Craftsman Lawn Mower 45 Manual

							  
OwnersManual 
® 
4.5HORSEPOWER 
20SmDEDISCHARGE 
ROTARYLAWNMOWER 
ModelNo. 
917.387221 
,,Safety 
oAssembBy 
,,Operation 
oMaintenance 
oEspafiol 
oRepairParts 
CAUTRON: 
Readandfollowall 
SafetyRulesandInstructions 
beforeoperatingthisequipment 
Sears,RoebuckandCo.,HoffmanEstates,IL60179  
						

							  
Warranty2ProductSpecifications11 
SafetyRules2ServiceandAdjustments13 
Assembly4Storage14 
Operation6Troubleshooting15 
MaintenanceSchedule10RepairParts32 
Maintenance10PartsOrderingBackCover 
LIMITEDTWOYEARWARRANTYONCRAFTSMANPOWERMOWER 
Fortwoyearsfromdateofpurchase,whenthisCraftsmanLawnMowerismaintained, 
lubricated,andtunedupaccordingtotheoperatingandmaintenanceinstructionsinthe 
ownersmanual,Searswillrepairfreeofchargeanydefectinmaterialorworkmanship. 
IfthisCraftsmanLawnMowerisusedforcommercialorrentalpurposes,thiswarranty 
appliesforonly90daysfromthedateofpurchase. 
ThisWarrantydoesnotcover: 
°Expendableitemswhichbecomewornduringnormaluse,suchasrotarymower 
blades,bladeadapters,belts,aircleanersandsparkplug. 
.Repairsnecessarybecauseofoperatorabuseornegligence,includingbentcrank- 
shaftsandthefailuretomaintaintheequipmentaccordingtotheinstructionscon- 
tainedintheownersmanual, 
WarrantyserviceisavailablebyreturningtheCraftsmanpowermowertothenearest 
SearsServiceCenter/DepartmentintheUnitedStates.Thiswarrantyappliesonlywhile 
thisproductisinuseintheUnitedStates. 
ThisWarrantygivesyouspecificlegalrights,andyoumayalsohaveotherrightswhich 
varyfromstatetostate° 
SEARS,ROEBUCKANDCO.,D/817WA,HOFFMANESTATES,ILLINOIS60179 
TRAINING: 
°Readthisoperatorsmanualcarefully_ 
Becomefamiliarwiththecontrolsand 
knowhowtooperateyourmower 
properly.Leamhowtoquicklystop 
mower. 
=Donotallowchildrentouseyourmower. 
Neverallowadultstousemowerwithout 
properinstructions. 
•Keeptheareaofoperationclearofall 
persons,especiallysmallchildrenand 
pets. 
oUsemoweronlyasthemanufacturer 
intendedandasdescribedinthismanual. 
°Donotoperatemowerifithasbeen 
droppedordamagedinanymanner. 
Alwayshavedamagerepairedbefore 
usingyourmower. 
oDonotuseaccessoryattachmentsthat 
arenotrecommendedbythemanufac- turer.Useofsuchattachmentsmaybe 
hazardous. 
oThebladeturnswhentheengineis 
running, 
PREPARATION: 
oAlwaysthoroughlychecktheareatobe 
mowedandclearitofallstones,sticks, 
wires,bones,andotherforeignobjects, 
Theseobjectswillbethrownbytheblade 
andcancausesevereinjury, 
oAlwayswearsafetyglassesoreye 
shieldswhenstartingandwhileusing 
yourmower. 
•Dressproperly,Donotoperatemower 
whenbarefootorwearingopensandals. 
Wearonlysolidshoeswithgoodtraction 
whenmowing. 
=Checkfueltankbeforestartingengine. 
Donotfillgastankindoors,whenthe 
engineisrunningorwhentheengineis  
						

							  
hot.Allowtheenginetocoolforseveral 
minutesbeforefillingthegastank,Clean 
offanyspilledgasolinebeforestartingthe 
engine. 
