Craftsman 917372270 Owner’s Manual

OWNER'S

MANUAL

MODELNO.

917.372270

CRRFTSMRN

Caution:

Readand Follow

all Safety Rules

and Instruchons BeforeOperating

ThisEquipment

SEARS,ROEBUCKANDCo., Chicago,IL.

4.0 RESERVEPOWER 22" REARBAGGER

POWERPROPELLED ROTARYLAWNMOWER

Assembly

Operation

Maintenance ServiceandAdjustment

RepairParts

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60684 U.S.A.

SAFETYRULES

CAUTION: ALWAYS DISCONNECT SPARK PLUG WIRE AND PLACE WIRE WHERE IT CANNOT CONTACT SPARK PLUG TO PREVENT ACCIDENTAL STAR-

TING WHEN SETTING-UP, TRANSPORTING, ADJUSTING OR MAKING REPAIRS TO YOUR MOWER_

IMPORTANT

FEDERAL REGULATIONS REQUIRE OPERATOR PRESENCE BLADE STOP CONTROLS TO MINIMIZE THE

RISK OF BLADE CONTACT INJURY, YOUR MOWER IS EQUIPPED WITH SUCH CONTROLS, DO NOT

ATTEMPT TO DEFEAT THE FUNCTION OF THE OPERATOR PRESENCE CONTROL UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES,

• BE CAREFUL-WHEN THE ENGINE IS RUN- NING THE BLADE iS TURNING,,

• Please road your owner's manual Only allow persons who know the safety rules to use your

mower,

" DO NOT tie the operator presencecontrol bar

to the handle° Control must be free to permit brake engagement when handles and control

are released.

Q DO NOT aliow children to use your mower.

Check your mower over before each use.

Tighten any loose bolts, nuts, etc.

• Remove all sticks,stones, wires, cans, boards, etc from area to be mowed. These objects can be thrown by the blade.

• DO NOT allow children, bystanders or pets in

the area while mowing°

• Always wear shoes when mowing. DO NOT

operate mower when barefoot or wearing open sandals,

o Always wear safety glasses or eye shields

before starting your lawn mower and while mowing.

" Always shutoff engine before trying to adjust

wheeiheights.

o When engine, is running, DO NOT put hands

or feet und_,_wer or m the discharge chute,

nor make _in_!_'diustments

° Stay clear ot'_scharc_e openma at all hines.

o Do not fill gas tank w'O_enengine _srunning,

when indoors or wh_ _QrLclineis hot, Allow

engine to cool for several _n'lnutesbefore flll- ing gas tank,. Clean off aB_ spilled gasoline

before starting engine. '

° Mow only in goodlight. _, Always stop blade When not cutting grass or

when crossing gravel drive, sidewalk, or roadway

• DO NOT continue to run your mower if you hit a foreign obiecL Stop the engine, discon-

nectthe spark plug wire from the spark plug,

inspect the mower for damage and make

repairs as required, DO NOT usea damaged mower. Always have

damage repaired before mowing,

• DO NOT run your mower if it vibrates too much, Stop engine and make repalrs,. Vibra-

tion is an indication of damage,

o Never use your mower wilhout proper guards

or deflectors in place ,_,_

• Always mow across c_sto_e or!inclined area. DO NOT mow up or down a _lo_e._orinclined

area. ..

'_ DO NOT mow n wet grass Be ca'r'e_u of

footing when mowing m wet grass,, use _t_ ,_ges with good tracfion_ _,'

o DO NOT run with the mower° _ o DO NOT run your mower indoors. Exhaust

gases are deadly pobon_.

'_ Always disconnect the spark plug wire from

spark plug to prevent accidental starting when transporting or storing your mower after the

mowing season.

• DO NOT attempt to raise engine speed above

factory settings_ Engine damage or personal injury may result.

If a grass catcher isused on your mower, check

_hecatcher often for damage or deterioration.

tt will wear through normal use. Use only a

recommended replacement catcher_

• Always stopblade to remove or install catcher.

" DO NOT slore your mower or gasoline where

fumes may reach an open flame and cause a fire..

