Craftsman 247,204110 Operator's Manual page 5

On slopes, theweight o fthetowed equipment may cause bssoftraction and
loss ofcontrol.
Travel s lowlyandallowextradistance to stop.
Donot shiftto neutral a ndcoastdownhill.
Donot towheavypullbehindattachments (e.g.loaded dumpcart,lawn
roller,etc.)on slopes greaterthan5degrees. Whengoingdownhill, the
extraweight tendsto pushthe ridingmowerandmaycause youto loose
control ( e.g.ridingmowermayspeed up,brakingandsteeringabilityare
reduced, attachment m ayjack-knife andcauseridingmowerto overturn).
SERVICE
Safe Handling of Gasoline:
Toavoid personalinjuryor property damageuseextreme carein handling
gasoline.Gasolineis extremely flammable andthe vaporsareexplosive.
Seriouspersonalinjury canoccurwhen gasolineisspilled on yourself or your
clotheswhich canignite. Washyourskinand change clothes immediately.
Use onlyan approved gasoline container.
Never f ill containers insideavehicleoron atruckor trailer bedwith aplastic
liner.Alwaysplace containers on the groundawayfromyourvehicle before
filling.
Whenpractical, r emove gas-powered e quipmentfromthe truckor
trailerandrefuel i t on the ground.If thisisnot possible, t henrefuelsuch
equipment o n atrailer witha portablecontainer, r atherthanfroma gasoline
dispenser nozzle.
Keep the nozzle in contact w ith the rim of the fueltank or container o pening
at all timesuntil fuelingiscomplete. D onot useanozzlelock-open device.
Extinguish all cigarettes, c igars, p ipesandothersources o f ignition.
Never f uel machine indoors.
Never r emove gascapor addfuelwhilethe engineis hotor running. A llow
engineto coolat leasttwo minutesbeforerefueling.
Never o verfill fuel tank.Filltankto no morethan1/2 inchbelowbottomof
filler neckto allowspace forfuel expansion.
Replace g asoline capandtightensecurely.
If gasoline isspilled, w ipeit off theengineandequipment. M ovemachine to
anotherarea.Wait5 minutes beforestartingthe engine.
Toreduce fire hazards, k eepmachine freeof grass, l eaves, or otherdebris
build-up.Clean upoil or fuel spillage andremove anyfuel soaked debris.
Never s torethe machine orfuel container i nsidewherethereis anopen
flame,sparkor pilotlight ason awaterheater, s pace heater, f urnace, c lothes
dryeror othergasappliances.
Allowamachine to coolat leastfiveminutesbeforestoring.
General Service
Never r unan engineindoorsor inapoorlyventilated area.Engine exhaust
contains carbonmonoxide, a nodorless, anddeadlygas.
Beforecleaning, r epairing, o r inspecting, m akecertainthe blade(s) a ndall
movingpartshavestopped. D isconnect the sparkplugwireandground
against t he engineto preventunintended starting.
Periodically c heck to makesurethe bladescometo complete stopwithin
approximately (5)fiveseconds a fter operating the bladedisengagement
control.If the blades do not stopwithin thethistime frame,aveyour
machine serviced professionally bySears or anotherqualifieddealer.
Regularly c heck the safetyinterlocksystem for properfunction,asdescribed
laterinthis manual. I fthe safetyinterlock systemdoesnot functionproperly,
haveyourmachine serviced professionally b ySears or anotherqualified
dealer.
Check the blade(s) a ndenginemountingboltsat frequentintervalsfor
propertightness.Also, v isuallyinspectblade(s) f or damage (e.g., e xcessive
wear,bent,cracked).Replace t he blade(s) w ith the originalequipment
manufacturer's ( O.E.M.) blade(s) o nly,listedinthismanual. U seof parts
whichdonot meetthe originalequipmentspecifications m ayleadto
improperperformance a ndcompromise safety!
Mowerblades aresharp. W rapthe bladeor weargloves, a nduseextra
cautionwhenservicingthem.
Keep all nuts,bolts,andscrews tight to besurethe equipmentisinsafe
workingcondition.
Nevertamperwith the safetyinterlock systemor othersafetydevices. C heck
their properoperationregularly.
Afterstrikingaforeignobject,stopthe engine, d isconnect the sparkplug
wire(s)andgroundagainstthe engine.Thoroughly inspectthe machine for
anydamage. R epair t he damage before startingandoperating.
Neverattemptto makeadjustments or repairs to the machine whilethe
engineis running.
Grass c atcher c omponents a ndthe discharge c overaresubjectto wear
anddamage whichcouldexpose movingpartsor allowobjectsto be
thrown.Forsafetyprotection, f requentlycheck components a ndreplace
immediately with originalequipmentmanufacturer's ( O.E.M.) partsonly,
listedinthis manual. U se of partswhichdonot meetthe originalequipment
specifications m ayleadto improperperformance andcompromise safety!
Donot change the enginegovernorsettingsor over-speed t he engine.The
governorcontrols the maximum safeoperatingspeed of the engine.
Maintainor replace safetyandinstructionlabels, a snecessary.
Observe properdisposal l awsandregulations forgas,oil,etc.to protectthe
environment.
According tothe Consumer Products Safety Commission ( CPSC) andthe
U.S. E nvironmental Protection Agency (EPA), thisproducthasanAverage
Useful L ifeof seven(7)years, o r 270hours of operation. A tthe endof
the Average UsefulLifehavethe machineinspected annuallybySears o r
anotherqualifieddealerto ensurethatall mechanical andsafetysystems
areworkingproperlyandnot wornexcessively. Failure to do socanresultin
accidents, i njuriesor death.