Craftsman Variator 135 Manual

							  
OPERATION 
HOWTOSTOPTHEUNIT 
Theelectricalsystemhasanoperatorpresencesystemthat 
includesasensorswitchmountedintheseat.Thesecomponents 
telltheelectricalsystemiftheoperatorissittingontheseat.This 
systemwillstoptheenginewhentheoperatorleavestheseat.For 
yourprotection,alwaysmakesurethissystemoperatescorrectly. 
1.Completelypushtheclutch/brakepedalforwardtostopthe 
unit.Keepyourfootonthepedal. 
2.MovetheattachmentclutchtotheDISENGAGEposition. 3.MovetheshiftlevertotheNEUTRALposition. 
4.Settheparkingbrake. 
,_WARNING:Makesuretheparkingbrakewillholdthe 
unit. 
5.MovethethrottlecontroltotheSLOWposition. 
6.Tostoptheengine,turntheignitionkeytotheOFFposition.Re- 
movethekey. 
HOWTOSETTHEPARKINGBRAKE 
1.Completelypushtheclutch/brakepedalforward. 
2.Lifttheparkingbrakelever(Figure3). 
3.Removeyourfootfromtheclutch/brakepedalandthenrelease 
theparkingbrakelever.Makesuretheparkingbrakewillhold 
theunit. 
4.Toreleasetheparkingbrake,completelypushtheclutch/ 
brakepedalforward.Theparkingbrakewillautomaticallyre- 
lease. 
WARNING:Beforeyouleavetheoperatorsposition, 
movetheshiftlevertotheneutral(N)position.Setthe  parkingbrake.Movetheattachmentclutchtothe 
DISENGAGEposition.Stoptheengineandremove 
theignitionkey. Clutch/Brake 
Pedal 
Figure3 
HOWTOUSE 
THETHROTTLE/CHOKECONTROL 
Usethethrottle/chokecontroltochoketheengineforcoldstarts 
andincreaseordecreasethespeedoftheengine(seeFigure4). 
1.Movethethrottle/chokecontrolcompletelyforwardtothe 
CHOKEpositiontostartacoldengine. 
2. 
TheFASTpositionismarkedwithadetent.Fornormalopera- 
tionandwhenusingagrassbagger,movethethrottlecontrol 
totheFASTposition.Formaximumchargingofthebatteryand 
foracoolerrunningengine,operatetheengineintheFAST 
position. 
3.Theenginegovernorissetatthefactoryformaximumperfor- 
mance.Donotadjustthegovernortoincreasethespeedofthe 
engine. 
F-020611L 11 Throttle 
Control 
Figure4  
						

							  
OPERATION 
HOWTOUSETHEATTACHMENTCLUTCH 
Usetheattachmentclutchtoengagetheblade(Figure5). 
1.Beforeyoustarttheengine,makesuretheattachmentclutch 
isintheDISENGAGEposition. 
2. 
3. 
4. Torotatetheblade,movetheattachmentclutchforwardto 
lockthebladeintheENGAGEposition. 
Tostoptheblade,movetheattachmentclutchtotheDISEN- 
GAGEposition.Beforeyouleavetheoperatorsposition, 
makesurethebladehasstoppedrotating. 
Beforeyouridetheunitacrossasidewalkoraroad,movethe 
attachmentclutchtotheDISENGAGEposition. 
_WARNING:Alwayskeepyourhandsandfeetaway  fromtheblade,deflectoropening,andthemower 
housingwhentheengineruns. AttachmentClutch 
EngagePosition 
Figure5 
HOWTOCHANGETHECUTTINGHEIGHT 
Tochangethecuttingheight,raiseorlowertheliftleverasfollows. 
1.Movetheliftleverforwardtolowerthemowerhousingand 
backtoraisethemowerhousing(Figure6). 
2.Whenyourideonasidewalkorroad,movetheliftlevertothe 
highestpositionandmovetheattachmentclutchtothe 
DISENGAGEposition. 
Figure6 
F-020611L12  
						

							  
OPERATION 
HOWTOUSETHESPEEDCONTROLPEDAL 
Thedrivesystemusesavariatorpulleyconnectedtoatwospeed 
transaxle.TheVariatorDriveisveryeasytooperate.Thistypeof 
drivesystemhasatwospeedshiftlever,aclutch/brakepedalonthe 
leftsideandaspeedcontrolpedalontherightside(seeFigure7). 