°Alwaysmakewheelheightadjustments 
beforestartingyourmower.Never 
attempttodothiswhiletheengineis 
running_ 
•Mowon_yindaylightorgoodartificial 
lighL 
OPERATION: 
oKeepyoureyesandmindonyourmower 
andtheareabeingcut.Donotletother 
interestsdistractyou. 
oDonotmowwetorslipperygrass.Never 
runwhileoperatingyourmower°Always 
besureofyourfooting--keepafirm 
holdonthehandlesandwalk. 
oDenotputhandsorfeetnearorunder 
rotatingparts_Keepclearofthedischarge 
openingatalltimes. 
oAlwaysstoptheenginewheneveryou 
leaveorarenotusingyourmower,or 
beforecrossingdriveways,walks,roads, 
andanygravel--coveredarea& 
oNeverdirectdischargeofmateria!toward 
bystandersnorallowanyonenearthe 
mowerwhileyouareoperatingiL 
oBeforecleaning,inspecting,orrepairing 
yourmower,stoptheengineandmake 
absolutelysurethebladeandallmoving 
partshavestopped,Thendisconnectthe 
sparkplugwireandkeepitawayfromthe 
sparkplugtopreventaccidentalstarting. 
Donotcontinuetorunyourmowerifyou 
hitaforeignobject°Followtheprocedure 
outlinedabove,thenrepairanydamage 
beforerestartingandoperatingyou 
mower. 
•Donotchangethegovernorsettingsor 
overspeedtheengine.Enginedamageor 
personalinjurymayresulL 
•Donotoperateyourmowerifitvibrates 
abnormally.Excessivevibrationisan 
indicationofdamage;stoptheengine, 
safelycheckforthecauseofvibration 
andrepairasrequire& 
°Donotruntheengineindoors.Exhaust 
fumesaredangerous. oNevercutgrassbypullingthemower 
towardsyou.Mowacrossthefaceof 
slopes,neverupanddownoryoumight 
loseyourfooting.Donotmowexces- 
sivelysteepslopes.Usecautionwhen 
operatingthemoweronuneventerrain 
orwhenchangingdirections--maintain 
goodfooting. 
•Neveroperateyourmowerwithout 
properguards,plates,grasscatcheror 
othersafetydevicesinplace. 
MAINTENANCEANDSTORAGE: 
oCheckthebladeandtheenginemount- 
ingboltsoftentobesuretheyare 
tightenedproperly° 
oCheckallbolts,nutsandscrewsat 
frequentintervalsforpropertightnessto 
besuremowerisinsafeworking 
condition. 
•Keepallsafetydevicesinplaceand 
working. 
•Toreducefirehazard,keeptheengine 
freeofgrass,leavesorexcessivegrease 
andoilo 
•Checkgrasscatcheroftenfordeteriora- 
tionandwearandreplacewornbags. 
Useonlyreplacementbagsthatare 
recommendedbyandcomplywith 
specificationsofthemanufacturerofyour 
mower. 
oAlwayskeepasharpbladeonyour 
mower. 
•Allowenginetocoolbeforestoringinany 
enclosure. 
•Neverstoremowerwithfuelinthetank 
insideabuildingwherefumesmayreach 
anopenflameoranignitionsourcesuch 
asahotwaterheater,spaceheater, 
clothesdryer,etco 
CAUTION:Alwaysdisconnectspad_plug 
wireandplacewirewhereitcannotcontact 
sparkpluginordertopreventaccidental 
startingwhensettingup,transporting, 
adjustingormakingrepairs. 
WARNING 
Theengineexhaustfromthisproduct 
containschemicalsknowntotheStateof 
Californiatocausecancer,birthdefects,or 
otherreproductiveharm.  
