Craftsman 247.370253 - Manual (Page 10)

Motor/Blade Control (Bail)
A WARNING: Federal regulations require a
motor/blade control to be installed on lawn
mower in order to minimize the risk о blade
contact injury. DO NOT under any
circumstances attempt to defeat the function
of the motor/blade control. Never attiimpt
to bypass its operations.
NOTE: Your lawn mower is equipped with a motor/
blade control which requires the operator to be
positioned behind the lawn mower handle to s. art and
operate the lawn mower.
The motor/blade control is located on the uppe r
handle of the mower. See figure 8. The motor blade
control handle engages and disengages the motor
and blade. The motor/blade control consists o1 two
parts -- a starter button and a motor/blade con rol
handle.
Rear Trailing Shield
The reartrailing shield, attached between the iear
wheels of your mower, is provided to minimize the
possibility that material will be discharged frorr
beneath the blade enclosure into the operator гопе.
See figure 8.
Circuit Breaker
Your mower is equipped with a circuit breaker, located
near the motor/blade control on the switch assambly.
This circuit breaker may trip when too much st ain is
placed on the mower.
Starter Button
The starter button is located on the switch assembly.
Standing behind the unit, depress the starter button
and squeeze the motor/blade control handle a gainst
the upper handle. The motor will start; release the
starter button once the motor starts.
Stopping the mower
Release the motor/blade control handle to stop the
motor and the blade.
A WARNING: The operation of any la vn
mower can result in foreign objects b> iing
thrown into the eyes, which can resul: in
severe eye damage. Always wear safety
glasses or eye shields.
NOTE: The wheels on your unit are set in a lov' cutting
height position for shipping purposes. For best results,
raise the cutting position until it is determined i vhich
height is best for your lawn. See cutting height
adjustment.
2. CORD CONNECTION
Cord Selection
IMPORTANT: A 100 feet length of 14 AWG extension
cord should be used. An acceptable substitute is a 50
feet length of 16 AWG cord. In applications where a
longer cord is needed, a 150 -feet long 12 AWG cord
may be used. Using any other length or rating of cord
will diminish the performance and possibly the life of
the electric motor. In all cases, the extension cord
should be a UL listed cord set suitable for outdoor use.
Cord Restraint
• Attach extension cord (not provided with unit) to
the cord restraint as follows.
• Form a small loop in the extension cord. Allow
enough excess cord to make the connection to
the motor/blade control (approximately 20
inches).
• Slip the loop through the slot on the bottom of the
cord restraint, and up over the tab, to prevent
disconnection from the motor/blade control
during operation.
• Keep the cord restraint as close to the motor/
blade control as possible. See figure 9.
Motor/Blade
Connect the plug on the extension cord fully onto
the plug on the mower. The mower is equipped
with a polarized AC power plug (one blade of the
plug is wider than the other), which will fit into the
plug on the extension cord only one way. If
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