Craftsman 37659 Owners Manual - Page 9

The operation of any lawn SAFETVG'AmSoSwEeSr can result in foreign objects thrown into the eyes, which can result in severe eye damage. Always wear safety glasses or eye shields while operating your lawn mower or performing any adjustments or repairs. We recommend a standard safety glasses orwide vision safety mask worn over spectacles. HOW TO USE YOUR LAWN MOWER ENGINE SPEED Engine speed was set at the factory for optimum performance. It is not adjustable. ENGINE ZONE CONTROL _i, CAUTION: Federal regulations require an engine control to be installed on this lawn mower in order to minimize the risk of blade contact injury. Do not under any circumstances attempt to defeat the function of the operator control. The blade turns when the engine is running. • Your lawn mower is equipped with an operator presence control bar which requires the operator to be positioned behind the lawn mower handle to start and operate the lawn mower. DRIVE CONTROL . Self-propelling is controlled by holding the operator presence control bar down to the handle and pulling either drive control lever rearward to the handle. The further toward the handle a lever is pulled, the faster the unit will travel. • Forward motion will stop when either the operator presence control bar or a drive control lever are released. To stop forward motion without stopping engine, release a drive control lever only. Hold operator presence control bar down against handle to continue mowing without self-propelling. NOTE: If after releasing the drive control the mower will not roll backwards, push the mower forward slightly to disengage drive wheels. • To keep drive control engaged when turning corners, push down on the handle to lift the front wheels off the ground while turning lawn mower. Operator presence control bar DRIVE CONTROL ADJUSTMENT Over time, the drive control system may become "loose", resulting in decreased speed. There is a turnbuckle on the drive control housing to increase tension on the drive cable. Proceed as follows: 1. Turn unit off and disconnect spark plug wire from spark plug. 2. Rotate turnbuckle on drive control to increase drive speed. 3. Operate mower to test drive speed. Readjust as required. 4. If condition fails to improve after the above steps (forward speed remains the same), your drive belt is worn and should be replaced. Adjustment turnbuckle TO ADJUST CUTTING HEIGHT Raise wheels for low cut and lower wheels for high cut, adjust cutting height to suit your requirements. Medium position is best for most lawns. • To change cutting height, pull up on adjuster lever, move wheel up or down to suit your requirements and release adjuster lever. Be sure all wheels are in the same setting. NOTE: Adjuster is properly positioned when lever inserts into hole in plate. LEVER BACKWARD TO LOWER MOWER 4i Plate TO ENGAGE DRIVE CONTROL control levers DRIVE CONTROL DISENGAGED LEVER FORWARD 9 TO RAISE MOWER