						

							  
Theseaccessorieswereavailablewhenthislawnmowerwasproduced.Theyarealso 
availableatmostSearsretailoutletsandservicecenters.MostSearsstorescanalso 
orderrepairpartsforyou,whenyouprovidethemodelnumberofyourlawnmower. 
Someoftheseaccessoriesmaynotapplytoyourlawnmower. 
LAWNMOWERPERFORMANCE 
CLIPPINGDEFLECTOR__ 
FORREARDISCHARGELAWNMOWERSMULCHERKITSSTABIUZER 
GRASSCATCNERSGRASSCATCHERS  FORtFOR 
REARDISCHARGESIDEDISCHARGE 
LAWNMOWERSLAWNMOWERS 
GASCANS 
LAWNMOWERMAINTENANCE 
UFFLERSAIRFILTERSSPARKPLUGS 
BELTSBLADESBLADEADAPTERSWHEELSENGINEOIL 
Readtheseinstructionsandthismanualin 
itsentiretybeforeyouattempttoassemble 
oroperateyournewlawnmower.Your 
newlawnmowerhasbeenassembledat 
thefactorywiththeexceptionofthose 
partsleftunassembledforshipping 
purposes.Allpartssuchasnuts,washers, 
bolts,etco,necessarytocompletethe 
assemblyhavebeenplacedintheparts 
bag.Toensuresafeandproperoperation 
ofyourlawnmower,allpartsandhard- 
wareyouassemblemustbetightened 
securely.Usethecorrecttoolsasneces- 
sarytoensurepropertightness. 
TOREMOVELAWNMOWERFROM 
CARTON 
oRemoveloosepartsincludedwith 
mower. 
=Cutdowntwoendcornersofcartonand 
layendpaneldownflat. 
=Removeallpackingmaterialsexcept 
paddingbetweenupperandlower handleandpaddingholdingoperator 
presencecontrolbartoupperhandle. 
•Rolllawnmoweroutofcartonandcheck 
cartonthoroughlyforadditionalloose 
parts. 
HOWTOSETUPYOURLAWN 
MOWER 
TOUNFOLDHANDLE 
iMPORTANT:Unfoldhandlescarefullyso 
asnottopinchordamagecontolcables. 
oRaisehandlesuntillowerhandlesection 
locksintoplaceinmowingposition. 
°Removeprotectivepadding,raiseupper 
handlesectionintoplaceonlower 
handle,andtightenbothhandleknobs. 
=Removehandlepaddingholding 
operatorpresencecontrolbartoupper 
handle_ 
°Yourfawnmowerhandlecanbe 
adjustedforyourmowingcomfort. 
RefertoAdjustHandleintheService 
andAdjustmentssectionofthismanual  
						

							  
Operatorpresencecontrolbar 
Upperhandle 
Liftup 
Mowingposition 
Lowerhandle 
KNOWYOURLAWNMOWER 
READTHISOWNERSMANUALANDSAFETYRULESBEFOREOPERATINGYOURLAWN 
MOWER,Comparetheillustrationswithyourlawnmowertofamiliarizeyourselfwiththe 
locationofvadouscontrolsandadjustments.Savethismanualforfuturereference. 
...............,,,,,,iH,i,,,,,i_....ii........................ 
Thesesymbolsmayappearonyourlawnmowerorinliteraturesuppliedwiththe 
product,Learnandunderstandtheirmeaning, 
CAUTIONENGINEENGINEFASTSLOWCHOKEFUELOiLDANGER,KEEPH._,.NDS 
ORWARNINGONOFFANDFEETAWAY 
Enginezonecontrol:_eratorpresence 
cablecontrolbar 
Upstopbracket 
Starterhandle 
CabLeclip knob 
cap 
Engineoilcapwith 
dipstickPrimer 
Mulcher Housing 
Wheeladjuster 
(oneachwheel) 
MEETSCPSCSAF_REQUIREMENTS........................................... 
