Craftsman 291.376100 - Manual (Page 4)

MOWER BLADE ADJUSTMENT
•The blades have been preadjusted before leaving the
factory.
•Misalignment can occur resulting in blades that are too
loose or too tight. If this happens, you will notice a
rough, uneven cut or a hard pushing mower.
•All adjustments are made from the rear of the mower
(opposite from the bar with the logo decal.) Each end of
the cutting bar can be adjusted separately.
•As you follow the instructions below, refer to Figure 1 for
more information.
•The cutting bar blade (located under the reel) pivots. The
front screws move the cutter bar away from the blades,
while the rear screws move the cutting bar toward the
blades.
•Adjusting the screws is a very sensitive procedure.
1/16th of a turn is considered a major adjustment.
•Before tightening one adjusting screw, be sure to loosen
the opposing screw an equal amount.
FIGURE 1
Adjusting
Screws
LOOSENING THE BLADES
•The cutter bar blade must be moved further from the cut­
ting reel.
•Loosen both back screws equally by turning them
counter clockwise.
•Tighten both front screws equally by turning them clock­
wise.
TIGHTENING THE BLADES
•The cutter bar must be moved closer to the cutting reel.
•Loosen both front screws equally by turning them
counter-clockwise.
•Tighten both back screws equally by turning them clock­
wise.
CHECKING ADJUSTMENTS
•Turn mower upside down.
•Insert a piece of paper (i.e., writing or newspaper)
between the cutter bar and the reel blades, and carefully
turn the reel blades by hand.
•All blades should slice the paper evenly the entire length
of the cutter bar while the reel turns smoothly.
*lf the mower has an uneven cut, an adjustment should
be made to the appropriate side of the blades to attain
an even cutting action.