Craftsman 358798550 Owner’s Manual

Operator's Manual

®

CRRFTSMRN

1.46 cu. in./24cc 2-Cycle
18 Inch Cutting Path/.080 In. Line

GASOLINE WEEDWACKER ®

Model No.

358.798550

WARNING:

Read and follow all Safety Rules and Operating
Instructions before first use of this product.

For answers to your questions about this product:

Call 7 am-7 pm, Mon-Sat; Sun, 10 am-7 pm

|

1-800-235-5878

Sears, Roebuck and Co., Hoffman Estates, IL 60179 USA

530-084028 04/2/96

WarrantyStatement 2 Storage 11
SafetyRules 2 TroubleshootingChart t2

Assembly 4
Operation 5 RepairPartsList 13

Maintenance 9 Spanish 16
Service&Adjustments 10 PartsOrdering BackCover

FULLONEYEARWARRANTYONCRAFTSMANWEEDWACKER®GAS
POWEREDLINETRIMMER.

Foroneyearfromthedateofpurchase,whenthisCraftsmanGasPowered

Weedwacker®LineTrimmerismaintained,lubricated,andtuned up according to

the operating and maintenance instructions in the Operator's Manual, Sears will
repair, free of charge, any defect in materials or workmanship.

This warranty excludes nylon line, spark plug, and air filter, which are expendable
parts and become worn during normal use.

If this Weedwacker® Line Trimmer is used for commercial purposes, this warran-

ty applies for only 90 days from the date of purchase. If this Weedwacker® Line
Trimmer is used for rental purposes, this warranty applies for only 30 days from

the date of purchase, This warranty applies onFywhile this product is in use in the
United States.

WARRANTY SERVICE IS AVAILABLE BY RETURNING THE WEEDWACKER® LINE

TRIMMER TO THE NEAREST SEARS SERVICE CENTER IN THE UNITED STATES,
This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights

which vary from state to state.

Sears, Roebuck and Co., DI817 WA Hoffman Estates, IL 60179

WARNING; When using gardening

appliances, basic safety precautions
must always be followed to reduce the

risk of fire and serious injury. Read and

follow all instructions.

This power unit can be dangerous!

Operator is responsible for following
instructions and warnings on unit and

in manual. Read entire Operator's
Manual before using unit! Be thorough-

]yfamiliar with the controls and the

proper use of the unit. Restrict the use

of this unit to persons who have read,
understand, and wilt follow the instruc-

tions and warnings on the unit and in
the manual. Never allow children to

operate this unit.

Safety information on the unit

DANGER: Never use blades or flail-

ing devices. This unit is designed for
line trimmer use only. Use of any ether

accessories or attachments will in-

crease the risk of injury.

0OO

WARNING: Trimmer line throws ob-

jects violently. You and others can be

blinded/injured. Wear eye and leg

2

protection.Keepbodypartsclearof

rotatingline.Keepchildren,bystand-
ers,andanimals50feet(15m)away.
Ifapproached,stopunitimmediately.

Eye Protection

• tf situations occur which are not cov-
ered in this manual, use care and

good judgement. If you need assis-
tance, contact Sears Service or call
the 1-800 number listed on the front of

this manual,

OPERATOR SAFETY
, Always wear safety eye protection.

• Always wear long pants, long
sleeves, boots, and gloves. Wearing
safety leg guards is recommended.

Do not go barefoot or wear sandals.
Stay clear of spinning line.

° Secure hair above shoulder length.

Secure or remove loose clothing or
clothing with loosely hanging ties,
straps, tassels, etc. They can be

caught in moving parts.

• Do not operate when you are tired,
ill, or under the influence of alcohol,

drugs, or medication.

• Wear hearing protection ifyou use
unitfor more than 1-1/2 hours per

day.

• Never start or run inside a closed
room or building. Breathing exhaust

fumes can kill.

• Keep handles free of oil and fuel.

UNIT / MAINTENANCE SAFETY

• Disconnect the spark plug before

performing maintenance except car-
buretor adjustments.