Thedirectionoftraveliscontrolledbytheshiftlever.Usetheshift 
levertoselecteitherreverseoroneofthetwoforwardgears.When 
operating,thespeediscontrolledbyasinglespeedcontrolpedal 
operatedwithyourrightfoot. 
HOWTODRIVEFORWARD 
1.Completelypushtheclutch/brakepedalforwardtostoptheunit 
(seeFigure7).Keepyourfootonthepedal. 
2.MovetheshiftlevertooneoftheTWOFORWARDpositions 
(seeFigure8).SelectLowposition(TRIM)whengoingupor 
downsteephillsandwhenoperatingattachmentsthatrequire 
averyslowforwardspeed.SelectHighposition(MOW)when 
mowingorwhentransportingtheunit. 
3.Slowlyreleaseyourrightfootfromtheclutch/brakepedal(see 
Figure7).Donotkeepyourfootontheclutch/brakepedal. 
4.MovethethrottlecontroltotheFASTposition(seeFigure9). 
5.Slowlypushthespeedcontrolpedalforwardtothedesired 
speed(seeFigure7). 
6.Toincreaseforwardspeed,slowlymovethespeedcontrol 
pedalforward.Toreduceforwardspeed,slowlyreleasethe 
speedcontrolpedaluntiltheunitslowstothedesiredspeed. Clutch/Brak_ 
Pedal 
HOWTOCHANGEDIRECTIONS 
CAUTION:Beforeyoumovetheshiftlever,completelypush 
theclutch/brakepedalforwardtothestoptheunit.Iftheunit 
isnotstopped,thegearboxcanbedamaged. 
1.Completelypushtheclutch/brakepedalforwardtostoptheunit 
(seeFigure7).Keepyourfootonthepedal. 
2.MovethethrottlecontrollevertotheSLOWposition(see 
Figure9). 
3.Togoforward,movetheshiftlevertooneoftheTWOFOR- 
WARDpositions(seeFigure8).Togobackward,movetheshift 
levertotheREVERSEposition. 
4.Slowlyreleaseyourleftfootfromtheclutch/brakepedal(see 
Figure7).Donotkeepyourfootontheclutch/brakepedal. 
5.MovethethrottlecontroltotheFASTposition(seeFigure9). 
HOWTODRIVEINREVERSE 
1.Looktotherear. 
2.Completelypushtheclutch/brakepedalforwardtostoptheunit 
(seeFigure7).Keepyourfootonthepedal. 
3.MovetheshiftlevertotheREVERSEposition(seeFigure8). 
4.Slowlyreleasetheclutch/brakepedal(seeFigure7). 
5.Slowlypushthespeedcontrolpedalforwardtothedesired 
speed. 
6.Toincreasereversespeed,slowlymovethespeedcontrol 
pedalforward.Toreducereversespeed,slowlyreleasethe 
speedcontrolpedaluntiltheunitslowstothedesiredspeed. 
F-020611L 13 SpeedControl 
Pedal 
Figure7 
Figure8 
Throttle 
Figure9  
						

							  
OPERATION 
SPEEDCONTROLPEDALPOSITIONS 
Theforwardspeediscontrolledbythepositionoftheshiftleverand 
thespeedcontrolpedal.Thefollowingchartprovidesfunctions 
alongwiththepositionsoftheshiftleverandthespeedcontrol 
pedal.Alwaysoperatetheenginewiththethrottlecontrolinthe 
FASTposition. SHIFTLEVER 
POSITION PEDAL 
POSITION  FUNCTIONTHROTTLE 
TrimmingLow(TRIM)1/3 
SteepHills 
BaggingGrassHigh(MOW)1/3to1/2 
FAST 
i 
NormalMowingHigh(MOW)1/2to2/3I_-_ 
! 
EasyMowingHigh(MOW)1/2to3/4SLOWI_ 
THROTTLE 
TransportHigh(MOW)FULL 
PullBehindHigh(MOW)1/3to1/2 
Attachments 
HOWTOTRANSPORTTHEUNIT 
Totransporttheunit,followthestepsbelow. 
1.MovetheattachmentclutchtotheDISENGAGEposition. 
2.Raisetheliftlevertothehighestposition. 
3.MovethethrottlecontroltoapositionbetweenSLOWand 
FAST. 