Searsrotarywalk-behindpowerlawnmowersconformtothesafetystandardsoftheAmerican 
NationalStandardsInstituteandtheU,S_ConsumerProductSafetyCommission,Theblade 
turnswhentheengineisrunning. 
Operatorpresencecontrolbar-mustbe 
helddowntothehandletostarttheengine, 
Releasetostoptheengine. 
Primer-pumpsadditionalfuelfromthe 
carburetortothecylinderforusewhenstarting 
acoldengine, ,Starterhandle-usedforstartingtheengine, 
Mulcherplate-Locatedatthedischarge 
openingmustberemovedwhenconvertingto 
baggingordischargingoperation, 
5  
						

							  
Theoperationofanylawnmowercanresultin 
foreignobjectsthrownintotheeyes,whichcan 
resultinsevereeyedamage.Alwayswear 
safetyglassesoreyeshieldswhileoperating 
yourlawnmowerorperforminganyadjust- 
mentsorrepairs.Werecommendawide 
visionsafetymaskoverthespectaclesor 
standardsafetyglasses° 
ENGINESPEED 
Theenginespeedwassetatthefactoryfor 
optimumperformance.Speedisnotadjust- 
able, 
ENGINEZONECONTROL 
CAUTION:Federalregulationsrequirean 
enginecontroltobeinstalledonthislawn 
mowerinordertominimizetheriskofblade 
contactinjury.Donotunderanycircumstances 
attempttodefeatthefunctionoftheoperator 
control,Thebladetumswhentheengineis 
running. 
•Yourlawnmowerisequippedwithan 
operatorpresencecontrolbarwhich 
requirestheoperatortobepositioned 
behindthelawnmowerhandletostartand 
operatethelawnmower_ 
LowerWheelsfor 
HighCut 
RaiseWheelsfor 
LowCut PlateTab 
_Lever 
TOADJUSTCUTT1NGHEIGHT 
•Raisewheelsforlowcutandlowerwheels 
forhighcut. 
oAdjustcuttingheighttosuityourrequire- 
ments.Mediumpositionisbestformost 
lawns. 
°Tochangecuttingheight,squeezeadjuster 
levertowardwheel.Movewfleelupor 
downtosuityourrequirements.Besureall 
wheelsareinthesamesetting. 
NOTE:Adjusterispropertypositionedwhen 
platetabinsertsintoholeinlever.Also,9- 
positionadjusters(ifsoequipped)allowlever 
tobepositionedbetweentheplatetabs. 
Yourlawnmowerhasbeenshippedreadyfor 
mulchingoperation.Toconverttodischarging 
orbaggingoperation: 
TOCONVERTTODISCHARGINGMOWER 
Yourmowerisshippedreadytobeusedasa 
mulcher,Toconverttobaggingordischarging: =Liftdischargeguardandremovemulcher 
plate. 
oMowercannowbeusedforsidedischarg- 
ingoroptionalgrasscatchercanbe 
attached. 
•Toretumtomulchingoperation,simply 
reinstallmulcherplateasshown. 
CAUTION;Donotrunyourlawnmower 
withoutdischargeguard,approvedgrass 
catcherormuicherplateinplace. 
__(aMulcher 
Plate 
rgeguard 
Tab 
BEFORESTARTINGENGINE 
OIL 
Yourlawnmowerisshippedwithoutoilinthe 
engine_ 
=Besuremowerislevelandareaaroundoil 
fillisclean. 
°Removeengineoilcapw/dipstickandfillto 
thefulllineonthedipstick. 
°Use20ozs.ofoil.Fortypeandgradeofoi! 
touse,seeENGINEinCustomer 
Responsibilitiessectionofthismanual, 
oPouroilslowly.Donotoverfill 
=Checkoillevelbeforeeachuse.Addoi!if 
needed.Filltofulllineondipstick. 
=Toreadproperlevel,tightenengineoilcap 
eachtime. 
•Reinstallengineoitcapandtighten_ 
oChangetheoilafterevery25hoursof 
operationoratleastonceayearifthe 
lawnmowerisnotusedfor25hoursin 
oneyear. 