• Look for and replace damaged or
loose parts before each use. Look
for and repair fuel leaks before use.

Keep in good working condition.

• Replace trimmer head parts that are
chipped, cracked, broken, or dam-
aged in any other way before using

the unit.

° Make sure unit isassembled correct-

ly as shown in this manual.

• Make carburetor adjustments with
lower end supported to prevent line
from contacting any object.

• Keep others away when making car-
buretor adjustments.

• Use only recommended Craftsman
accessories and replacement parts.

FUEL SAFETY

• Mix and pour fuel outdoors,

• Keep away from sparks or flames.

* Use a container approved for fuel.
* Do not smoke or allow smoking near

fuel or the unit.

• Wipe up all fue! spills.

• Move at least 10 feet (3 meters)
away from fueling site beiore starting
engine.

* Stop engine and allow to cool before

removing fuel cap.

CUTTING SAFETY

• Use only for trimming, mowing, edg-
ing, and sweeping. Do not use for

pruning or hedge trimming.

• Inspect the area before each use.
Remove objects (rocks, broken

gtass, nails, wire, etc.) which can be
thrown by or become entangled in
line. Hard objects can damage the

trimmer .head and be thrown causing
senous injury.

• Keep firm footing and balance. Do
not overreach.

• Keep all parts of your body away

from muffler and spinning line. Keep
engine below waist level. A hot muf-

fler can cause serious burns.

, Cutting on leftside of the shield will

throw debris away from the operator.

TRANSPORTING AND STORAGE

• Allow engine to coo[; secure unit be-
fore storing or transporting invehicle.

• Empty the fuel tank before storing or
transporting the unit. Use up fuel left

in the carburetor by starting the en-
gine and letting it run until itstops.

• Store unit and fuel in area where fuel
vapors cannot reach sparks or open

flames from water heaters, electric
motors or switches, furnaces, etc.

° Store unit so line limiter cannot acci-

dentally cause injury. The unit can be
hung by the tube.

• Store unit out of reach of children.
, If situations occur which are not cov-

ered in this manual, use care and
good judgment. If you need assis-

tance, call 1-800-235-5878.

SPECIAL NOTICE: This unit is not
equipped with a temperature limiting

muffler and spark arresting screen
which meets the requirements of Cali-

fornia Codes 4442 and 4443. All U.S.
forest land and the states of California,

Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey,

3

Oregon,andWashingtonrequireby
lawthatmanyinternalcombustionen-
ginesbeequippedwithasparkarres-

torscreen.Ifyouoperateinalocale
wheresuchregulationsexist,youare

legallyresponsibleforinstallingant
maintainingtheoperatingcondition
theseparts.Failuretodosoisavic

tionofthelaw,RefertotheMAINTE.
NANCEsectioninthismanual.

CARTONCONTENTS
Checkcartoncontentsagainstthefol-
lowing]ist.

Model 358.798550

• Trimmer

• Shield with knob.

• Assist Handle with bolt and knob.

• Container of Oil

Examine parts for damage, Do not use
damaged parts.

NOTE: If you need assistance or find
parts missing or damaged, call

1-800-235-5878.

It is normal for the fuel filter to rattle in

the empty fuel tank.

Finding fuel or oil residue on muffler is
normal due to carburetor adjustments

and testing done by the manufacturer.

ASSEMBLY
WARNING: Ifreceivedassembled,

repeat all stepsto ensure your unit is
propedy assembledandall fasteners

aresecure.

ATTACHING THE HANDLE

(some units are already assembled)

WARNING: Make sure unit is prop_

assembled and all fasteners are sec_

6

• Assemble handle to the unit asshm
make sure bottom of handle is seal

in the groove in the trigger housin_

NOTE: Knob must be assembled or
the right hand side of the unit as

shown in the above illustration.

• Make sure the bolt is seated into tl
hex shapped here in the handle.

• Pivot handle to a comfortable positic

• Tighten handle securely.