4.Togofaster,movetheshiftlevertoafasterspeed. 
F-O20611L14  
						

							  
OPERATION 
HOWTOINSTALLTHESIDEDISCHARGEATTACHMENT 
_WARNING:Topreventtheenginefromstarting,dis-  connectthewirefromthesparkplug.Makesurethe 
attachmentclutchisintheDISENGAGEposition. 1.Removethetwowingnuts(seeFigure10). 
2.Liftthemulchercover.Mountthesidedischargeattachment 
ontothesameboltsthatsecuredthemulchercover. 
Themulchercoverletsyoumulchthegrassforaclean,finecut. 
Todischargethegrassouttheside,installthesidedischarge 
attachmentasfollows. 3.Securethesidedischargeattachmentwiththewingnuts. 
4.Tomulch,removethesidedischargeattachmentandmount 
themulchercovertothemowerhousingwiththewingnuts. 
MulcherCover 
Wingnut 
SideDischargeAttachment 
Wingnut 
Figure10 
F-020611L15  
						

							  
OPERATION 
BEFORESTARTINGTHEENGINE 
CHECKTHEOIL 
NOTE:TheenginewasshippedfromthefactoryfilledwithSAE 
30weightoil.Checktheleveloftheoil.Addoilasneeded. 
1.Makesuretheunitislevel. 
NOTE:Donotchecktheleveloftheoilwhiletheengine 
runs. 
2.Cleantheareaaroundthedipstick.Removethedipstick.Wipe 
theoilfromthedipstick. 
3.Insertthedipstickintotheoilfilltube.Turnthedipstickclock- 
wiseuntilitistight.Removethedipstick.Checktheoillevelon 
thedipstick.TheoillevelmustreachtheFULLmarkonthe 
dipstick. 
4.Ifnecessary,addoiluntiltheoilreachestheFULLmarkonthe 
dipstick.ThequantityofoilneededfromADDtoFULLisshown 
onthedipstick.Donotaddtoomuchoil. 
ADDGASOLINE 
WARNING:Alwaysuseasafetygasolinecontainer. 
Donotsmokewhenaddinggasolinetothefueltank.  Donotaddgasolinewhenyouareinsideanenclo- 
sure.Beforeyouaddgasoline,stoptheengineand 
lettheenginecoolforseveralminutes. 
FillthefueltankwithregularFuelTank 
unleadedgasoline.Donotuse(,/  premiumunleadedgasoline. 
Makesurethegasolineisfresh 
andclean.Leadedgasolinewill 
increasedepositsandshorten 
thelifeofthevalves. CAUTION:Alcoholblendedfuels(calledgasoholorusing 
ethanolormethanol)canattractmoisturewhichleadsto 
separationandformationofacidsduringstorage.Acidicgas 
candamagethefuelsystemofanenginewhileinstorage. 
Topreventengineproblemswiththefuelsystem,emptythefuel 
systembeforestorageof30daysorlongerasfollows. 
1.Drainthefueltank. 
2.Starttheengine.Lettheenginerununtilthefuellinesandthe 
carburetorareempty. 
3.Afterstorage,makesureyouusefreshfuel.Seethestorage 
instructionsforadditionalinformation. 
4.Neveruseenginecleanerorcarburetorcleanerinthefueltank 
orpermanentdamagecanoccur. 
CARBURETOR 
Thefactorysettingsforthecarburetorareformostconditions.Ifthe 
engineisoperatedunderthefollowingconditions,youcanadjust 
thecarburetormixture.SeeHowToAdjustTheCarburetorinthe 
ServiceAndAdjustmentsection. 
1.Theenginehasalossofpowerordoesnotrunsmooth. 
2.Achangefromsummertowinteroperation. 
3.A40degreechangeintheoperationtemperature.Thecarbure- 
torwasadjustedat80degreesatthefactory. 
4.Theengineisoperatedabove4,000feet. 
HOWTOSTARTTHEENGINE 
WARNING:Theelectricalsystemhasanoperator 
presencesystemthatincludesasensorswitch 
mountedintheseat.Thesecomponentstelltheelec- 
tricalsystemiftheoperatorissittingontheseat.This 
systemwillstoptheenginewhentheoperatorleaves 
theseat.Foryourprotection,alwaysmakesurethis 
systemoperatescorrectly. 