• DRAIN THE GASOLINE from your mower

before transporting your mower insideyour car or other vehicle.

LOOKFORTHISSYMBOLTO POINTOUTIMPOR- TANTSAFETYPRECAUTIONS°IT MEANS--ATTEN- TION!H BECOMEALERTflfYOUR SAFETYIS INVOLVED.

COHGP,ATUIA110HSon your purchase of a Sears Crafts-

PRODUCTSPECIFICATIONS

man Lawn Mower. It has been designed, engineered and manufactured to give you the best possible dependability and performance.

Should you experience any problem you cannoteasb

RESERVE POWER: 40

DISPLACEMENT: 9,98 cu. in.

ly remedy, piease contact your nearest Sears Ser-

vice CenterlDepartment, We have competent, welb trained technicians and the proper tools to service

or repair this unit.

Please read and retain this manual, The instructions

wilt enable you to assemble and maintain your mower properly. Always observe the "SAFETY

RULES".

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MODEL

NUMBER 917.372270 SERIAL

NUMBER

DATE OF PURCHASE,

THE MODEL AND SERIAL NUMBERS WILL BE FOUND ON A DECAL ATTACHED TO THE REAR

OF THE MOWER HOUSING

YOU SHOULD RECORD BOTH SERIAL NUMBER AND DATE OF PURCHASE AND KEEP INA SAFE

PLACE FOR FUTURE REFERENCE,

GASOLINE CAPACITY: ) O quart

OIL (2t oz.. Capacity): SAE 30W

_umeaaea_

(SAElOW 30)

SPARK PLUG (GAP 030 in): Champion

VALVE CLEARANCE: Intake: 008 in

SOLID STATE tGNITtON AIR GAP: ,0125 in.

BLADE NUT TORQUE: 70-75 ft.-lbs.

Exhaust: ,008 in.

RJ19-LM or

(Seers 7133312 or STD 36145g)

MAINTENANCEAGREEMENT

A Sears Maintenance Agreement is available on this product, Contact your nearest Sears store for

details.

CUSTOMERRESPONSIBILITIES

• Road and observe the safety rules_

Fallow a regular schedule in maintaining, caring for and using your mower.

,, FoItow the instructbns under "Maintenance" and "Storage" sections of this Owner's Manuel

ONEYEARUMnEDWARRANTYONCRAFTSMANPOWERMOWER ........

For one year from the date of purchase, when this Craftsman Lawn Mower is maintained, lubricated and tunedrup.

according to the instructionsin the owner's menuat, Sears wilt repair, free of charge, any defect in material and workmanship.

If ehlsCraftsman Lawn Mower is used for commerclal or rental purposes, this warranty applies for onty 90

days from the date of purchase. This warranty does not cover:

Expendable items which become worn during normal use, suchas rotary mower blades, btade adapters,. botts, air cleaners and spark plug

Repairs necessary because of aperalor abuse or negligence, including bent crankshafts end the failure Io maintain the equ=pment according to the instructions contained in the owner's manua_

WARRANTY SERVICE IS AVAILABLE BY RETURNING THE CRAFTSMAN POWER MOWER TO THE

NEAREST SEARS SERVICE CENTER/DEPARTMENT IN THE UNITED STATES. THIS WARRANTY APPLIES ONLY WHILE THIS PRODUCT IS IN USE iN THE UNITED STATES

This warranly gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have olher rights which may vary from stale

to state.

SEARS, ROEBUCK AND CO. Department 6981731A Sears Tower, Chicago, lil. 60684

TABLEOFCONTENTS

SAFETY RULE............

PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS. , CUSTOMER RESPONSIBILITIES

WARRANTY ........

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INDEX ...............

MOWER ACCESSORIES

ASSEMBLY.

