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Owner's Manual
CRAFTSMAN °
ROTARY LAWN MOWER
700 Series Briggs & Stratton Engine
Electric Start
Power-Propelled,
22" Multi-Cut
Model No.
917.374362
• 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. Open battery box. of the bag top. 2. Connect battery charger connector 2. Slip vinyl bindings over frame. (male) to harness connector (female). NOTE: If vinyl bindings are too stiff, hold 3. Plug battery charger into 110 volt A.C. them in warm water for a few m
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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 Operator pre
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DRIVE CONTROL ADJUSTMENT The operation of any lawn SAFETVG'ASSES mower can result in foreign Over time, the drive control system may become "loose", resulting in decreased objects thrown into the eyes, which can result in severe speed. There is a turnbuckle on the drive control housing to increase tension on the eye damage. Always wear drive cable. Proceed as follows: safety glasses or eye shields while oper- 1. Turn unit off and disconnect spark plug ating your lawn mower or performing any wire
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TO CONVERT MOWER I \ \ Your lawn mower was shipped ready to be used as a mulcher. To convert to bagging or discharging: REAR BAGGING • Lift rear door of the lawn mower and Unlock place the grass catcher frame hooks latch onto the grass bag brackets. • To convert to mulching or discharging Open operation, remove grass catcher and I mulcher door close rear door. I - door bag Discharge deflector bracket Grass catcher handle Full bac catcher indicator frame hook window \ / NOTE: Rear door will remai
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TO EMPTY GRASS CATCHER A CAUTION: Wipe off any spilled oil or Empty the grass catcher when clippings fuel. Do not store, spill or use gasoline are visible in the full bag indicator window. near an open flame. ,A CAUTION: Alcohol blended fuels 1. Lift up on grass catcher using the frame handle. (called gasohol or using ethanol or metha- 2. Remove grass catcher with clippings nol) can attract moisture which leads to from under lawn mower handle. separation and formation of acids during 3. Empty cl
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MOWING TIPS MULCHING MOWING TIPS A 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, wil! damage grass and trash. See "CLEANING" in the your mower and could void your warranty. Maintenance section of this manual. • 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
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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 t/ Check for Loose Fasteners t_ t/ ,_ Clean / Inspect Grass Catcher * I/ Check Tires _1_ _ Check Drive Wheels *** Clean Lawn Mower**** i/ I/ M Clean under Drive Cover *** i/ O Check Drive Belt / Pulleys *** i/ W Check / Sharpen / Replace Blade i/3 i/ _ ubrication Clean and Recharge Battery ** i/ 14 Check Engine Oil level 14 E Change Engine Oil 1_,2 N Clean Air Filter 14
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5. Install the blade bolt with the lock LAWN MOWER washer and hardened washer into Always observe safety rules when per- blade adapter and crankshaft. forming any maintenance. 6. Use block of wood between blade and TIRES lawn mower housing and tighten the • Keep tires free of gasoline, oil, or insect blade bolt, turning clockwise. control chemicals which can harm rubber. • The recommended tightening torque is • Avoid stumps, stones, deep ruts, sharp 35-40 ft. Ibs. objects and other hazards that
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GRASS CATCHER . Remove engine oil cap; lay aside on a clean surface. • The grass catcher may be hosed with 3. water, but must be dry when used. Tip lawn mower on its side as shown 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 use it will wear. If catcher needs replac- move any oil trapped inside of engine. ing, replace only with approved replace- ment catcher shown in the Repair Parts
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Back plate NOTE: Water, grass and other debris will Lip drain from beneath the mower housing during the washout process. 2. Remove grass catcher and discharge chute assembly from lawn mower. 3. Close mulcher door (if equipped). 4. Connect a garden hose to the fitting where shown. IMPORTANT: Be sure the garden hose is Cartridge not routed under the lawn mower housing or entangled in the wheels. Slot 5. Turn on water supply and check for leaks at the fitting. If no leaks are present, start engine
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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 TO REPLACE DRIVE BELT 1. Place new drive belt on gearcase pul- TO ADJUST CUTTING HEIGHT ley. See "TO ADJUST CUTTING HEIGHT" in NOTE: Always use factory approved belt the Operation section of th
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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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TROUBLESHOOTING = See appropriate section in manual unless directed to a Sears Parts & Repair Center. PROBLEM CAUSE CORRECTION Loss of power 1. Rear of mower housing or 1. Raise cutting height. blade dragging in grass. 2. Cutting too much grass. 2. Raise cutting height. 3. Dirty air filter. 3. Clean/replace air filter. 4. Clean underside of mower 4. Buildup of grass, leaves, and trash under mower. housing. 5. Check oi! level. 5. Too much oil in engine. 6. Walking speed too fast. 6. Cut at slower
