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Owner's Manual
CRAFTSMAN °
ROTARY LAWN MOWER
650 Series Briggs & Stratton Engine
Electric Start
Power-Propelled,
22" Multi-Cut
Model No.
917.376240
• EspaSol, p. 21
CAUTION'.
Read and follow all
Safety Rules and Instructions
before operating this equipment
U.S.A.
IL 60179
Sears, Roebuck and Co., Hoffman Estates,
Visit our Craftsman website: www.sears.com/craftsman
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Maintenance ...................................... 13-16 Warranty ................................................... 2 Safety Rules .......................................... 2-4 Service and Adjustments ................... 17-18 Product Specifications .............................. 4 Storage .............................................. 18-19 Troubleshooting ................................. 19-20 Assembly / Pre-Operation ..................... 6-7 Operation ....................................
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I. GENERAL OPERATION . Always wear safety goggles or safety glasses with side shields when operating • Read, understand, and follow all mower. instructions on the machine and in the manual(s) before starting. Be thoroughly Ii. SLOPE OPERATION familiar with the controls and the proper Slopes are a major factor related to slip & use of the machine before starting. fa!l accidents which can result in severe in- • Do not put hands or feet near or under jury. All slopes require extra caution. If you r
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• Never fill containers inside a vehicle, on • Keep nuts and bolts, especially blade a truck or trailer bed with a plastic liner. attachment bolts, tight and keep equip- Always place containers on the ground ment in good condition. away from your vehicle before filling. • Never tamper with safety devices. Check • Remove gas-powered equipment from their proper operation regularly. the truck or trailer and refuel it on the • Keep machine free of grass, leaves, or ground. If this is not possible, t
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Repair Protection Agreements Congratulations on making a smart pur- • Fast help by phone- phone sup- chase. Your new Craftsman® product is port from a Sears representative on designed and manufactured for years of products requiring in-home repair, plus dependable operation. But like all prod- convenient repair scheduling. ucts, it may require repair from time to Once you purchase the Agreement, a time. That's when having a Repair Protec- simple phone call is all that it takes for you tion Agree
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Read these instructions and this manual in 2. Remove protective padding, raise up- its entirety before you attempt to assemble per handle section into place on lower or operate your new lawn mower. handle and tighten both handle knobs. 3. Remove handle padding holding IMPORTANT: This lawn mower is shipped operator presence control bar to upper handle. WITHOUT OIL OR GASOLINE in the Your lawn mower handle can be adjusted engine. for your mowing comfort. Refer to "AD- JUST HANDLE" in the Service a
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TO ASSEMBLE GRASS CATCHER TO PREPARE BATTERY 1. Put grass catcher frame into grass bag NOTE: Your battery must be charged with rigid part of bag on the bottom. before you can start your lawn mower. Make sure the frame handle is outside 1. Disconnect engine battery connector of the bag top. (male) from battery connector (female) 2. Slip vinyl bindings over frame. 2. Connect battery charger connector NOTE: If vinyl bindings are too stiff, hold (male) to battery connector (female). them in warm wat
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KNOW YOUR LAWN MOWER READ THIS OWNER'S MANUAL AND ALL SAFETY RULES BEFORE OPERATING YOUR LAWN MOWER. Compare the illustrations with your lawn mower to familiarize yourself with the location of various controls and adjustments. Save this manual for future reference. These symbols may appear on your lawn mower or in literature supplied with the product. Learn and understand their meaning. CAUTION ENGINE ENGINE FAST SLOW CHOKE FUEL OIL DANGER, KEEP HANDS OR WARNING ON OFF AND FEET AWAY Drive contro
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TO ADJUST CUTTING HEIGHT The operationof any Raise wheels for low cut and lower wheels SAFETY GLASSES lawn mower can result for high cut, adjust cutting height to suit inforeign objects thrown your requirements. Medium position is intothe eyes,which can best for most lawns. resultin severe eye dam- age. Alwayswear safety glassesor eye • To change cutting height, squeeze ad- juster lever toward wheel. Move wheel shields while operating your lawn mower up or down to suit your requirements. Be or p
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TO EMPTY GRASS CATCHER 1. Lift up on grass catcher using the frame handle. 2. Remove grass catcher with clippings from under lawn mower handle. 3. Empty clippings from bag using both frame handle and bag handle. NOTE: Do not drag the bag when empty- ing; it will cause unnecessary wear. Open I Grass mulcher door I catcher frame handle Discharge deflector BEFORE STARTING ENGINE ADD OIL \ Your lawnmower is shipped without oil in the engine. For type and grade of oil to use, see "ENGINE" in the Main