OPERATION

INDEX

Adjustments:

Carburetor 13

Engine Speed 13 Handle Height 14 Height of Cut 8 Wheel Adiusters 8

Air FiJter:

Cleaning t2 Paper Cartridge 10 Rep|acement 10

Assembly:

Handie 6

Accessarles 5

Bfade:

Rep|acement 10 Sharpening 10

Controls:

Engine Coelrol , . , 7 8 Operator Presence Control Bar 7 Speed Selector , .. 78

Customer Responsibilities 3 Cuffing Levels 8

Engine:

Control 7.8 Oil Cap .7

Oil Change 11 Oil Level g

Off Type 8 Sterling , g Storage 15

Filter, Air 12 Fuel:

Type ,8

Storage 15

MAINTENANCE 10,t 1,12

2 3

STORAGE .............. t5

. 3

SERVICE AND ADJUSTMENT t3,14

TROUBLE SHOOTING . _7

REPAIR PARTS-MOWER 18-2!

4 4

REPAIR PARTS.ENGINE ..... 22.23

SERVICE RECOMMENDATIONS .... 16

PARTS ORDERING/SERVICE 24,25

7,8,9

Gasoline

Handb:

Adtustment

Assembly Bracket

Knob , . Height, Culling

Lubrication:

Engine FrontWheel Adjuster

Maintenance:

Agreement ,3 Air Filter . t2

Air F'iltor Paper Cartridge '_2 Blade Care/Rep|acement t0

Engine 11

Gross Catcher 6,8

L_tbrication 16

Spark Plugs 12

Mowing Tips 9

O_l:

Cold Wealher Conditions 9

Engine 11

Storage 15

Operation:

OpBrat_ng Mower 7,&g

Speed:

Slatting the Engine . 9 Stopping Your Lawn Mower 9

Operafor Presence Control 7 Options:

Attachments 5

3 Parts "_B-2t

Primer 8

t4 RepairtReplacament Parts 20

•6 Respansib_fflies, Customer 3 ')4

7 8 S

Safety Rules Service and Adiustmenls:

B_ode

4 Carburetor

Cutting Level

Engine HandIe

Service Recommenciation Spark Plugs

16 Specifications

8 Speed Control:

Engine

Starting the Engine:

Starter Rope Slopping the Mower Storage

Table of Contents , Trouble Shooting Chari

Warranty Wheels:

,gg

6,14

Wheel Adjusters

1o t3

3 B

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MOWER ACCESSORIES

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These accessories were available when the mower was purchased They,ere also available at most Sears retait ouflels, catalog and servicecenters Mast Sears storescan order repair parts for you, when you provide th_ model number of your mower,

ENGINE

SPARKPLUG

MUFFLER

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AIRFILTER

GASCAN

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ENGINEOIL

STABILIZER

iii

Hill I

mower is an electric start

MOWER PERFORMANCE

REARBAG OPTIONAL

REPLACEMENT

BAG FOR REAR

DISCHARGE

MOWERS

OPTIONAL

CATCHERFOR

SIDEDISCHARGE

MOWER

JCHARGER

iiii,

DUSTSHIELD

FABRICBAG

, H,H,, H ,,,',,"t,"

SIDEDISCHARGECATCHER

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LEAFCATCHER

i BATTERY

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CLIPPINGDEFLECTOR

PERMANEXCATCHER

i .....................

MOWER MAINTENANCE

BELT BLADE

BLADEADAPTER

WHEELS

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MOWERCOVER

, i

ASSEMBLY

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Your lawn mower has been completely assembled at the factory except for the grass catcher top and

the grass catcher bottom,

TOREMOVEMOWERFROMCARTON

grass catcher, catcher frame, hardware pack,

i Removeloose parts if included with mower, (Le,

elc,).

Cut down corners on one end of carton and lay end down flat.

* Remove packing material * Roll mower out of carton and check carton

thoroughly for loose parts.

flOW TOSET-UPYOURLAWNMOWER

10 UNFOLDHANDLE

Remove tape and paper holding aperator presence

control bar to upper handb.

