Craftsman 917.204010 Operator's Manual

Also see for 917.20402: Operator's manual

The operation of any tractor can result in foreign objects thrown intothe eyes, which can result in severe eye damage. Always wear safetyglasses or eye shields while operating your tractor or performing anyadjustments or repairs. We recommend standard safety glasses or awide vision safety mask worn over spectacles.HOW TO USE YOUR TRACTORTO SET PARKING BRAKEYour tractor is equipped with an operatorpresence sensing switch. When engine isrunning, any attempt bythe operator to leavethe seat without first setting the parking brakewill shut off the engine.1. Depress clutch/brake pedal (B) all theway down and hold.2. Putt parking brake lever (C) up and hold,release pressure from clutch/brake pedal(B), then release parking brake lever. Ped-al should remain in brake position. Ensureparking brake will hold tractor secure.STOPPING• Press SSI button (F) once to stop engine.NOTE: Under certain conditions when tractoris standing idle with the engine running, hotengine exhaust gases may cause "brown-ing" of grass. To eliminate this possibility,always stop engine when stopping tractoron grass areas.CAUTION: Always stop tractor com-pletely, as described above, before leavingthe operator's position.MANUALLY LOCKING THE SMARTSWITCHIGNITIONWith the engine completely stopped and theSmartSwitch Ignition (SSI) button (F) blink-ing green, the SSI button can be manuallylocked by pressing buttons "1"and "3" atthesame time for approximately two seconds.NOTE: The tractor is already locked if asleepor if SSI button is blinking blue.MOWER BLADES -• To stop mower blades, move attachmentclutch control to disengaged position (1_'1).(1_1) Attachment (1_) AttachmentClutch Control Clutch Control"Engaged .... Disengaged"GROUND DRIVE -• Tostop ground drive, depress brake pedalall the way down.• Move motion control leverto neutral posi-tion.ENGINE -• Move throttle control (D) to slow position.NOTE: Failure to move throttle controlto stow position and allowing engine toidle before stopping may cause engine to"backfire".SMARTSWITCH SAFETY SYSTEMYour tractor is equipped with an operatorpresence sensing switch. Ifthe parking brakehas not been engaged before the operatorleaves the seat, the engine will shut off. Tocontinue mowing, the tractor will need to berestarted. See "TO START ENGINE" in thissection of the manual.TO STOP MOWING• While seated in operating position, depressbrake pedal and set parking brake.After setting the parking brake, any attemptby the operator to leave the seat will stopthe mower blades. The engine will continueto run for approximately five minutes beforeshutting off. This allows an operator to mo-mentarily leave the seat to remove obstacleswithout having to restart the tractor.11