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TO STOP ENGINE _IL CAUTION: Wipe off any spilled oil or fuel. Do not store, spill or use gasoline • To stop engine, release operator pres- ence control bar. near an open flame. _, CAUTION: Alcohol blended fuels TO START ENGINE (called gasohol or using ethanol or metha- NOTE: Due to protective coatings on the nol) can attract moisture which leads to engine, a small amount of smoke may be separation and formation of acids during present during the initial use of the product storage. Acidic gas can
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MOWING TIPS MULCHING MOWING TIPS CAUTION: Do not use de-thatcher IMPORTANT: For best performance, blade attachments on your mower. Such keep mower housing free of built-up attachments are hazardous, will damage grass and trash. See "CLEANING" in the Maintenance section of this manual. your mower and could void your warranty. • Under certain conditions, such as very . The special mulching blade will recut tall grass, it may be necessary to raise the grass clippings many times and the height of cu
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EVERY EVERY MAINTENANCE BEFORE AFTER EVERY 25 HOURS 100 BEFORE EAC H EAC H 10 STO RAG E SCHEDULE USE USE HOURS OR SEASON HOURS v' Check for Loose Fasteners _#, v' ,_ Clean / Inspect Grass Catcher * V' Check Tires _V' _ Check Drive Wheels *** Clean Lawn Mower**** v' v' M Clean under Drive Cover *** v' O Check Drive Belt / Pulleys *** v' W Check / Sharpen / Replace Blade v'3 v' _ ubrication Clean and Recharge Battery ** v' v_ Check Engine Oil level vl E Change Engine Oil V_,2 N Clean Air Filter _4
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LAWN MOWER IMPORTANT: To ensure proper assembly, center hole in blade must align with star Always observe safety rules when per- on blade adapter. forming any maintenance. 3. Be sure trailing edge of blade (opposite TIRES sharp edge) is up toward the engine. • Keep tires free of gasoline, oil, or insect 4. Install the blade bolt with the lock control chemicals which can harm rubber. washer and hardened washer into • Avoid stumps, stones, deep ruts, sharp blade adapter and crankshaft. objects and
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GRASS CATCHER . Remove engine oil cap; lay aside on a clean surface. • The grass catcher may be hosed with 3. Tip lawn mower on its side as shown water, but must be dry when used. and drain oil into a suitable container. • Check your grass catcher often for dam- Rock lawn mower back and forth to re- age or deterioration. Through normal move any oil trapped inside of engine. use it will wear. If catcher needs replac- ing, replace only with approved replace- ment catcher shown in the Repair Parts
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Back plate CLEANING IMPORTANT: For best performance, keep mower housing free of built-grass and trash. Clean the underside of your mower after each use. ,I&CAUTION" Disconnect spark plug wire from spark plug and place wire where it cannot come in contact with plug. • Clean the underside of your lawn mower Cartridge by scraping to remove build-up of grass Slot and trash. • Clean engine often to keep trash from accumulating. A clogged engine runs Cover hotter and shortens engine life. Cover tab •
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A WARNING: To avoid serious injury, before performing any service and adjustments: 1. Release control bar and stop engine. 2. Make sure the blade and all moving parts have completely stopped. 3. Disconnect spark plug wire from spark plug and place wire where it cannot come in contact with plug. LAWN MOWER NOTE: Always use factory approved belt to assure proper fit and long life. TO ADJUST CUTTING HEIGHT See "TO ADJUST CUTTING HEIGHT" in Blade adapter Key Crankshaft the Operation section of this
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ENGINE to suspected carburetor problems, take your lawn mower to a Sears or other ENGINE SPEED qualified service center for repair and/or Your engine speed has been factory set. adjustment. Do not attempt to increase engine speed IMPORTANT: Never tamper with the or it may result in personal injury. If you engine governor, which is factory set for believe that engine is running too fast or proper engine speed. Overspeeding too slow, take your mower to a Sears or the engine above the factory high
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CYLINDER ENGINE FUEL SYSTEM 1. Remove spark plug. 2. Pour one ounce (29 ml) of oil through IMPORTANT: It is important to prevent spark plug hole into cylinder. gum deposits from forming in essential fuel 3. Pull starter handle slowly a few times system parts such as carburetor, fuel filter, to distribute oil. fuel hose, or tank during storage. Alcohol 4. Replace with new spark plug. blended fuels (called gasohol or using BATTERY ethanol or methanol) can attract moisture Disconnect the battery fr
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PROBLEM CAUSE CORRECTION . Rear of lawn mower Loss of power 1. Raise cutting height. housing or cutting blade dragging in heavy grass. . Cutting too much grass. 2. Raise cutting height. 3. Dirty air filter. 3. Clean/replace air filter. 4. 4. Clean underside of mower Buildup of grass, leaves, and trash under mower. housing. 5. 5. Check oi! level. Too much oil in engine. 6. Walking speed too fast. 6. Cut at slower walking speed. Poor cut - 1. Worn, bent or loose blade. 1. Replace blade. Tighten bl