. Hold down operator presence control bar to up-

per handle to albw _andb to move to mowing

position,

" Raise handles until lower handle sectionlocks im

to place in the mowing position (See Fig,, 1)_

, Raise upper handle section intoplace on lower

handle and tighten one (1) handle knob,

* Release operator presence control bar and

tighten remaining handle knob°

* Your mower handle can be adjusted For your

mowing comfort, Refer to "ADJUST HANDLE" in the Service and Adjustment section of this

manuak

OPERATOff Pt_SEtVC_

20 KEPS NUTS

START HERE

FIO. 2

TOASSI_BLEGRASSCATCHER

NOTE:The grass catcher for your mower comes

unassembled_ To assemble follow steps below:

* Position top half of catcher on bottom half (See

Fig,21.

* Insert screw through right front hole; place 1!4"

nut on screw and-bare loose,

• Insert screw through left front hole; place 1/4" nut on screw and leave loose,

• Tighten screws installed in Steps 2 & 3. Hold locknuts with 7/16" wrench white tightening

screws,

- Installsix more screwsmoving around catcher and leave Iocknutslooser

• Tighten these screws as in Step 4,

NOTE_Make sure atl s_crewsare tight,

TOAITACItGRASSCATCHER

• Liftdoor°

onto hingebracket(See Fig. 3)_

i oldcatcherby handle and placecatcherframe

Releaserear door.

FIG.3

• Whengrasscatcherisremovedffommower, reor door closesfor safety°

d_ CAUTION:DO NOT RUN YOURLAWNI

...............................APPROVI:I)GRASCATCHERIN PLACE.

MOWERWITflOU1DISCflARGEGUARUOR

• NEVERATTEMPTTO OPERATETHE MOWER

WITH THE DOOR REMOVED OR PROPPED OPEN,

............... ......OPERATi()N ..........°..............

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KNOWYOURMOWER

READ THiS OWNER'S MANUAL AND SAFETYRULESBEFOREOPERATING YOUR ROTARYMOWER.

Compare the iJlustrallons with your Rotary Mower to familiarize yourself with the location of various controls

and adjustments. Save thismanual for future reference_

PRESENCE CONTROL BAR

DRIVE CONTROL LEVER

-tANDLE KNOB

"CABLE CLIP

STARTER ROPE

ENGINE SPEED SELECTOR LEVER

MUFFLER

_ OIL CAP WITH DIPSTICK

_-----_ GASO LINE FILLER

PRIMER

AIR FILTER

FIG, 4

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MEETSCPSCSAFETYREQUIREMENTS

Sears Rotary Walk-Behind Power Mowers conform to the safety standards of the American National Stan- dards institute and the UoSo Consumer Product Safety Commission, The blade turns when the engine is running.

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OPERATOR PRESENCE CONTROL BAR - mustbe held down to the handle to start lee engine. Release

to stop the engine.

ENGINE SPEEDSELECTORLEVER.located onthe

r!_ht sideof the engine whichallowsyou toselect

effher "HIGH _ or "LOW" enginespeed,

PRIMER- pumpsadditionalfuelfromthe carburetor

to the cylinder far usewhere startinga cold engine. STARTERROPE- usedfor starting the englne.

DELVECONTROL LEVERousedto engage power- propelled forward motion of mower,

OPERATION

HOWTO USEYOURMOWER

ENGINESPEEDSELECTOR The engine speedis controlled by a lever (red knob)

located on the right side of the en_line. HIGH" posi_ tion is For starting engine, normal cutting and better

grass bagging° "LOW" position is for light cutting,

trimming, and fuel economy (See Fig, 5)o

DRIVECONTROL

" Self-propelling is controlled by holding the

operator presence control bar down to the han-

dle and pushing the drive control lever forward

until it clicks; then release the lever (See Fig. 6),

• Forward motion will stop when the operator presence control bar is released° To stop forward

motion without stopping the engine, release the operator presence control bar slightly until the

drive control disengages° Hold operator presence control bar down tohandle to continue mowing

without self-propelling.

• To keep drive control engaged when turningcor- hers, push down on handle and llft front wheels

off ground while turning mower.

TO EMPTYGRASSCATCHER

• Lift Door.

• Grasp catcher handle and remove Frommower,

o Empty by shaking catcher with open end

downward (See Fig. 7).