NOTE:Theenginewillnotstartunlessyoudepressthe 
clutch/brakepedalorengagetheparkingbrakeandmovethe 
attachmentclutchtotheDISENGAGEposition. 
1.Sitinthemiddleoftheseat.Pushtheclutch/brakepedalcom- 
pletelyforward.Keepyourfootonthepedal. 
2.Movetheshiftlevertotheneutral(N)position. 3.MakesuretheattachmentclutchisintheDISENGAGEposi- 
tion. 
4.MovethethrottlecontrolcompletelyforwardtotheCHOKEor 
FASTposition.Somemodelshaveaseparatechokeknob.Pull 
thechokeknobtothefullCHOKEposition. 
5.TurntheignitionkeytotheSTARTposition.Releasethekey 
whentheenginestarts. 
NOTE:Iftheenginedoesnotstartafterfourorfivetries, 
movethethrottlecontroltotheFASTposition.Againtryto 
starttheengine.Iftheenginewillnotstart,seethe 
TROUBLESHOOTINGCHART. 
6.SlowlymovethethrottlecontroltotheSLOWposition.Ifmodel 
hasaseparatechokeknob,pushinthechokeknob. 
7.Letacoldenginerunforseveralminutes.Beginworkwhenthe 
engineiswarm.Tostartahotengine,movethethrottlecontrol 
toapositionbetweenFASTandSLOW. 
HOWTOSTARTWITHAWEAKBATTERY 
Ifthebatteryistooweaktostarttheengine,thebatteryneedstobe 
charged.IfJumperCablesareusedtostarttheengineinan 
emergency,followtheprocedurebelow. 
NOTE:Theunitisequippedwitha12voltnegativetoground 
system.Also,theothervehiclemusthavea12voltnegativeto 
groundsystem. 
WARNING:Donotsmoke.Thefumesfromthebattery 
acidcancauseanexplosion.Keepthebatteryaway  fromanyflamesorsparks.Topreventsparks,fasten 
theredJumpercabletothepositive(+)terminalbe- 
foreconnectingtheblackJumpercable. 
F-020611L 16 NOTE:Iftheseatisraisedwhenstartingtheengine,movethe 
attachmentclutchtotheDISENGAGEDpositionandengage 
theparkingbrake. 
1.ConnecteachendoftheREDJumperCabletothepositive 
(+)terminalsofeachbattery.Makesureyoudonottouchthe 
chassiswiththecables. 
2.ConnectoneendoftheBLACKJumperCabletothenegative 
(-)terminalofthechargedbattery. 
3.ConnecttheotherendoftheBLACKJumperCabletothe 
mowersengineblock. 
4.Starttheenginethathastheweakbatterylast.Allowtheengine 
torun. 
5.TodisconnecttheJumperCables,reversetheabovesteps.  
						

							  
OPERATION 
HOWTOOPERATEWITHTHEMOWERHOUSING 
WARNING:Themulchcoverisasafetydevice.Donot 
removethemulchcover.Thesidedischargeattach- 
mentforcesthedischargedmaterialtowardthe 
ground.Alwayskeepthesidedischargeattachment 
inthedownposition.Ifthesidedischargeattachment 
isdamaged,replacethewithanoriginalequipment 
partfromaSearsServiceCenter. 
IMPORTANT:Whenyouoperatewiththemowerhousing, 
alwaysoperatewiththethrottlecontrolintheFASTposition. 
1.Starttheengine. 
2. 
Movetheliftlevertoaheightofcutposition.Inhighorthick 
grass,cutthegrassinthehighestpositionfirstandthenlower 
themowerhousingtoalowerposition. 
CAUTION:Donotoperatewiththemowerhousinginthe 
LEVELADJUSTMENTposition.Ifyouoperateinthe 
LEVELADJUSTMENTposition,themowerhousingand 
bladescanbedamaged. 
3.MovethethrottlecontroltotheSLOWposition. 4.MovetheattachmentclutchtotheENGAGEposition. 
5.Pushtheclutch/brakepedalcompletelyforward. 
6.Movetheshiftlevertooneofthespeedsettings. 
NOTE:Whenyoumowinheavygrassormowwitha 
bagger,puttheshiftleverintheslowestspeed. 
7.Slowlyreleasetheclutch/brakepedal. 
8.MovethethrottlecontroltotheFASTposition.Ifyouneedtogo 
fasterorslower,stoptheunitandmovetheshiftlevertoanother 
speedsetting. 
