Craftsman 917.38885 manual

Model No . 917.38885 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 6.5 Horsepo wer 21" Rear Discharge 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 ............................................. 7-10 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 Serial Number : Date of Purchase: Gasoline Capacity / T ype: 1.6 Quar ts (Unleaded Regular) Oil T ype (API SG–SL): SAE 30 (above 32°F); SAE 5W -30 (below 32°F) Oil Capacity: 20 Ounces Spark Plug (Gap: .030") Champion RJ19LM or J19LM Blade Bolt T orque: 35-40 ft. lbs . • The model and serial numbers will be f ound on a decal on the rear[...]

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 xcep- tion of those par ts left unassembled f[...]

7 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 adjustments . Sav e this manual f or future ref erence. These symbols may appear on y our lawn mower or in lite[...]

8 The operation of an y lawn mow er can result in foreign objects thrown into the ey es, which can result in se vere e ye damage . Alwa ys wear saf ety glasses or ey e shields while operating y our lawn mo wer or perf or ming any ad just ments or repairs. W e recom- mend a standard saf ety glasses or wide vision saf ety mask wor n o ver spectacles [...]

9 T O ST OP ENGINE • T o stop engine, release operator pres- ence con trol bar . T O ST ART ENGINE NO TE: Due to protectiv e coatings on the engine, a small amount of smok e ma y be present during the initial use of the prod- uct and should be considered nor mal. 1. T o star t a cold engine, push primer three (3) times bef ore tr ying to star t. [...]

10 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 [...]

11 ➀ Wheel adjuster (on each wheel) ➁ Engine oil ➀ Rear door hinge ➀ Handle brac ket mounting pins 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 [...]

12 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. BLADE CARE F or best results, mow er blade must be k ept shar p[...]

13 MUFFLER Inspect and replace corroded muffl er as it could create a fi re hazard and/or dam age. SP ARK PLUG Replace spark plug at the beginning of each mowing season or after e ver y 100 hours of operation, whiche v er occurs fi rst. Spark plug type and gap setting are shown in the “PROD UCT SPEC I FI C- A TIONS” section of this manual. C[...]

14 SER VICE AND ADJUSTMENTS W ARNING: T o av oid ser ious injur y , bef ore performing any service and adjustments: 1. Release control bar and stop engine. 2. Make sure the b lade and all moving par ts hav e completely stopped. 3. Disconnect spark plug wire from spar k plug and place wire where it cannot come in contact with plug. LA WN MO WER T O [...]

15 ST ORA GE Immediately prepare your la wn mow er for storage at the end of the season or if the unit will not be used f or 30 days or more . LA WN MO WER When lawn mo wer is to be stored f or a period of time, clean it thor oughly , remove all dir t, grease , leav es, etc. Store in a clean, dr y area. 1. Clean entire lawn mo wer (See “CLEANING?[...]

16 ENGINE OIL Drain oil (with engine w ar m) and replace with clean engine oil. (See “ENGINE” in the Maintenance section of this man ual). CYLINDER 1. Remov e spar k plug. 2. P our one ounce (29 ml) of oil through spark plug hole into cylinder . 3. Pull star ter handle slowly a f ew times to dis tr ib ute oil. 4. Replace with new spark plug. O [...]

17 Loss of power 1. Rear of lawn mo wer 1. Raise cutting height. housing or cutting blade dragging in heavy g rass. 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 mow er and trash under mo wer . housing. 5. T oo much oil in engine. 5.[...]

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