Craftsman 247.28980 Lawn Mower User Manual


 
Slowdownbeforeturning.Operatethemachinesmoothly.Avoid
erraticoperationandexcessivespeed.
Disengageblade(s),setparkingbrake,stopengineandwaituntil
the blade(s)cometo a completestopbeforeremovinggrass
catcher,emptyinggrass,uncloggingchute,removinganygrassor
debris,or makinganyadjustments.
Neverleavea runningmachineunattended.Alwaysturnoff
blade(s),setparkingbrake,stopengineandremovekeybefore
dismounting.
Useextracare whenloadingorunloadingthe machineintoa
trailerortruck.Thismachineshouldnot bedrivenupor down
ramp(s),becausethe machinecouldtipover,causingserious
personalinjury.Themachinemustbe pushedmanuallyon
ramp(s)to loador unloadproperly.
Mufflerandenginebecomehotandcan causea burn.Do not
touch.
Checkoverheadclearancescarefullybeforedrivingunderlow
hangingtree branches,wires,dooropeningsetc.,wherethe
operatormaybestruckor pulledfromthe machine,whichcould
resultinseriousinjury.
Disengageallattachmentclutchesanddepressthebrakepedal
completelybeforeattemptingto startengine.
Yourmachineisdesignedto cutnormalresidentialgrassof a
heightnomorethan10".Donotattemptto mowthroughunusually
tall,dry grass(e.g.,pasture)orpiles ofdryleaves.Drygrassor
leavesmaycontactthe engineexhaustand/orbuilduponthe
mowerdeckpresentinga potentialfire hazard.
Useonlyaccessoriesandattachmentsapprovedfor this machine
by themachinemanufacturer.Read,understandandfollowall
instructionsprovidedwiththeapprovedaccessoryor attachment.
Fora list of approvedaccessoriesandattachments,call 1-800-
659-5917.
Dataindicatesthatoperators,age60yearsandabove,are
involvedin a largepercentageof ridingmower-relatedinjuries.
Theseoperatorsshouldevaluatetheirabilitytooperatethe riding
mowersafelyenoughto protectthemselvesandothersfrom
seriousinjury.
If situationsoccurwhicharenot coveredinthismanual,usecare
andgoodjudgment.Contact1-800-659-5917for informationand
assistance.
SLOPE OPERATION
Slopesarea majorfactorrelatedtolossof controlandtip-over
accidentswhichcan resultinsevereinjuryor death.Allslopesrequire
extracaution.Ifyoucannotbackupthe slopeor if youfeeluneasyon
it, do not mowit.
Foryoursafety,usethe SlopeGuideincludedaspartof this manual
to measureslopesbeforeoperatingthis machineona slopedor hilly
area. Ifthe slopeis greaterthan15degreesas shownonthe Slope
Guide,do notoperatethis machineonthatareaor seriousinjurycould
result.
Do:
o
Mowupanddownslopes,notacross.Exerciseextremecaution
whenchangingdirectionon slopes.
Watchforholes,ruts,bumps,rocks,orother hiddenobjects.
Uneventerraincouldoverturnthemachine.Tallgrasscan hide
obstacles.
Useslowspeed.Choosea lowenoughspeedsettingso that
you willnothaveto stopor shiftwhileon the slope.Tiresmay
lose tractionon slopeseventhoughthe brakesarefunctioning
properly.Alwayskeepmachinein gearwhen goingdownslopes
to takeadvantageofenginebrakingaction.
Followthemanufacturer'srecommendationsforwheelweights
or counterweightstoimprovestability.Forrecommendations,call
1-800-659-5917.
Useextracarewithgrasscatchersor otherattachments.These
can changethestabilityof the machine.
Keepallmovementonthe slopesslowandgradual.Do notmake
suddenchangesinspeedor direction.Rapidengagementor
brakingcouldcausethefrontof the machinetolift andrapidlyflip
overbackwardswhichcouldcauseseriousinjury.
Avoidstartingorstoppingona slope.Iftireslosetraction,disen-
gagethe blade(s)andproceedslowlystraightdownthe slope.
DoNot:
Donot turnon slopesunlessnecessary;then,turnslowlyand
graduallydownhill,ifpossible.
Donot mowneardrop-offs,ditchesor embankments.The mower
could suddenlyturnoverif a wheelis overtheedgeof a cliff,
ditch,or if an edgecavesin.
Donot try to stabilizethemachinebyputtingyourfooton the
ground.
Donot usea grasscatcheron steepslopes.
Donot mowon wetgrass.Reducedtractioncouldcausesliding.
Donot attemptto coastdownhill.Over-speedingmaycausethe
operatortolosecontrolof the machineresultingin seriousinjury
or death.
Donot towheavypull behindattachments(e.g.loadeddumpcart,
lawn roller,etc.)on slopesgreaterthan5 degrees.Whengoing
down hill,theextraweighttendsto pushthetractorandmay
causeyou toloosecontrol.(e.g.tractormayspeedup,braking
and steeringabilityare reduced,attachmentmayjack-knifeand
causetractortooverturn).
4