Craftsman 944.367441, Owner'S Manual

11

LAWN MOWER

Always observe safety rules when per-
 form ing any main te nance.

TIRES
•   Keep tires free of gasoline, oil, or insect 

control chemi cals which can harm rubber.

•   Avoid stumps, stones, deep ruts, sharp 

objects and other hazards that may 
cause tire damage.

BLADE CARE
For best results, blade must be kept sharp.  
Re place a bent or dam aged blade.

  CAUTION:  Use only a replacement 

blade approved by the manufacturer of 
your mower.  Using a blade not approved 
by the manufacturer of your mower is 
hazardous, could damage your mower and 
void your warranty.

TO REMOVE BLADE
1.   Disconnect spark plug wire from spark 

plug and place wire where it cannot 
come in contact with plug.

2.   Turn lawn mower on its side. Make 

sure air fi lter and carburetor are up.

3.   Use a wood block between blade and 

mower hous ing to prevent blade from 
turning when re mov ing blade bolt.

NOTE:  Protect your hands with gloves 
and/or wrap blade with heavy cloth.
4.   Remove blade bolt by turning counter-

clockwise. 

5.   Remove blade and attaching hard ware 

(bolt, lock wash er, hardened wash er).

NOTE:  Remove the blade adapter and 
check the key inside hub of blade adapter. 
The key must be in good con di tion to work 
properly. Replace adapter if damaged.

TO REPLACE BLADE 
1.   Position the blade adapter on the en-

gine crank shaft. Be sure key in adapter 
and crankshaft keyway are aligned.

2.   Position blade on the blade adapter 

aligning the two (2) holes in the blade 
with the raised lugs on the adapter.

3.   Be sure the trailing edge of blade (oppo-

site sharp edge) is up toward engine.

4.   Install the blade bolt with the lock 

washer and hardened washer into 
blade adapter and crankshaft.

5.   Use block of wood between blade and 

lawn mower housing and tighten the 
blade bolt, turning clockwise.

•   The recommended tightening torque is 

35-40 ft. lbs. / 47-54 N-m.  

IMPORTANT:  Blade bolt is heat treated.  
If bolt needs replacing, replace only with 
approved bolt shown in the Repair Parts 
section of this manual.

TO SHARPEN BLADE
NOTE:  We do not recommend sharp en ing 
blade - but if you do, be sure the blade is bal-
anced.  Care should be taken to keep the blade 
balanced. An un bal anced blade will cause 
eventual damage to lawn mower or engine. 
•   The blade can be sharp ened with a fi le 

or on a grinding wheel. Do not attempt 
to sharpen while on the mower.

•   To check blade balance, drive a nail into 

a beam or wall. Leave about one inch of 
the straight nail ex posed. Place center 
hole of blade over the head of the nail. 
If blade is balanced, it should remain in 
a horizontal position. If either end of the 
blade moves downward, sharpen the 
heavy end until the blade is balanced.

GRASS CATCHER
•   The grass catcher may be hosed with 

water, but must be dry when used.

•   Check your grass catcher often for dam-

age or de te ri o ra tion.  Through normal 
use it will wear.  If catcher needs replac-
ing, replace only with ap proved replace-
ment catcher shown in the Repair Parts 
section of this manual.  Give the lawn 
mower model number when ordering.

ENGINE

LUBRICATION
Use only high quality detergent oil rated with 
API service classifi cation SG–SL.  Select the 
oil's SAE viscosity grade according to your 
expected operating temperature.

TEMPERATURE RANGE ANTICIPATED BEFORE NEXT OIL CHANGE

SAE VISCOSITY GRADES

-20 0 30 40 

80 

100 

-30 

-20 0  20 30 

40 

F

C

32 

-10 

10 

60 

5W-30

SAE 30

NOTE:  Although multi-viscosity oils 
(5W30, 10W30 etc.) improve starting in 
cold weather, these multi-viscosity oils will 
result in increased oil consumption when 
used above 32°F.  Check your engine oil 
level more frequently to avoid possible 
engine damage from running low on oil.

Blade 
bolt

Crankshaft 

keyway

Hardened 
washer

Lockwasher

Blade adapter

Key

Blade

Trailing edge

Crankshaft