Craftsman ZTS 7500 Operator's Manual

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Contents

DRiViNG PRACTICE-BASIC DRIVINGWARNING: Never operate on slopes greater than 17.6%(10°). See SLOPE OPERATION in the safety section.Zero turn riders operate differently from other bur-wheeled vehicles. The drive wheels are also yoursteering wheels, if you cannot drive the unit on a hill, youwill not be able to steer the unit on it. Operating zeroturn units on slopes requires extra caution.The lever controls of the zero turn rider are veryresponsive, and learning to gain a smooth and efficientcontrol of the rider's forward, reverse, and turningmovements will take some practice.Spend some time going through the following maneuversand becoming familiar with how the unit accelerates,travels, and steers -- before you begin mowing --isabsolutely essential to getting the most out of the zeroturn rider.Avoid turf damage! To avoid turf damage, keep bothdrive wheels moving while executing turns. Pivoting onone wheel, or dragging a wheel through a turn willdamage your lawn.Locate a smooth, fiat area of your lawn -- one withplenty of room to maneuver. (Clear the area of objects,people and animals before you begin.) Operate the unitat mid-throttle during this practice session (ALWAYSoperate at full throttle when mowing), and turn slowly toprevent tire slippage and damage to your lawn.We suggest you begin with the Smooth Travel procedureto the right, and then advance through the forward,reverse, and turning maneuvers.WARNINGDo not mow in reverse. Always look down andbehind before and while travelling in reverse.Fo rward TravelSmooth TravelThe lever controls of thezero turn rider arehighly responsive.The BEST method ofhandling the groundspeed control levers is inthree steps -- as shownin Figure 4.FIRST place your handsonto the levers asshown.SECOND, to go forwardgradually push the leversforward with your palms.THIRD, to speed upmove the levers fartherforward. To slow downsmoothly, slowly movethe levers back towardneutral.Figure 4. Move ControlLevers GraduallyForward Travel PracticeGradually move both ground speed control levers evenlyFORWARD from neutral. Slow down and repeat.Reverse Travel PracticeLOOK DOWN & BEHIND, then gradually move bothground speed control levers evenly BACK from neutral.Slow down and repeat.NOTE: Practice backing up for several minutes beforeattempting to do so near objects. The rider turns assharply in reverse as when going forward, and backingup straight takes practice.Reverse TravelFigure 5. Forward Travel Figure 6. Reverse Travel14