch Baffle
1. Stop the engine and wait for all parts to stop moving.
2. Insert the right-side tab (A) of the baffle into the bracket on the deck. See
Figure 12.
B
3. Insert the mulch baffle into the discharge opening (B).
4. Once it's positioned in the deck opening, push the baffle towards the rear of
the mower (C) to secure it in place.
Removing the Mulch Baffle
Slide the baffle to the right (toward the front of the mower) to disengage the slot
from the mower deck and then pry the left-side of the baffle outward.
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position while
WARNING
C
A
Figure 12