GAS 
•Fillfueltank.Usefresh,clean,regular 
unleadedgasolinewithaminimumof87 
octane.(Useofleadedgasolinewitl 
increasecarbonandleadoxidedeposits 
andreducevalvelife).Donotmixoilwith 
gasoline.Purchasefuelinquantitiesthat 
canbeusedwithin30daystoassurefuel 
freshness. 
IMPORTANT:WHENOPERATINGIN 
TEMPERATURESBELOW32°F(0°C),use 
fresh,cleanwintergradegasolinetohelp 
insuregoodcoldweatherstarting. 
WARNING:Experienceindicatesthat  
						

							  
alcoholblendedfuels(calledgasoholorusing 
ethanolormethanol)canattractmoisturewhich 
leadstoseparationandformationofacids 
duringstorage.Addicgascandamagethefuel 
systemofanenginewhileinstorage.Toavoid 
engineproblems,thefuelsystemshouldbe 
emptiedbeforestorageof30daysorlonger. 
Drainthegastank,starttheengineandletit 
rununtilthefuellinesandcarburetorareempty. 
Usefreshfue!nextseason.SeeStorage 
instructionsforadditionalinformation°Never 
useengineorcarburetorcleanerproductsin 
thefueltankorpermanentdamagemayoccur. 
CAUTION:Filltobottomofgastankfiller 
neck,Donotoverfill.Wipeoffanyspilled 
oilorfuel.Donotstore,spilloruse 
gasolinenearanopenflame. 
TOSTARTENGINE 
oTostartacoldengine,pushprimerfive 
(5)timesbeforetryingtostart.Usea 
firmpush°Thisstepisnotusually 
necessarywhenstartinganengine 
whichhasalreadyrunforafewminutes° 
oHoldoperatorpresencecontrolbar 
downtothehandleandpullstarter 
handlequickly.Donotallowstarter 
ropetosnapback° 
•Tostopengine,releaseoperator 
presencecontrolbar. 
NOTE:Incoolerweatheritmaybe 
necessarytorepeatprimingsteps°In 
warmerweatheroverprimingmaycause 
floodingandenginewillnotstarLIfyoudo 
floodengine,waitafewminutesbefore 
attemptingtostartanddonotrepeat 
primingsteps. 
Gasoline 
_ler 
cap 
Engineoil,_, 
capwldipstick4_-.fi 
MOWINGTiPS 
oUndercertainconditions,suchasverytall 
grass,itmaybenecessarytoraisethe 
heightofcuttoreducepushingeffortandto 
keepfromoverloadingtheengineand 
leavingclumpsofgrassclippings. 
•Forextremelyheavycutting,reducethe 
widthofcutbyoverlappingpreviouslycut 
pathandmowslowly.. 
oForsidedischargeiawnmowers,cuttingin 
acounter-clockwisedirection,startingatthe 
outsideoftheareatobecut,spreadsgrass 
clippingsmoreevenlyandputslessloadon 
theengine°Tokeepclippingsoffof walkways,flowerbeds,etc.,makethefirst 
cutsinaclockwisedirection. 
oPoresinclothgrasscatcherscanbecome 
filledwithdirtanddustwithuseand 
catcherswillcollectlessgrass°Toprevent 
this,regularlyhosecatcheroffwithwater 
andletdrybeforeusing. 
oKeeptopofenginearoundstarterclearand 
cleanofgrassclippingsandchaff,Thiswill 
helpengineairflowandextendenginelife. 
bIULCH?NGMOWINGTIPS 
IMPORTANT:Forbestperformance,keep 
mowerhousingfreeofbuilt-upgrassand 
trash.Cleanundersideofmowerhousingafter 
eachuse.SeeCLEANINGinCUSTOMER 
RESPONSIBILITIESsectionofthismanual. 