9.Makesurethelevelofcutisstillcorrect.Afteryoumowashort 
distance,lookattheareathatwascut.Ifthemowerhousing 
doesnotcutlevel,seetheinstructionsonHowToLevelThe 
MowerHousingintheServiceAndAdjustmentsection. 
_ARNING:Forbettercontroloftheunit,always 
selectasafespeed. 
HOWTOOPERATETHEUNITONHILLS 
_WARNING:Donotrideupordownslopesthataretoo  steeptobackstraightup.Neverridetheunitacross 
aslope.SeetheSlopeGuideinthebackofthis 
bookforinformationonhowtocheckslopes. 
1.Beforeyourideupordownahill,movetheshiftlevertothe 
slowestspeed. 
2.Donotstoporchangespeedsettingsonahill.Ifyoumuststop, 
quicklypushtheclutch/brakepedalforwardandsettheparking 
brake. 3.Tostartagain,makesuretheshiftleverisintheslowestspeed. 
MovethethrottlecontroltotheSLOWposition.Slowlyrelease 
thepedal. 
4.Ifyoumuststoporstartonahill,alwayshaveenoughspace 
fortheunittorollwhenyoureleasethebrakeandengagethe 
clutch. 
5.Beverycarefulwhenyouchangedirectionsonahill.Whenon 
aslopeorinaturnonahill,movethethrottlecontroltothe 
SLOWpositiontohelppreventanaccident. 
ATTACHMENTS 
Thisunitcanusemanydifferentattachments.Itcanpull 
attachmentslikealawnsweeper,alawnaerator,ahopperspreader, 
orasmalltrailer.Thisunitcannotuseattachmentsthatengagethe 
groundlikeaplow,adiskharrow,oracultivator. 
Forallpull-behindattachmentsortrailers,themaximumgross 
weightis200pounds.Grossweightistheweightoftheattachment 
ortrailerandanyloadthatmightbeonorinit. WARNING:Toavoidpossibleseriousinjury,donot 
mowaslopethatisgreaterthan15degrees.Iftherid-  ingmowerisusedwithapull-behindorrear-mounted 
attachment,donotoperatetheunitonaslopethatis 
greaterthan10degrees. 
F-020611L17  
						

							  
OPERATION 
OPERATINGTIPS 
1. 
2. 
3. 
4. Checktheattachmentclutchforcorrectadjustment.Forthe 
blade(s)todisengagecorrectly,theadjustmentmustbecor- 
rect. 
Beforeyouusetheunit,checktheoilintheengineandaddoil 
ifnecessary. 
Iftheenginewillnotstart,firstmakesurethewireisattached 
tothesparkplug. 
Makesureallthebeltsareinsideallthebeltguides.Seethein- 
structionsonhowtoremoveandinstallthemotiondriveand 
mowerdrivebelts. 5.Beforeyoumakeaninspection,adjustment(exceptforthecar- 
buretor)orrepair,makesurethewirefromthesparkplugisdis- 
connected. 
6.Makesuretheseatswitchwireisconnected.Ifthewireisnot 
connected,theenginewillnotstart. 
7.Forlongerlifeofthebattery,chargethebatteryeverythree 
months. 
8.Usetheshiftlevertochangethegroundspeed,notthethrottle 
control. 
9.Beltnoisecanoccurwhenthebladeorclutchisengaged.This 
noiseisnormalanddoesnotaffecttheoperationoftheunit. 
10.Tomoveforward,alwaysreleasetheclutch/brakepedalslowly. 
MOWINGANDBAGGINGTIPS 
1.Foralawntolookbetter,checkthecuttinglevelofthemower 
housing.SeeHowToLevelTheMowerHousingintheSer- 
viceAndAdjustmentsection. 
2.Forthemowerhousingtocutlevel,makesurethetireshave 
thecorrectamountofairpressure(PSI). 
3.Everytimeyouusetheunit,checktheblade.Ifthebladeisbent 
ordamaged,immediatelyreplacetheblade.Also,makesure 
thenutforthebladeistight. 
4.Keeptheblade(s)sharpened.Awornblade(s)willcausethe 
endsofthegrasstoturnbrown. 
5.Donotcutorbaggrassthatiswet.Wetgrasswillnotdischarge 
correctly.Letthegrassdrybeforecutting. 