ATTACHING SHIELD
WARNING: The shield must be pro]

edy installed. The shield provides pa_
tial protection from the risk of thrown

objects to the operator and others an
is equipped with a line limiter which

cuts excess Pineto the proper length.
The line limiter (on underside of shiel

is sharp and can cut you.

• Remove knob from shield.

• Insert bracket intoslot on shield.

• Pivot shield until bolt passes throu£

hole in bracket.

• Securely tighten knob onto bolt.

4

Shield___rac

Stot

ket

Wing
Nut

KNOW YOUR TRIMMER

READTHISOPERATOR'SMANUALAND SAFETYRULESBEFOREOPERATINGYOUR

UNIT.Compare the illustrations with your unit to familiarize yourself with the location of
the and adjustments. Save this manual for future reference.

p_ AssistHandle

Tube

EngineStop"" Throttle Trimmer
Swftch Trigger Head

Starter
Rope Start!Run Shield

ENGINE STOP SWITCH

The engine stop switch is used to stop
engine, Push and hold the engine stop

switch in the sition until

the engine has fully stopp ,

PRIMER BULB

The primer bulb removes air from the
fuel lines and fills them with fuel. This

allows you to start the engine with few-
er pulls on the starter rope. Activate

STOP or OF_O

SparkPtug

Knob \

Primer

='-'" Bulb Line

FuelMix Limiter
FitFCap Blade

the primer bulb by pressing it and a!-
Fowing it to return to its original form.

STARTIRUN KNOB
The START/RUNknob helps to supply

fuel to the carburetor during starting.
This allows you to start a cold engine.

Activate the START/RUN knob by mov-

ing the knob to the STARTposition. Af-
ter the engine has started, move knob
to the RUNposition.

BEFORE STARTING ENGINE

WARNING: Be sure to read the fuel
information in the safety rules before
you begin. If you do not understand

the safety rules, do not attempt to fuel
your unit. Call the 1-800 number listed

on the front of this manual,
FUELING ENGINE

This engine is certified to operate on
unleaded gasoline, Before operation,
gasotine must be mixed with a good

quality 2-cycle air-cooled engine oil.
We recommend Craftsman brand oil,

Mix gasoline and oil at a ratio of 40:1

(A 40:1 ratio is obtained by mixing 3.2
ounces of oil with 1 gallon of unleaded
gasoline). DONOT USE automotive oil

or boat oil. These oils will cause
engine damage. When mixing fuel,

follow instructions printed on container.
Once oil is added to gasoline, shake

container momentarily to assure that
the fuet is thoroughly mixed. Always

read and follow the safety rules
relating to fuel before fueling your unit.

IMPORTANT
Experience indicates that alcohol

blended fuels (called gasohol or using
ethanol or methanol) can attract mois-

ture which leads to separation and
formation of acids during storage.
Acidic gas can damage the fuel sys-

tem of an engine while in storage.
To avoid engine problems, empty fuel

system before storage for 30 days or
longer.Drain gas tank, start engine and
let it run until fuei linesand carburetor

are empty. Use fresh fuel next season.
Never use engine or carburetor clean-

er products in the fue! tank or perma-
nent damage may occur.

See the STORAGEsection for addition-
al information.

5

STARTING YOUR ENGINE

Engine
Stop

Switch

HOW TO STOP YOUR UNIT
Push and hold the engine stop switch

in the STOP or OFF position until the

unit has fully stopped.

___ Knob

StartingPosition PrimerBulb

HOW TO START YOUR UNIT
WARNING: The trimmer head will

turn while starting the engine. A hot
muffler can cause serious burns.

COLD ENGINE STARTING OR
STARTING AFTER REFUELLING

• Set unit on flat surface.

• Make sure knob is in the RUNposi-
tion.

o Slowly press the primer bulb 12

times,

• Move knob to STARTposition.

• S_Squeezetdgger (fully depress and

h_9.L_,putt starter handle sharply until
engine starts. (if engine does not
staff in 3 pulls, see NOTE.)