oThespecialmulchingbladewiltrecurthe 
grassclippingsmanytimesandreduce 
theminsizesothatastheyfallontothe 
lawntheywilldisperseintothegrassand 
notbenoticed.Also,themulchedgrasswill 
biodegradequicklytoprovidenutrientsfor 
thelawn.Alwaysmulchwithyourhighest 
engine(blade)speedasthiswillprovidethe 
bestrecuttingactionoftheblades, 
°Avoidcuttingyourlawnwhenitiswet,Wet 
grasstendstoformclumpsandinterferes 
w_hthemulchingaction.Thebesttimeto 
mowyourlawnistheearlyafternoon,At 
thistimethegrasshasdriedandthenewly 
cutareawillnotbeexposedtothedirect 
suno 
•Forbestresults,adjustthelawnmower 
cuttingheightsothatthelawnmowercuts 
offonlythetopone-thirdofthegrassblades. 
Ifthelawnisovergrownitwillbenecessary 
toraisetheheightofcuttoreducepushing 
effortandtokeepfromoverloadingthe 
engineandleavingclumpsofmulched 
grass.Forextremelyheavymulching, 
reduceyourwidthofcut,mowslowlyand 
raisetherearofthelawnmoweronewheel 
adjustersettinghigherthanthefront. 
oCertaintypesofgrassandgrassconditions 
mayrequirethatanareabemulcheda 
secondtimetocompletelyhidethe 
clippings°Whendoingasecondcut,mow 
acrossorperpendiculartothefirstcutpath. 
oChangeyourcuttingpatternfromweekto 
week.Mownorthtosouthoneweekthen 
changetoeasttowestthenextweek.This 
wit!helppreventmattingandgrainingofthe 
lawn.Max113  
						

							  
MAINTENANCESCHEDULE.....___,,_o_S................... 
FLLNDATES/__7_,y 
AsYouCOMPLetE.... 
RE U RSERV,OESERVICEDA.:  
CheckforLooseFasteners,_ 
iClean!InspectGrassCatcher 
(ifEquipped)6/_,,6/.L__ 
MCleanLawnMower6/V 
cleanUnderDdveCover 
{power-pr0pe!!edMowers},_, 
Checkdrivebell/pulleys 
E(power..Pr0pe!!edMowers)_4  I 
Check/Sharpen!ReplaceBladeI_a 
LubricationChart,,,_6 
CleanBatterylRechargei---- 
(ElectricStartMowers)........i....................._.........6r4 
ECheck,EngineOilLevel_# 
No,.....]..... 
GcleanAirRler 
IInspectMuffler 
NcleanorReplaceSparkPlug 
EReplaceAirFilterPaperCartridge_e2 
1-Changemoteo_enwhet_operatiagunderah_avytsadotinhighambientlemperatures 
2-ServicemoreoftenwhenoperatingIndidyordustyconditions 
3-Repbcebladesmornofzenwhenmowinginsandysoi| 
4-Charge4Bhoursa!endofseason 
GENERALRECOMMENDATIONS 
Thewarrantyonthislawnmowerdoesnot 
coveritemsthathavebeensubjectedto 
operatorabuseornegligence.Toreceive 
fullvaluefromthewarranty,operatormust 
maintainmowerasinstructedinthis 
manual. 
Someadjustmentswillneedtobemade 
periodicallytoproperlymaintainyourunit. 
Alladjustmentsif]theServiceand 
Adjustmentssectionofthismanualshould 
becheckedatleastonceeachseason, 
•Onceayear,replacethesparkplug, 
cleanorreplaceairfilterelementand 
checkbladeforwear°Anewsparkplug 
andclean/newairfilterelementassures 
properair-fuelmixtureandhelpsyour 
enginerunbetterandlastlonger. 
=Followthemaintenancescheduleinthis 
manual 
BEFOREEACHUSE 
oCheckengineoillevel. 
=Checkforloosefasteners. 