6.Usetheleftsideofthemowerhousingtotrimnearanobject. 
7.Dischargethecutgrassontothemowedarea.Theresultisa 
moreevendischargeofcutgrass. 
8.Whenyoumowlargeareas,startbyturningtotherightsothat 
thecutgrasswilldischargeawayfromshrubs,fences,drive- 
ways,etc.Afteroneortworounds,mowintheoppositedirec- 
tionmakingleftturnsuntilfinished(Figure11). 
9.Ifthegrassisveryhigh,cuttwotimestodecreasetheloadon 
theengine.Firstcutwiththemowerhousinginthehighestposi- 
tionandthenlowerthemowerhousingforthesecondcut. 
10.Forbetterengineperformanceandanevendischargeofthe 
cutgrass,alwaysoperatetheenginewiththethrottleinFAST 
position. 11.Whenyouuseabagger,operatetheenginewiththethrottlein 
FASTpositionandtheshiftleverinfirstorsecondgear. 
12.Forbettercuttingperformanceandaqualitycut,mowwiththe 
shiftleverinoneoftheslowerspeeds. 
13.Aftereachuse,cleanthebottomandtopofthemowerhousing 
forbetterperformance.Also,acleanmowerhousingwillhelp 
preventafire. 
C• 
Figure11 
MULCHINGTIPS 
Whenyouuseamulcherattachment,thegrassiscutintoverysmall4. 
pieces.Thesesmallpieceswillquicklybreakdown.Becausethe 
nutrientsarereturnedtothesoil,thelawnwillneedlessfertilizer.Too 
correctlymulchthegrass,followthestepsbelow. 
1.SetthethrottleintheFASTposition.Operatethemowerata 
slowergroundspeed.Ifgroundspeedistoofast,thegrasswill5. 
nothaveanevencut. 
2.Keepasharpedgeontheblade.Abladethatisnotsharpwill 
causetheendsofthegrasstobecomebrown.6. 
3.Makesurethegrassisdry.Wetgrassisdifficulttocut.7. 
F-020611L18 Settheheightofthemowerhousingsothatonlythetopthird 
ofthegrassiscut.Ifthegrassistoohigh,settheheightofthe 
mowerhousingtothemaximumheight.Then,lowerthemower 
housingforthesecondcut.Also,insteadofusingthefullwidth 
ofthemowerhousing,mulchathalfthewidth. 
Cleanthebottomofthemowerhousing.Grassandotherdebris 
cankeepthemowerfromworkingcorrectly. 
Ifthegrassgrowsfast,mulchmoreoften. 
Ifanareaneedsimprovement,mulchasecondtime.  
						

							  
MAINTENANCE 
MAINTENANCETABLE 
FIRSTEVERYEVERYEVERY 
EACH22550100BEFORE 
PROCEDUREUSEHOURSHOURSHOURSHOURSSTORAGE 
MBlade,InspectandSharpenV 
O 
W 
EBattery,CheckandChargeVV 
LubricationV_V_ 
EOil,ChangeV 
N 
G 
Muffler,CheckVV 
N 
E 
SparkPlug,CheckVV 
GENERALRECOMMENDATIONS 
1.Theownersresponsibilityistomaintainthisproduct.Thiswill 
extendthelifeoftheproductandisalsonecessarytomaintain 
warrantycoverage. 
2.Checkthesparkplug,drivebrake,lubricatetheunit,andclean 
theairfilteronceayear. 
3.Checkthefasteners.Makesureallfastenersaretight. 4.FollowtheMaintenanceandtheServiceAndAdjustmentsec- 
tiontokeeptheunitingoodoperatingcondition. 
WARNING:Beforeyoumakeaninspection,adjust- 
_ment,orrepairtotheunit,disconnectthewiretothe 
sparkplug.Removethewirefromthesparkplugto 
preventtheenginefromstartingbyaccident. 
CHECKTHETIRES 
Checktheairpressureinthetires.Tireswithtoomuchairpressure 
willcausetheunittoriderough.Also,thewrongairpressurewill 
keepthemowerhousingfromcuttinglevel.Thecorrectairpressure 
(PSI)isasfollows.Semi-pneumaticfronttiresdonotrequireair. 