• Continue to _r and at-
low engine to run for 5 to 10 se-
conds.

• Move the knob to the RUN position
while continuing to squeeze trigger
for 30 second warm up.

NOTE: If engine fails to start in 3 pulls,
move knob to RUN. Squeeze trigger
and sharply pull starter handle untilen-

gine starts. Continue to squeeze trig-
ger for 30 second warm-up.

RESTARTING A WARM ENGINE

• Move knob to RUN position.
° Squeeze and hold trigger.

• Pull starter handle until engine starts.

- If engine fails to start in 3 pulls, follow
instructionsinCOLDENGINESTARTING.

Knob

STARTING AT TEMPERATURES
BELOW 40 ° F.

* FollowCOLDENGINESTARTINGexcept

after moving knob to the STARTposition,
slowly move knob back to RUN position

and then back to STARTposition. Con-
tinueto follow COLD ENGINESTARTING.

If the unit still doesn't start, refer to
TROUBLESHOOTINGchart or call the

1-800 number listed on the front of

this manual.

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS

OPERATING POSITION

ALWAYS WEAR: _ Eye Protection

Long Pants

Heavy Shoes

Cut from your right your left.

Do not run the engine at a higher speed
than necessary. The cutting line wilt cut

efficiently when the engine is run at less
than full throttle. At lower speeds, there

is less engine noise and vibration. The
cutting line will last longer and will be

less likelyto "welc£ onto the spool,

Always release the throttle trigger and
allow the engine to return to idle speed

when not cuffing.
To stop engine:

° Release the throttle trigger.
° Push and hold the engine stop

switch in the STOP or OFF position
until the engine has fully stopped.

TWIST-N-EDGE

• Pull the tab toward the engine.

• Twist the tube to the edging position;
release tab.

TRIMMER LINE ADVANCE

Trimmer line will advance approxi-
mately 2 in. (5 cm) each time bottom of

trimmer head is tapped on the ground

with engine running at full throttle.

The mostefficientI_nelengthis the

maximum lengthallowed by line limiter.

6

Alwayskeeptheshieldinplacewhen
thetoolisbeingoperated.

ToAdvanceLine:

• Operatetheengineatfullthrottle.

• Holdthetrimmerheadparalleltoand
abovethegrassyarea.

•Tapthebottomofthetrimmerhead
lightlyonthegroundonetime.Ap-

proximately2in.(5cm)oflinewillbe
advancedwitheachtap.

To advance line, tap bottom of trimmer
head on ground one time.

Line fimiter cuts line
proper length.

Always tap the trimmer head on a
grassy area. Tapping on surfaces such

as concrete or asphalt can cause ex-

cessive wear to the trimmer head.

Ifline is worn dov_ to 2 in, (5 cm) or
less, more than one tap will be required
to obtain the most efficient line length.

WARNING: Use only .080" (2 ram)

diameter line. Other sizes of line wil!

not advance properly and can cause
serious injury'. Do not use other materi-

als such as wire, string, rope, etc, Wire
can break off during cutting and be-
come a dangerous missile that can
cause serious injury.

CUTTING METHODS

WARNING: Use minimum speed and
do not crowd the line when cutting

around hard objects (rock, gravel,
fence posts, etc.), which can damage

the trimmer head, become entangled

in the fine, or be thrown causing a seri-

ous hazard.

• The tip of the line does the cutting.
You will achieve the best perform-

ance and minimum line wear by not
crowding the line into the cutting
area. The right and wrong ways are

shown below.

Tipofthe Line I Line CrowdedInto

DoesTheCutting I WorkArea

Right " _a_t Wrong " "'

• The fine will easily remove grass and
weeds from around walls, fences,

trees and flower beds, but it also can
cut the tender bark of trees or shrubs

and scar fences. To help avoid dam-
age especially to delicate vegetation

or trees with tender bark, shorten line
to 4--5 in. (10-13 cm) and use at less

than full throttle,

• For trimming or scalping, use less
than full throttle to increase fine life

and decrease head wear, especially:

• During light duty cutting.