LUBRICATION 
Keepunitwelllubricated(SeeLUBRICA- 
TIONCHART) LUBRICATIONCHART 
(_Wheel 
adjuster (_Engineoil 
(_Handlebracket 
mountingpin _)Brakespring 
bracket 
(_)Discharge 
guardhingepin 
Sraylubricant 
(_)RefertoCUSTOMERRESPONSIBILITIES 
ENGINEsection_ 
IMPORTANT;Donotoilorgreaseplastic 
wheelbearings.Viscouslubricantswill 
attractdustanddirtthatwillshortenthelife 
oftheselflubricatingbearings.Ifyoufeel 
theymustbelubricated,useonlyadry, 
powderedgraphitetypelubricantsparingly. 
8  
						

							  
: RODUCTSPECnFnCATaONS 
MODELNUMBER917.387221 
SERIALNUMBER 
DATEOFPURCHASE 
HORSEPOWER:4°5 
DISPLACEMENT:11°5CUoIN. 
GASOLINECAPACITY/TYPE:1.5QUARTS 
UNLEADEDREGULAR 
OILTYPE(API-SF/SG/SH):SAE30(ABOVE32°F) 
SAE5W-30(BELOW32°F) 
OILCAPACITY:20OZSo 
SPARKPLUG(GAP:,030)CHAMPIONJ19LM 
VALVECLEARANCE:INTAKE:.004-.008 
EXHAUST:.-O04-.008 
SOLIDSTATEIGNITION 
AIRGAP:.0125IN. 
BLADEBOLTTORQUE:35-40FT.LBS. 
Themodelandserialnumberswiltbefoundonadecalattachedtotherearofthe 
lawnmowerhousing_Recordbothserialnumberanddateofpurchaseinspace 
providedabove° 
LAWNMOWER 
Alwaysobservesafetyruleswhenperforming 
anymaintenance. 
TIRES 
,,Keeptiresfreeofgasoline,oil,orinsect 
controlchemicalswhichcanharmrubber. 
=Avoidstumps,stones,deepruts,sharp 
objectsandotherhazardsthatmaycause 
tiredamage. 
BLADECARE 
Forbestresults,mowerblademustbekept 
sharp.Replacebentordamagedblades. 
TOREMOVEBLADE 
oDisconnectsparkplugwirefromsparkplug 
andplacewirewhereitcannotcomein 
contactwithsparkphg_ 
.Turnlawnmoweronitsside.Makesureair 
filterandcarburetorareup_ 
•Useawoodblockbetweenbladeand 
mowerhousingtopreventbladefrom 
turningwhenremovingbladebolt. 
•Protectyourhandswithglovesand/orwrap 
bladewithheavycloth° 
oRemovebladeboltbyturningcounter- 
clockwise.Usea9/16boxoropen-end 
wrench. oRemovebladeandattachinghardware 
(bolt,lockwasherandhardenedwasher). 
NOTE:Removethebladeadapterandcheck 
thekeyinsidehubofbladeadapter.Thekey 
mustbeingoodconditiontoworkproperly. 
Replaceadapterifdamaged° 
TOREPLACEBLADE 
=Positionthebladeadapterontheengine 
crankshaft°Besurekeyinadapterand 
crankshaftkeywayarealigned. 
oPositionbladeonthebladeadapteraligning 
thetwo(2)holesinthebladewiththeraised 
lugsontheadapter. 
oBesurethetrailingedgeofblade(opposite 
sharpedge)isuptowardtheengine° 
,,Instal!thebtadeboltwiththelockwasher 
andhardenedwasherintobladeadapter 
andcrankshaft, 
.Useblockofwoodbetweenbladeandlawn 
mowerhousingandtightenthebladebolt, 
turningclockwise. 
=Therecommendedtighteningtorqueis35_ 
40ft,tbs. 
iMPORTANT:Bladeboltisgrade8heat 
treated.  
