Craftsman 917.271023 - Manual (Page 16)

PURGE TRANSMISSION
A
CAUTION: Never engage or disen­
gage freewheel lever while the engine is
running.
To ensure proper operation and perfor­
mance, it is recommended that the trans­
mission be purged before operating tractor
for the first time. This procedure will
remove any trapped air inside the trans­
mission which may have developed during
shipping of your tractor.
IMPORTANT: Should your transmission
require removal for service or replace­
ment, it should be purged after reinstalla­
tion before operating the tractor.
• Place tractor safely on level surface wiüi
engine off and parking brake set.
• Disengage transmission by placing free­
wheel control in freewheeling position
(See “TO TRANSPORT in this section
of manual).
• Sitting in the tractor seat, start engine.
After the engine is running, move throt­
tle control to slow position. With motion
control lever in neutral (N) position,
slowly disengage clutch/brake pedal.
• Move motion control lever to full forward
position and hold for five (5) seconds.
Move lever to full reverse position and
hold for five (5) seconds. Repeat this
procedure three (3) times.
NOTE: During this procedure there will be
no movement of drive wheels. The air is
being removed from hydraulic drive sys­
tem.
• Move motion control lever to neutral (N)
position. Shut off engine and set parking
brake.
• Engage transmission by placing free­
wheel control in driving position (See
“TO TRANSPORT in this section of
manual).
• Sitting in the tractor seat^start engine.
After the engine is running, move throt­
tle control to half (1/2) speed. With
motion control lever in neutral (N) posi­
tion, slowly disengage clutch/brake
pedal.
• Slowly move motion control lever for­
ward; after the tractor moves approxi­
mately five (5) feet, slowly move motion
control lever to reverse position. After
the tractor moves approximately five (5)
feet return the motion control lever to
the neutral (N) position. Repeat this pro­
cedure with the motion control lever
three (3) times.
• Your tractor is now purged and ready for
normal operation.
MOWING TIPS
• Tire chains cannot be used when the
mower housing is attached to tractor.
• Mower should be properly leveled for
best mowing performance. See TO
LEVEL MOWER HOUSING" in the
Service and Adjustments section of this
manual.
• The left hand side of mower should be
used for trimming.
• Drive so that clippings are discharged
onto the area that has been cut. Have
the cut area to the right of the tractor.
This will result in a more even distribu­
tion of clippings and more uniform cut­
ting.
• When mowing large areas, start by turn­
ing to the right so that clippings will dis­
charge away from shrubs, fences, drive­
ways, etc. After one or two rounds, mow
in the opposite direction making left
hand turns until finished.
• if grass is extremely tall, it should be
mowed twice to reduce load and possi­
ble fire hazard from dried clippings.
Make first cut relatively high; the second
to the desired height.
• Do not mow grass when it is wet. Wet
grass will plug mower and leave unde­
sirable clumps. Allow grass to dry
before mowing.
• Always operate engine at full throttle
when mowing to assure better mowing
performance and proper discharge of
material. Regulate ground speed by se­
lecting a low enough gear to give the
mower the best cutting performance as
well as the quality of cut desired.
• When operating attachments, select a
ground speed that will suit the terrain
and give best performance of the at­
tachment being used.
16