FIG. 5

FIG. 6

TOADJUSTCUFFINGHEIGHT

* Raise wheels Forlow cut and lower wheels for

high cuL

o Wheels are setinlow cut for shipping. Adjust cut-

ting height to suit your requirements, Medium

position is best for most lawns.

* To change cutting height, squeeze adjuster lever

toward wheel Move wheel up or down to suit your requirements. Be sure all wheets are in the

same setting (See Fig. B).

BEFORESTARTINGENGINE

OIL:

• Removeenglne oil cap with dipstick or all fill plug. Fill to "FUI_L" line on dipstick or to top o_slot

down in filbr hote_ Use about 1 pint or 1/2 liter

of Sears 30W all or equivalent. SAE 10W 30 oil can also be used (See Fig, 4)° DO NOT use SAE

10W 40 oil. The total oil capacity of_

your engine is 21 oz. or 0,62 liters. Fill only to "FULL" llne on dipstick or to lop of slot down in

oil filler hole. DO NOT over filtoThe first fil! on a

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FIG. 7

newengineusesabout I pint,Checkoil leveland

add oil as needed to bring to proper level, Pour oi! slowly, DO NOT over fill,

GAS:

• Fill gasoline tank with Fresh, clean unleaded

gasoline. DO NOT USE PREMIUM GASOLINE. BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVER FILL TANK (SEE

F G.4).

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OPERATION

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BEFORESTARTINGENGINE (COt,IT'D) WARNING: Experience indicates that alcohol blend-

ed fuels (called gasohol or usingethanolor methanol) can attract moisture which leads to separation and

formation of acids during storage._ Acidic gas can damage thefuel systemof an engine while in storage Toavoid _ngine problems, the ruet systemshouldbe

emptied before storage for 30 clays or longer. Drain the gas tank, start the engine and let _trun until the

fuel )ines and carburetor ore empty. Use fresh fuel next season. See Storage instructionsfor additlonal _nformatlon. Never use engine or carburetor cleaner products inthe fuel tank or permanent damage may

occur,,

TO STARTENGINE

, To start a cold engine, push primer five (5) times

before trying to start. Use a firm push. This step

isnot usually necessary when starting an engine

which has already run for a few minutes_

* Push engine speed selector lever forward to

"HIGH" position,

handle and pun starter handle quickly° Do not

i oldoperator presence control bar down to the

allow starter rope to snap back_ To "STOP" engine, release operator presence

control bar.

NOTE: In cooler weather it may be necessary to repeat priming steps. In warmer weather aver prim- _ngmay cause flooding and engine will not start, if

you do flood engine wait a Few minutes before at- tempting to start and DO NOT repeat priming steps.

MOWINGTiPS

Under certain conditions, such as very tal_ grass, it may be necessary to raise the height of cut to reduce pushing effort and to keep from overloading the engine and leaving clumps of

grass clippings,

LOWER WHEELS _"'_ RAISE WHEELS

FOR HIGHCUT FOR LOW CUT

FIG. 8

• For extremely heavy cutting, reduce the width of

cut and raise the roar of the mower housing one

(1) wheel adjustor settinghigher than thefront for

bettor discharge of grass_

• When using a rear bagging mower in moist, heavy grass, dumps of cut grass may not enter

the grass catcher. Reduce ground speed (pushing speed) and/or run the mower over the area a se-

cond time,

• For better grass bagging and mast cutting con., difions, the engine speed should'be set in the

"HIGH" (fast) position,

• If a trail of grass clippings is left on the right side of a rear bagging mower, mow _na dockwlse

direction with a small overlap to collect the cllp-

pings on the next pass°

• For side discharge mowers, cutting in o counter- clockwise direction, starting at the outside of the area to be cut, spreadsgrass clippings more even*

ly and puts less load on the engine To keep clip..

pings off of walkways, flower beds, etc., make

the first cuts in a clockwise dlrecfiom

• Pores in cloth gross catchers can become filled with dirt and dust with useand co,hers will col!.

loci tessgrass. To prevent this, regularly hose cat-

cher off with water and let dry before using,

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