						

							  
NOTE:Wedonotrecommendsharpening 
blade-butifyoudo,besurethebladeis 
balanced.Crankshaft 
Bladekeyway 
washeredgeadapter 
Lockwasher 
TOSHARPENBLADE 
Careshouldbetakentokeeptheblade 
balanced°Anunbalancedbladewillcause 
eventualdamagetolawnmoweror 
engine_ 
oThebladecanbesharpenedwithafile 
oronagrindingwheelDonotattempt 
tosharpenwhileonthemower. 
.Tocheckbladebalance,driveanailinto 
abeamorwall,Leaveaboutoneinchof 
thestraightnailexposed_Placecenter 
holeofbladeovertheheadofthenai!. 
Ifbladeisbalanced,itshouldremainin 
ahorizontalposition.Ifeitherendofthe 
blademovesdownward,sharpenthe 
heavyenduntilthebladeisbalanced_ 
GRASSCATCHER 
(Ifpurchasedasanaccessory) 
oThegrasscatchermaybehosedwith 
water,butmustbedrywhenused. 
=Checkyourgrasscatcheroftenfor 
damageordeterioration.Through 
normaluseitwillwear.tfcatcherneeds 
replacing,replaceonlywithamanufac- 
turerapprovedreplacementcatcher. 
Givethelawnmowermodelnumber 
whenordering. 
ENGINE 
LUBRICATION 
Useonlyhighqualitydetergentoilratedwith 
APIserviceclassificationSF,SGorSH,Select 
theoilsSAEviscositygradeaccordingtoyour 
expectedoperatingtemperature. 
NOTE:Althoughmulti-viscosityoils(5W30, 
10W30etc.)improvestartingincoldweather, 
thesemulti-v_scosityoilswillresultinincreased 
oilconsumptionwhenusedabove32°F. SAEVISCOSf_GRADES 
_PEF_TURERANGEANTIC_=ATEDB-_FORENEXTO_LCHANGE 
Checkyourengineoillevelmorefrequentlyto 
avoidpossibleenginedamagefromrunning 
lowonoi!. 
Changetheoilafterthefirsttwohoursofoperation 
andevery25hoursthereafteroratleastoncea 
yearifthelawnmowerisnotusedfor25hoursin 
oneyear. 
Checkthecrankcaseoillevelbeforestarting 
theengineandaftereachfive(5)hoursof 
continuoususe.,Tightenoi!plugsecurelyeach 
timeyouchecktheoillevel 
TOCHANGEENGINEOIL 
NOTE:Beforetippinglawnmowertodrainoil, 
d_ainfueltankbyrunningengineuntilfueltank 
isempty. 
°Disconnectsparkplugwirefiomsparkplug 
andplacewirewhereitcannotcomein 
contactwithsparkplug_ 
•Removeengineoilcap;layasideonaclean 
surface, 
•T_plawnmoweronitssideasshownand 
drainoilintoasuitablecontainer_Rocklawn 
mowerbackandforthtoremoveanyoil 
trappedinsideofengine_ 
=Wipeoffanyspilledoilonlawnmowerand 
onsideofengine. 
=FillenginewithoilFillonlytotheFULL 
lineonthedipstick.DONOTOVERFILL. 
•Replaceengineoilcap. 
°Reconnectsparkplugwiretosparkplug. 
Container 
AIRFILTER 
Yourenginewillnotrunproperlyandmaybe 
damagedbyusingadirtyairfitter_ 
Replacetheairfiltereveryyear,moreoftenif 
youmowinverydusty,dirtyconditions.Donot 
washairfilter. 
TOCHANGEAiRFILTER 
°Removetheairfilterbyturningcounter_ 
clockwisetothestopandpullawayfrom 
collar= 
.Removefilterfrominsideofcover. 
°Cleantheinsideofthecoverandthecollar 
toremoveanydirtaccumulation. 
oInsertnewfilterintocover_ 
10