• Near objects around which the line
can wrap such as small posts,
trees or fence wire.

• For mowing or sweeping, use full
throttle for a good clean job.

WARNING: Always wear eye protec-

tion. Never tean over the trimmer head.

Rocks or debris can ricochet or be

thrown into eyes and face and cause
blindness or other serious injury.
TRIMMING - Hold the bottom of the

trimmer head about 3 in. (8 cm) above

the ground and at an angle. Allow only
the tip of the line to make contact. Do

not force trimmer tine into work area.

Trimming

AboveGround _ '_ _/_.

SCALPING - The scalping technique

removes unwanted vegetation. Hold

the bottom of the trimmer head about 3
in. (8 cm) above the ground and at an

angle. Allow the tip of the line to strike
the ground around trees, posts, monu-
ments, etc. This technique increases

line wear.

Scalping ............. ,

MOWING - Your trimmer is ideal for
mowing in places conventional lawn

mowers cannot reach, in the mowing

position, keep the line parallel to the
ground. Avoid pressing the head into

the ground as this can scalp the
ground and damage the tool.

to and above the surfaces being swept
and move the tool from side to side.

,._

EDGING - The Twist-N-Edge feature
allows for easy edging of sidewalks,

patios, driveways, etc. Adjust trimmer
to the edging position. Allow only the
tip of the line to make contact. Do not

force trimmer line into work area.

SWEEPING - The fanning action of
rotating line can be used for a quick

and easy clean up. Keep line parallei

Edging __,_,,_,

MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE

CARE & MAINTENANCE TASK

Check for Loose fasteners and parts
Check for damaged or worn parts

Clean unit and labels
Clean air filter

R_ce spark ptug.

WHEN TO PERFORM

Before each use
Before each use

After each use
Every 5 hours of operation

Yearly

GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS

The warranty on this unit does not cov-
er items that have been subjected to

operator abuse or negligence. To re-
ceive full value from the warranty, the
operator must maintain unit as instruct-

ed inthis manual. Various adjustments
will need to be made periodicallyto

properly maintain your unit.
CHECK FOR LOOSE

FASTENERS AND PARTS

• Spark Plug Boot

• Air Filter

• Housing Screws

• Assist Handle Screws

• Shield

CHECK FOR DAMAGED OR
WORN PARTS

Refer replacement of damaged/worn
parts to your Sears Service Center.

• Engine Stop Switch - Ensure switch
functions properly by holding the

switch in the "Stop" position. Make

sure engine stops; then restart en-

gine and continue.

• Fuel Tank- Do not use unit iffuel tank

shows signs of damage or leaks.

° Shield - Discontinue use of unit if

debris shield is damaged.

CLEAN UNIT & LABELS

• Clean the unit using a damp cloth
with a mild detergent.

• Wipe off unit with a clean dry cloth.
CLEAN AIR FILTER

Do not clean filter in gasoline or other
flammable solvent to avoid creating a

fire hazard or producing harmful evap-
orative emissions,

Cleaning the air filter:
A dirty air filter decreases engine per-
formance and increases fuel consump-

tion and harmful emissions. Always
ctean after every 5 hours of operation.

• Clean the cover and the area around
it to keep dirt and debris from failing

intothe carburetor chamber when
the cover is removed.

• Remove parts as illustrated.

• Wash the filter in soap and water.

• Allow filter to dry.

• Replace parts,

SFilter

Cover

REPLACE SPARK PLUG

Replace the spark plug each year to
ensure the engine starts easier and

runs better. Set spark plug gap at
.025 in. Ignition timing is fixed and
nonadjustable.

* Twist, then pull off spark plug boot.
° Remove spark plug from cylinder

and discard.

• Replace with Champion RCJ-8Y
spark plug and tighten with a 3/4 in.
socket wrench (10-12 ft.-Ibs).

° Reinstall the spark plug boot,

9