FrontTires22PSI(1.5BAR) 
RearTires14PSI(1BAR) 
F-020611L19  
						

							  
MAINTENANCE 
INSPECTBLADE 
WARNING:Beforeyouinspectorremovetheblade, 
disconnectthewiretothesparkplug.Iftheblade 
hitsanobject,stoptheengine.Checktheunitfor 
damage.Thebladehassharpedges.Whenyou 
holdtheblade,useglovesorclothmaterialtopro- 
tectyourhands. 
Ifyoukeepthebladesharpandinspectthebladefordamage, 
thebladewillcutbetterandbemoresafetooperate.Frequently 
checkthebladeforexcessivewear,cracks,orotherdamage. 
Frequentlycheckthenutthatholdstheblade.Keepthenuttight. 
Ifthebladehitsanobject,stoptheengine.Disconnectthewireto 
thesparkplug.Seeifthebladeisbentordamaged.Checkthe 
bladeadapterfordamage.Beforeyouoperatetheunit,replace 
damagedpartswithoriginalequipmentparts.SeeaSears 
ServiceCenterinyourarea.Everythreeyears,haveaqualified 
servicepersoninspectthebladeorreplacetheoldbladewithan 
originalequipmentpart. 
HOWTOREMOVEANDINSTALLTHEBLADE 
ToRemove 
1.Drainthefueltank. 
2.Liftthesideofthemowerthathasthemufflerorsparkplug. 
3.Asyouloosenthenut,useapieceofwoodtokeeptheblade 
fromrotating. 
4.Removethenut,washers,andblade(Figure12). 
Hi-Lift 
Mandrel 
BladeAdapter 
Blade 
BellevilleWash_it___ 
Washer 
Figure12 
5.Checkthebladeandthebladeadapteraccordingtothe 
instructionsforInspectBlade.Replaceabadlywornor 
damagedbladewithanoriginalequipmentblade.Seea 
SearsServiceCenterinyourarea. 
6.Cleanthebottomofthemowerhousing.Removeallthe 
grassanddebris. 
ToInstall 
1.Mountthebladeandbladeadapteronthemandrel 
(Figure12). 
2.Mountthebladesothatthehi-liftedgesareup.Iftheblade 
isupsidedown,thebladewillnotcutcorrectlyandcan 
causeanaccident. 
3.Fastenthebladewiththeoriginalwashersandnut.Make 
suretheoutsiderimoftheBellevillewasherisagainstthe 
blade(Figure13). 
_ARNING:Alwayskeepthenuttightthatholdsthe 
blade.Aloosenutorbladecancauseanaccident. 
F-020611L 4.Tightenthenutthatholdsthebladetoatorqueof35foot 
pounds. 
BladeAdapter 
Blade 
BellevilleWasher_J/Nut 
(Outsiderimmustbe_ 
againsttheblade.)I Figure13 
HOWTOSHARPENTHEBLADE 
WARNING:Vibrationcanbecausedifthebladeis 
notcorrectlybalancedorifthebladeisdamaged. 
Abladethatisdamagedwithcrackscanbreakand 
causeanaccident. 
Keepasharpedgeontheblade.Abladethatisnotsharpwill 
causethetipsofthegrasstobecomebrown. 
1.Sharpenthebladetwotimesayearorevery25hours. 
2.RemovethebladeaccordingtotheinstructionsinHowTo 
RemoveAndInstallTheBlade. 
3.Cleanthebladewithabrush,soapandwater.Checkthe 
blade.Lookforcracks,nicks,orotherdamage.Replacea 
badlywornordamagedbladewithanoriginalequipment 
blade.SeeaSearsServiceCenterinyourarea. 
4.Sharpenthebladewithafile(Figure14).Makesureyou 
keeptheoriginalbevelangle. 
5.Makesurethebladeisbalanced.Useascrewdriverand 
holdthebladeparalleltotheground(Figure14).Ablade 
thatisbalancedwillstayparalleltotheground.Iftheblade 
isnotbalanced,theheavyendwillrotatetowardtheground. 
Sharpentheheavyenduntilthebladeisbalanced. 
6.Anewbladewillcutbetterthanabadlywornblade.Every 
threeyears,haveaqualifiedservicepersoninspectthe 
bladeorreplacetheoldbladewithanoriginalequipment 
blade. 
7.AssemblethebladeaccordingtotheinstructionsHowTo 
RemoveAndInstallTheBlade. 
Blade 
Screwdriver 
20 IBladeisbalanced 
Iwhenparaetotheground. 
Ground File 
Figure14