21
20
OPERATION cont. OPERATION cont.
OPERATING TIPS
1. Before each use make sure the protective safety guard is securely installed.
Tighten the guard screws, but DO NOT over tighten.
2. Be sure to check the auxiliary handle before each use, to make sure it is firmly
tightened into desired working position.
3. Before trimming, inspect the area for string, wire, branches, rocks, toys, or other
objects that could be entangled in or thrown by the cutting line.
4. Stand with the cutting head tipped down at an angle in front, guiding the trimmer in a
semi-circular motion around you.
5. Cut from left to right whenever possible. Cutting to the right improves the unit’s cutting
efficiency and clippings are thrown away from the operator.
6. To produce a smoothly trimmed area, move the trimmer in and out of the area being
cut with constant speed and height.
7. Use only the tip of the cutting line to do the trimming, especially near walls and fences.
Trimming with the side of the cutting line may overload the motor, wear out the line
faster, and break the line more often.
8. DO NOT rest the trimmer spool on the ground while you are trimming. This will cause
spool wear.
9. When cutting vegetation that is over 6 inches in height, work from top to bottom
in small increments to avoid premature line wear or engine drag.
10. When the trimmer is stopped and the spool stops rotating, the cutting line will relax
and may recede. Feed extra cutting line before storing the trimmer to prevent losing
the line in the spool housing.
11. If the diameter of the cutting area gets smaller, the line is worn down and needs to be
advanced.
12. If the trimmer is not cutting correctly, the cutting line may not be feeding properly.
Remove and rewind the line spool.
(See FILLING SPOOL WITH CUTTING LINE, pg. 20).
Fig. 14
TO REPLACE CUTTING LINE (Fig. 14)
REMOVE THE SPOOL
For easy spool replacement we recommend using Craftsman 71-85967, bump feed
replacement spool with 0.065 cutting line. It is factory wound for maximum reliability.
1. Disconnect the trimmer from the power supply. Turn trimmer over
to access spool head cover.
2. Press the release tabs on the spool head
cover and remove cover, pulling it straight
off of spool.
3. Lift the spool out of the spool housing.
WARNING:
To avoid injury, ALWAYS turn off and disconnect the trimmer
from the power outlet BEFORE installing parts or cleaning the trimmer
or making any adjustments.
!
REPLACE THE SPOOL
1. Replace the spool with a new
factory pre-wound spool, Craftsman
71-85967, available from your
Sears store or other Craftsman outlet.
2. Insert the end of one line through
an eyelet in the spool housing.
Insert the other line through the
other eyelet.
3. Insert the spool into housing and
press it down gently until you feel
it drop into place.Take care to keep
the line from becoming trapped
under the spool.
4. Snap the spool head cover back on
and at the same time pull lines and
be sure that they are released from
spool rail notch.
Release
tabs
Spool Head Cover
Cutting Line
Cutting Line
Spool
FILLING SPOOL WITH CUTTING LINE
(Figs. 15)
You may wind new cutting line onto an empty
spool. Replacement packs of 0.065 inch
(1.65mm) Craftsman Cutting Line 71-85822
are available from your Sears store.
1. Remove the empty spool from the tool
as described in “REMOVE THE SPOOL” above.
2. Remove any remaining cutting line from the spool.
3. First wind new line onto the uppermost part of the spool. Feed 3/4 inch of cutting line
into one of the line spool rail notches. Wind the cutting line onto the spool in the direction
of the arrow on the spool. Make sure to wind the line neatly and in layers Do not
crisscross (see Fig. 15).
4. When the wound cutting line reaches the
eyelets (recesses), cut the line. Temporarily
park the line in the spool rail notch on one
side of the spool as shown in Fig. 15.
5. Repeat the above procedure for the second
cutting line on the lower section of the spool.
6. Fit the spool onto the tool as described in
“REPLACE THE SPOOL” page 20.
FILLING SPOOL WITH
CUTTING LINE cont. (Fig. 15)
CAUTION:
Before you begin trimming, only use the appropriate type of
cutting line. Ensure that cutting line is present in both sections of the spool.
(Fig. 15).
!
Fig. 15
RIGHT WRONG
Spool
Rail
Notch
Spool
Rail
Notch
Eyelet